Provisions need to be designed to afford access to local authority housing for the genuinely homeless without seriously disrupting the allocation of houses to persons currently on the waiting lists or creating alternative avenues to local authority housing. The Government examined the possibility that Senator Ryan's Bill could be amended to make it acceptable. It emerged that this was not feasible and that any attempt to do so would fundamentally alter the tenor of the measure and would not give a satisfactory outcome. In these circumstances the Government undertook to bring forward their own proposals in legislation framed after reasoned consideration of all the implications and forming a properly integrated housing code which would avoid major disruption of established principles of the public housing programme. In paragraph 5.88 of the national plan Building on Reality the Government have reaffirmed their commitment to legislate in this area.
While there is a clear need for new legislation to provide for the needs of the homeless, it is regrettable that the impression is often given in debates on homelessness that little or nothing is being done for the homeless under the present arrangements. This is not the case. During 1983, for instance, local authorities made 363 lettings to homeless persons or over 4 per cent of all lettings made in the year. That figure does not include lettings made to members of the travelling community, some of whom would come within the definition of homeless persons. There were as well nearly 400 more homeless persons on local authority waiting lists at the beginning of the year. While single homeless persons may necessarily have a lower priority in comparison with families in unfit or overcrowded conditions the efforts local authorities are making to cater for the homeless should be given recognition.
In addition to the role of local authorities, a number of voluntary bodies have been active in the provision of housing accommodation for particular categories of persons. I would see a continuing and positive role for such bodies availing of financial support from the Department of the Environment and local authorities. Earlier this year major improvements were made in the scheme of assistance to voluntary bodies providing housing accommodation. Under the revised scheme local authorities may provide loans to meet 80 per cent of the cost of an eligible project subject to a maximum loan equivalent to £16,000 for each unit of accommodation provided, including caretaker accommodation. The loan charges which would have been payable in respect of such loans by the voluntary bodies will be met in full by the Exchequer as long as the accommodation continues to be let in accordance with the terms of the scheme. Most importantly in relation to today's debate the scheme has been extended to include, for the first time, the provision of housing accommodation for homeless persons. The terms of the new scheme are generous and have been widely welcomed. They will, I hope, give a worthwhile boost over the next few years to the provision of appropriate housing accommodation for the categories of persons covered by the scheme.
The national plan also includes a number of other important provisions designed to improve the availability of local authority housing for letting to persons not able to provide housing from their own resources. These include undertakings to provide accommodation annually for 9,000 households on local authority waiting lists and measures to ease the demand for such housing by retaining and improving incentives to private housing. In the latter context the new £5,000 grant to tenants and tenant purchasers vacating their local authority houses to purchase a private house should make a significant contribution. By increasing the flow of vacancies from the existing stock of rented houses, the new grant will improve the capacity of local authorities to provide accommodation for persons, including homeless persons, most in need of it.
In concluding, I would like to say that the existence of the acute social deprivation of homelessness in our society is as unacceptable to me and to the Minister for the Environment as it is to the Members of this House who have come out in support of Senator Ryan's Bill. It is one of the prime objectives of this Government to take all steps reasonably open to us to alleviate the plight of those unfortunate enough to find themselves homeless.
The proposed Government legislation in this area will be of considerable benefit to the homeless in ensuring that their needs are accorded proper priority in the allocation of local authority housing. But it must be understood that the legislation cannot deal with the homeless in isolation from the housing needs of other priority groups. It will, therefore, be a major and complex measure embracing a number of other important facets of housing that have arisen since the promise of legislation was first given. Among these are legislative provisions required to give effect to the Government's statement of 20 July last on policy in relation to travellers chiefly the need to clarify the responsibility of housing authorities in relation to the housing of travellers and the provision of halting sites for them. In addition, the proposed legislation will provide statutory backing for a number of major initiatives announced in the national plan, for the £5,000 grant to which I have already referred and for the scheme of major structural improvements to "low cost" and older rented local authority housing.
All in all, the forthcoming Bill will be a comprehensive one on the preparation of which work is now well advanced. Because of the complexity and far-reaching implications of the measure it is not possible for me to give a definite date for its introduction. However, my understanding is that the Minister for the Environment is hopeful that the Bill can be presented in the course of the next parliamentary session. I trust that Senators will accept that the prudent and advisable way of securing an improvement in the lot if the homeless who are undoubtedly among the most deprived in our community is to await the measure the Government have undertaken to bring forward.
