I must now deal with the deferred division relating to the ministerial amendment to the motion regarding housing and homelessness. Yesterday, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be made", a division was claimed, and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Housing and Homelessness: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Matt Carthy on 11 July 2023:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— Fine Gael have now been in Government for 12 years, propped up by Fianna Fáil for the past seven years, and Darragh O'Brien TD has been the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for three years; and
— during this time the housing crisis has deepened, and is the biggest threat to Ireland's economic and societal well-being;
further notes with extreme concern that:
— adult homelessness has increased by 44 per cent and child homelessness has increased by 39 per cent since this Government was formed, meaning last month the total number of people in Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage-funded emergency accommodation was 12,441, including 3,699 children;
— rents are up 23 per cent since this Government was formed, and average rents across the State are now €1,507, with new rents in Dublin at €2,063, while thousands of renters have received eviction notices; and
— according to the latest Residential Tenancies Board Q4 2022 Rent Index Report, there was a 7.6 per cent increase in new rents across the State in 2022, and 13 counties have experienced double digit rent increases;
acknowledges that the housing emergency is inhibiting the capacity of businesses to expand, limiting potential investment in respect of new jobs and more importantly adding to the recruitment and retention crisis and delivery of key public services across the State;
condemns that:
— the Government have missed their social and affordable housing targets for three years;
— the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has underspent its social and affordable capital budget by €1 billion; and
— the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage capital budget for 2023 is behind profile by 28 per cent as of June;
resolves that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil cannot solve the housing crisis that they have created, and only a change of Government which prioritises the delivery of public housing can fix the housing emergency; and
calls for:
— a three-year ban on rent increases, and the creation of a refundable tax credit to put a month's rent back in every private renter's pocket; and
— an emergency response to stem the rise in homelessness, including:
— a temporary reintroduction of the ban on no fault evictions;
— an expansion of the tenant-in-situ scheme for social and cost rental tenants;
— the use of emergency planning and procurement powers combined with new building technologies; and
— vacant homes to provide an additional stream of public housing to reduce the number of people in emergency accommodation.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "That Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the Government is taking the challenges in the rental sector and the increase in the number of people accessing homeless supports in recent months very seriously and, through the implementation of Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, the Government is actively addressing this;
— a substantial increase in the supply of new homes is the key route to solving Ireland's housing crisis; and
— the Government's Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland outlines the Government's plans to increase affordability and housing supply by targeting the delivery of, on average, 33,000 new homes per annum out to 2030; and
acknowledges that:
— Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland is working and supply is increasing substantially, with almost 30,000 homes built in 2022, some 5,000 more than target, and almost 31,000 homes built in the year to end-March 2023, the first time since 2009 that rolling 12-month completions surpassed 30,000;
— there are very positive signs that the uplift in new home delivery will be sustained in 2023 and coming years, with a record 6,700 homes completed in Q1 2023, a record 13,000 homes commencing construction between January and May this year, and Q1 2023 planning permissions up 38 per cent year-on-year and the highest since Q4 2021;
— the continued commitment to unparalleled levels of funding, with a record €4.5 billion in State housing investment in 2023, will ensure that the substantial uplift in supply in 2022 can be maintained and exceeded, with 9,100 direct build social homes and 5,500 affordable homes to be delivered;
— social and affordable housing supply is increasing, with 10,263 social homes delivered in 2022, representing an 11.9 per cent increase on 2021 figures when 9,169 social homes were provided; and this represents the highest annual output of social homes in decades and the highest level of delivery of new-build housing since 1975;
— from a standing start 1,757 affordable homes were delivered in 2022, the first full year of affordable housing delivery in a generation, and affordable housing supply at scale will be achieved through a mix of new or extended initiatives, including the First Home scheme, local authority-provided affordable purchase schemes, the Help to Buy initiative and the expanded Local Authority Home Loan, and by delivery partners from local authorities, Affordable Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency, taken together, the suite of affordable measures will make home ownership achievable for tens of thousands of individuals and families;
— a strong pipeline of social and affordable housing is now in place, with over 19,000 new-build social homes in the pipeline and over 2,500 more local authority affordable homes already approved for funding;
— the expanded use of the Tenant In-Situ Scheme and the establishment of the Cost Rental Tenant-in-Situ Scheme, developed on an administrative basis to address the immediate circumstances of the ending of the 'winter emergency period' on 31st March, 2023, will help prevent homelessness;
— the recent introduction of a time-limited temporary waiver of development contributions and Uisce Éireann water and wastewater connection charges in respect of residential development, which will have to be completed by the end of 2025, will help to address construction cost viability issues and incentivise the activation of a pipeline of new commencements to further assist in meeting our ambitious housing delivery targets;
— the numerous initiatives to address vacancy, including changes to the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the new €150 million fund to specifically address long-term vacancy and dereliction now available under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund, will revitalise towns and cities while also providing additional homes;
— the Government is tackling supply and affordability issues in the rental market by delivering Cost Rental housing at scale with hundreds now tenanted, and 1,345 local authority cost rental units, across seven projects, have been approved for funding of almost €196 million;
— regulatory controls on short-term-lets will be strengthened, with a ban on the advertising of non-principal private residences in Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) for short-term letting purposes, where the necessary planning permission is not in place;
— tenancy protections have been enhanced, with rent increase caps in RPZs, restricted deposit amounts, extended notice periods, and tenancies of unlimited duration introduced by this Government; and crucially the period from the date of receipt of a 'no fault' Notice of Termination for a tenant to submit a dispute to the Residential Tenancies Board for resolution has also been increased from 28 days to 90 days;
— the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has commenced a comprehensive review of the private rental sector to take account of the significant regulatory changes over the past several years; and this review will be essential in properly planning future policy for the residential rented sector, including implementing measures to support both landlords and tenants; and
— Housing for All (September 2021) and Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022) includes a comprehensive suite of measures and actions to fundamentally reform the housing system in Ireland, while these include, securing pathways out of homelessness for individuals, families and children, accelerating delivery through the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction, overhauling planning legislation, and addressing vacancy by bringing empty housing stock and other premises into the residential stock, underpinned by a new Vacant Homes Action Plan 2023-2026.".
(Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 76; Níl, 60; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Murphy, Verona.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 76; Níl, 60; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Murphy, Verona.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 8.59 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Déardaoin, an 13 Iúil 2023.
The Dáil adjourned at 8.59 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 13 July 2023.