I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding housing emergency measures in the public interest. On Wednesday, 2 April, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.
Housing Emergency Measures: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Seamus Healy on Wednesday, 2 April 2025:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— a housing emergency exists in the State; and
— housing is a human right as enshrined in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
further notes that:
— 15,286 homeless people, including 4,603 children, were in emergency accommodation in January 2025;
— the typical listed house price across the country is €346,080, 11.6 per cent higher than a year ago and 35 per cent higher than at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Dublin figure is €460,726, up 12.2 per cent on last year;
— the number of second-hand houses available to buy at 9,300 is 17 per cent lower year-on-year, and the lowest recorded since January 2007;
— average rent nationally is €1,956, 43 per cent higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic, and in Dublin the figure is as high as €2,722;
— on 1st February, 2025, fewer than 2,300 homes were available to rent, down 25 per cent on one year previously, and this compares to approximately 20,000 short-term lets on Airbnb at the same time;
— 143,824 households are on social housing waiting lists, Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) and rent supplements;
— payments of €3.3 billion were made between 2019 and 2025, to landlords in respect of HAPs;
— there was a failure to meet housing completion targets for 2024, down 6.7 per cent on 2023;
— research by The Housing Commission shows a potential requirement of 81,000 new homes per year to 2050, dependent on population and household size;
— between 2012 and 2022, the share of young adults living in their childhood bedroom in Ireland rose by 21 per cent, to reach 59 per cent; and
— a large cohort of families are locked out of home ownership, due to earning in excess of the low local authority housing limit, but not enough to secure a mortgage;
furthermore, notes that The Housing Commission:
— estimates a housing deficit of 235,000 dwellings;
— asserts that "only a radical strategic reset of housing policy will work"; and
— further asserts that "it is critical that this housing deficit is addressed through emergency action";
further again, notes that Bunreacht na hÉireann – the Irish Constitution, provides for such emergency action in Article 43.2.2° - Private Property, stating that "The State, accordingly, may as occasion requires delimit by law the exercise of the said rights with a view to reconciling their exercise with the exigencies of the common good."; and
calls on the Government to:
— enact in law a "Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest" Act, declaring a housing emergency; and
— include the following provisions in the Act:
— the emergency will continue for five years after the passing into law of the Act, and at the expiry of this period the Government will bring a review before both Houses of the Oireachtas;
— create a state housing infrastructure investment fund/bond to unlock the €160 billion in Irish household savings to invest in social, affordable and cost rental housing;
— no further increases in rent during the period of the housing emergency;
— regulate short-term lets, by publishing and advancing the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill without delay;
— fund local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to implement a tenant in-situ scheme, with a minimum purchase target of 2,500 homes per year;
— ban institutional purchase of houses and apartments, other than by local authorities and AHBs;
— significantly fund local authorities to purchase, by agreement or by compulsory purchase, vacant properties, for repair and letting to approved housing applicants;
— implement the recommendations of the Report of the Committee on the Price of Building Land, the "Kenny Report";
— institute a 100 per cent redress scheme for all those affected by defective concrete products, and apartment and duplex defects, and ensure the Government follows the scientific data in this area; and
— a massive construction programme of social and affordable housing on public land.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"acknowledges that:
— Housing for All sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030;
— more than 133,000 new build homes were delivered between 2020 and 2024, with 92,500 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024, exceeding the Housing for All target for the period by some 5,500 or so new homes, and a 49 per cent increase on the quantum delivered in the previous three-year period;
— there have been record levels of delivery for both social and affordable homes via the various delivery partners involved; and
— Government measures, such as the development levy waiver and water connection refund have been a catalyst for increased construction activity in the last 12 months, establishing a robust medium-term pipeline and supporting significantly accelerated supply of new housing in the coming years;
recognises that:
— the measures introduced under Housing for All have helped establish a solid platform to 'scale-up' delivery further in the short-term and secure a sustainable level of supply that will help us meet fully unmet and emerging demand;
— the Government's revised housing targets, informed by expert, peer-reviewed research by the Economic and Social Research Institute, and targeting a minimum of 300,000 or so new homes over the next six years, are an ambitious and credible pathway to achieving these objectives;
— the measures committed to in the Programme for Government - Securing Ireland's Future, including a new housing plan building on the successes of Housing for All, will help us meet the enormous challenge of delivering 60,000 or more new homes per year by 2030; and
— the Government's new national housing plan will incorporate pragmatic actions to boost housing activity in the short-term, coupled with strategic deliverables to drive comprehensive systemic change and subsequent increase in supply into the long-term;
notes that:
— Housing for All contains a suite of actions that have, and continue to, increase the provision of housing by accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes;
— the increase in new homes, as well as measures such as the First Home Scheme, the Help to Buy scheme, the Local Authority Home Loan, the relaxation of social housing income eligibility limits, and the introduction of the Rent Tax Credit, are all helping to support younger people achieve autonomy in the housing market;
— the latest Central Statistics Office data on market purchases of homes by non-households, including institutional investors, show the State was the largest non-household purchaser of homes in 2023, acquiring almost half of the 12,000 or so homes bought by such purchasers;
— the owner-occupier guarantee introduced by Government in May 2021, has succeeded in preventing the inappropriate purchase of homes to a single purchaser, securing those homes for purchase by homeowners, with planning permission granted for some 55,600 homes with conditions prohibiting bulk purchase by, or multiple sale to, a single purchaser between May 2021 and November 2024; and
— defective concrete blocks is a complex issue, which the Government is addressing by allocating a significant amount of money to affected homeowners, to enable them to rebuild their homes and get on with their lives, while changes were included to the scheme late in 2024 to take account of the most recent research undertaken; and
affirms Government efforts to:
— increase supply and improve the availability, choice and affordability of homes;
— build on the significant number of social and affordable homes provided in 2024, expanding the State's investment available for the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes in 2025, supplemented by the Land Development Agency investment, and the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) lending, which will bring the overall capital provision to almost €6.8 billion;
— support individuals and families who may be struggling to purchase a home, by bridging the gap between their financial resources and the price of the home, through a range of schemes including the Help to Buy, First Home Scheme, Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan;
— consider the best means for regulating the private rental sector, including any recalibration of the current Rent Pressure Zones that may be required, which will seek to strike the most appropriate balance between protecting affordability for tenants on the one hand, while increasing the supply of new rental homes through new private investment and construction on the other;
— boost supply of private rental homes by introducing new regulatory controls for short-term lets, by progressing the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill;
— address homelessness through additional measures included in the Programme for Government, including to develop a cross-Government prevention framework, reforming the legislative framework, the continuation and expansion of the Housing First scheme, and a commitment to focus social housing allocations to exit families experiencing homelessness;
— sustain Tenant in-Situ Scheme acquisitions into 2025, as a clear indication of Government's commitment to preventing homelessness for Housing Assistance Payment and the Rental Accommodation Scheme tenants, who have been served a 'no fault' Notice of Termination;
— support a targeted second-hand social housing acquisitions programme, which responds to the needs of the most vulnerable by increasing the 2025 budget for the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme, from the €60 million available under Housing for All, to €325 million;
— support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to acquire and re-develop vacant and derelict buildings and sites, from single properties to more extensive buildings or blocks for social housing, through the Social Housing Investment Programme and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund;
— support the full time Vacant Homes Officers in all 31 local authorities to actively pursue all avenues to bring vacant properties back into use;
— introduce new regulatory controls for short-term lets, by progressing the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill;
— establish a land price register, for which work is committed to in the Programme for Government and already underway;
— continue to develop Land Zoning Value Sharing proposals to allow the State to secure a proportion of the increased value of land associated with zoning decisions, with communities benefitting as a result;
— prioritise infrastructure development as a critical means for increasing housing supply, noting the Government's commitment including, for example, investing additional capital in Uisce Éireann;
— establish a new strategic housing activation office, to coordinate homebuilding and investment in the servicing of zoned lands;
— expand the capacity of the construction sector, as another key measure to scale up delivery to the levels necessary by 2030;
— diversify sources of investment, noting the level of investment required in the long-term cannot be solely the responsibility of the State, and it will also require a very significant level of private investment, including appropriate institutional capital investment, which is essential for the delivery of critically needed private rental homes;
— work with domestic lenders to ensure that the banking sector is appropriately using its lending capacity to support the development of new housing;
— develop new financing sources, especially for brownfield sites and small builders, with support from Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), the HFA and domestic banks, as well as State support of equity investment; and
— deliver on the far-ranging commitments in the Programme for Government, and informed by the Housing Commission's proposals for the long-term reform of the housing system, accepting this is an appropriate response to the current housing challenges which Ireland is now facing."
(Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 88; Níl, 72; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Seán.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Seamus Healy and Ruth Coppinger.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 90; Níl, 72; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Seán.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Harris, Simon.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Seamus Healy and Ruth Coppinger.
Question declared carried.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 7.44 p.m. go dtí 8.47 a.m., Déardaoin, an 3 Aibreán 2025.
The Dáil adjourned at 7.44 p.m. until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 3 April 2025.