Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 November 2015
14. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government given the escalating housing and homelessness crisis resulting from unaffordable and escalating rents, and the inadequate supply of social housing, if he has progressed any specific proposals on rent controls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38233/15]
View answerA shortage of supply is at the heart of rising rents and the Government is addressing this on a number of fronts. Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector is aimed at addressing issues in the property and construction sectors and ensuring that any bottlenecks that might impede the sector in meeting demand are addressed. The latest figures for new house completions show that 8,914 units were completed to the end of September 2015, up 14% on the corresponding figure for 2014. As announced in Budget 2016, NAMA is aiming to deliver a target of 20,000 residential units before the end of 2020, with 90% of these units to be in the greater Dublin area.
Social housing has been prioritised by this Government and over €1.7 billion in Exchequer and local authority self-funding was allocated to the Social Housing Strategy between the 2015 and 2016 budgets, to support the provision of over 33,000 units. The Government’s Capital Plan goes beyond 2016 and commits €2.9 billion in capital funding towards social housing out to 2021.
A range of measures is being taken to address homelessness by securing a supply of accommodation to house homeless households and mobilise the necessary supports in order to deliver on the Government's target of ending involuntary long-term homelessness. In particular, I would highlight that t he homelessness budget for 2016 will be €70 million, an increase of 32% on the 2015 allocation of €53 million.
In addition to these measures, I am continuing to work on proposals to address the issue of rising rents. The level of increases in rent, particularly in the greater Dublin area, presents a serious challenge. The regulation of rent, however, raises many complex economic and legal issues and I have to be satisfied that any measures proposed are balanced and have the desired effect on the rental market while being fair to landlords and tenants alike. Ultimately, any decision in relation to this issue is a matter for Government and it is my intention to bring final proposals to Government for decision as soon as possible.
