Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 May 2017
236. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether some or all of households with more persons than rooms are in breach of section 63 of the Housing Act 1966, in view of the release of the latest Central Statistics Office data (details supplied); and his plans to tackle overcrowding, particularly in the private rented and social housing sectors. [23155/17]
View answerIt is important to point out that there is no direct correlation between the definition of overcrowding contained in Section 63 of the Housing Act 1966 and the recently published CSO Census 2016 Report, Profile 1 Housing in Ireland.
The CSO report has highlighted that 95,013 households (almost 10% of the population) are living in homes with more people than rooms. The background notes provided with the CSO report provide clarification on which rooms are counted in a home for the purpose of the Census, as follows:
The number of rooms occupied by a private household is the total number used by the household. This includes kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, conservatories you can sit in and studies, but excluding bathrooms, toilets, kitchenettes, utility rooms consulting rooms, offices, shops, halls, landings and rooms that can only be used for storage such as cupboards.
Section 63 of the 1966 Act refers specifically to the sleeping arrangements of persons in a dwelling and sets out a definition of overcrowding in accommodation for the purpose of the Housing Acts. Paragraph (a) of the definition states that a dwelling is deemed overcrowded when the sleeping arrangements are such that any two opposite-sex persons aged 10 or more who are not married must sleep in the same room. Paragraph (b) refers to the free air space in any room used for sleeping for any person not being less than 400 cubic feet.
In the absence of detailed information regarding the number and gender of individuals in each household, the sleeping arrangements in place and the type of dwelling occupied, it is not possible to determine whether any of the 95,013 households referred to in the CSO report are in overcrowded accommodation as defined in Section 63 of the Housing Act 1966.
The Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness (July 2016) is focused on increasing supply, across all tenures, to achieve total housing output of at least 25,000 homes per year by 2021 and beyond, effectively doubling the output of 12,600 homes recorded in 2015. Specifically, Pillar 5 of the Action Plan is focussed on achieving optimum occupancy of the country’s existing housing stock, both private and social housing, so as to meet national housing needs in as effective a way as possible.
While still at an early stage of implementation, there is already strong evidence that the focus on increasing and accelerating housing supply in Rebuilding Ireland is starting to have a positive impact. The latest residential commencements and completions data show that house-building activity is continuing to strengthen. Completions, as measured through ESB connections, for the 12-month period to end February 2017 stood at 15,327 homes, a 16% increase year on year. Likewise, commencement notices for 13,169 new homes were submitted in the twelve month period to end February 2017, up 27% year on year.
