Emergency Housing Measures: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

The following motion was moved by Deputy Ivana Bacik on Thursday, 9 February 2022:

That Dáil Éireann:

recognises that:

— not enough homes are being built, too many vacant and derelict homes remain unused, and the overreliance on the private sector has worsened the housing crisis;

— Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland has failed as it's targets are too low or non-existent, and the Government is not meeting it's own delivery targets on social and affordable housing;

and

— a generation of young people are locked out of home ownership or secure and affordable tenancies, with 92 per cent of 18-24 year olds concerned that they will never be able to afford a home, while half are considering emigration, according to the recent State of the Nation survey by Virgin Media;

notes that:

— unpublished research by the Housing Commission, provided to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in November, suggests that the baseline housing requirement each year until 2050 ranges from 42,000 to 62,000 homes;

— the Government has still not published the number of social housing units directly built last year, but has admitted it won't meet its own target;

— despite not opposing Labour's Residential Tenancies (Tenants' Rights) Bill in September 2021, the Government has still not removed sale of a property, nor restricted the other reasons landlords can use as grounds for eviction;

— the number of people entering homelessness continues to rise, reaching a record of 11,632 people in December, of whom 3,442 were children;

— Threshold reported that over 50 per cent of tenancy Notices of Termination outside of property sales were found to be invalid by their advisors in Q4 2022, while only 38 per cent of tenants felt secure in their home;

— the Government did introduce a €500 Rent Tax Credit, but many renters cannot claim this if their tenancy is not registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), and asking their landlord to do so may endanger their tenancy;

— the Central Statistics Office's most recent Vacant Dwelling Indicators, based on metered electricity consumption, shows a vacancy rate for dwellings of 4.3 per cent in Q4 2021, with a notable increase in apartment vacancy rates, and seven in ten vacant dwellings showing low electricity consumption for over two years, while the Census recorded 166,752 vacant dwellings in 2022; and

— the Vacant Homes Action Plan 2023-2026, published last week, includes no national targets for the number of empty and derelict homes to be brought back into use in 2023, nor does it contain Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) targets for vacant and derelict homes for each local authority; and

calls on the Government to implement the following emergency housing measures:

— extend the eviction ban until the end of 2023, and mandate the RTB to inform local authorities when a notice for eviction has been served to a tenant;

— introduce monthly reporting from each local authority on the tenant-in-situ scheme, with adequate reasons as to why the purchase of a rental property wasn't proceeded with;

— begin an emergency public house building programme using the full resources of the State, with monthly reporting on the number of housing commencements by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency (LDA);

— commence the rapid compulsory purchase of vacant properties by local authorities, with targets for each, and mandate the LDA to CPO and assemble small sites for owner occupier co-operative housing developments;

— introduce a mechanism to allow tenants access to the Rent Tax Credit when their landlord has not registered with the RTB, and increase resources for the RTB;

— increase the national housing targets to a minimum of 50,000 a year, and double the delivery of social and affordable housing;

— adopt and pass into law the Residential Tenancies (Tenants' Rights) Bill 2021, and Acquisition of Development Land (Assessment of Compensation) Bill 2021; and

— endorse and rapidly progress Labour's Housing (Homeless Families) Bill 2017, which requires local authorities to recognise and prioritise the needs of children in accordance with their best interests and constitutional rights.

Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"recognises that:

— the Government's Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland (Housing for All) is working, with more new homes built in 2022, the first full year of the Housing for All plan, than any year in the last decade;

— supply is key to improving our housing system and it is increasing, with almost 30,000 homes built last year, an increase of 45.2 per cent from 2021 (20,560) and 41.3 per cent from 2019 (21,134), and 5,250 or 21 per cent higher than the Housing for All target of 24,600 for 2022;

— when verified and published in the coming months, figures will show more social housing new builds were delivered in 2022 than in any year in decades, with the highest number of first-time buyers, the first ever Cost Rental units at scale, and thousands of affordable units for the first time in over a decade;

— a record €4.5 billion in State housing investment in 2023 will ensure the substantial uplift in supply in 2022 can be maintained and exceeded, with 9,100 direct build social homes and 5,500 affordable homes, investment of €1.3 billion in support affordability measures, and the delivery of more affordable purchase and Cost Rental homes in 2023; and

— having regard to progress already made, the Housing for All action plan commits to reviewing the national housing targets and projections when the full Census 2022 is published in May this year, with refreshed targets (with subsets for social, affordable and market delivery) reflecting need and demand, and scaling-up to ensure optimal levels of sustainable supply over the lifetime of the plan in line with increased capacity in the construction sector;

acknowledges that 2022 is the first full year of affordable housing delivery in a generation, and increasing the supply of affordable homes is key to improving our housing system, which will be achieved through a mix of new or extended initiatives, including the 'First Home' Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme, Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, the Help to Buy initiative and the expanded Local Authority Home Loan schemes;

further acknowledges that, with regards to tackling supply and affordability issues in the rental market:

— Cost Rental housing, a new form of State-backed secure, long-term rental tenure with rents targeted at a minimum of 25 per cent below open market rates, is being delivered at scale and hundreds of Cost Rental homes are now tenanted;

— the Government will commission a comprehensive review of the private rental sector, to take account of the significant regulatory changes over the past several years and secure an efficient, affordable, safe, and secure framework for landlords and tenants, and will be completed by the end of June 2023;

— tenancy protections have been enhanced, with increased rent caps in Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs), restricted deposit amounts, extended notice periods, and tenancies of unlimited duration;

— 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; and

— to tackle accommodation shortages, the Government is strengthening regulatory controls on short-term lets with a ban on the advertising of non-principal private residences in RPZs for short-term letting purposes, where the necessary planning permission is not in place;

further recognises that, with regard to vacant properties:

— bringing vacant homes into use is a key Government priority and real progress is being made, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage last week published the Vacant Homes Action Plan 2023-2026, which outlines this progress and details new actions that will be implemented to continue to return as many vacant properties back to use as possible, increasing the supply of housing available, and revitalising local communities;

— measures already taken by the Government include expanding the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funding full-time vacant homes officers in every local authority, exemptions to planning permissions to convert vacant commercial premises to residential use, and enhancing the Nursing Homes Support/Fair Deal Scheme to incentivise the selling or renting of unused homes; and

— while the overall trend in vacancy rates is downwards, work is continuing to bring as many vacant properties into use as possible, with measures included in the action plan such as a €150 million Urban Regeneration and Development Fund for local authorities to acquire vacant or derelict properties and sites for re-use or sale, and to ensure homes don’t lie vacant, a new local authority-led programme is being developed to help them buy or compulsory purchase vacant homes in their areas and resell them on the open market; and

furthermore acknowledges that, with regard to addressing homelessness:

— the number of people accessing homeless supports is a serious concern for the Government, and this is being actively addressed by:

— increasing social and residential housing supply, as this is key to eradicating homelessness, and guaranteed State investment of over €4 billion a year in housing is aimed at increasing supply;

— funding of over €215 million being put in place to deliver homeless prevention measures, emergency accommodation, and support households to successfully exit homelessness, an increase of 10 per cent on 2022; and

— commencing critical initiatives, which include a new voids programme with increased funding, a reinstated delegated sanction allowing local authorities pursue appropriate acquisitions, and modifications to the Repair and Leasing Scheme, opening up more opportunities to include conversion of commercial units to residential, and increasing the number of Housing First tenancies for those entrenched in homelessness;

— while Government has legislated to protect renters facing homelessness by preventing 'no fault' tenancy terminations from taking place this winter, the long-term answer to these accommodation challenges remains an increased and sustainable supply of new homes, such as through the State-led expanded social and affordable housing programmes operating under Housing for All;

— the Government continues to closely monitor the operation of the rental market and the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022; and

— Housing for All recognises the particular challenges of homelessness for children and their families and sets out actions for them to exit homelessness, and work is underway to identify families experiencing long-term homelessness that have complex support needs, to provide them with enhanced tenancy sustainment supports to help them exit homelessness and maintain their homes."

(Minister of State at Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan)

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I must now deal with a deferred division relating to the motion on emergency housing measures. On Thursday, 9 February 2023, on the question, "That the amendment be made", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 75; Níl, 57; Staon, 0.

Tá

Brophy, Colm.
Browne, James.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carey, Joe.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Coveney, Simon.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Hourigan, Neasa.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
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'Dea, Willie.
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.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Troy, Robert.

Níl

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Berry, Cathal.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
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.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Martin.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Verona.
Nash, Ged.
Nolan, Carol.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Donoghue, Richard.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
Ryan, Patricia.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tóibín, Peadar.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Duncan Smith and Ivana Bacik.

Amendment declared carried.

Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 75; Níl, 57; Staon, 0.

Tá

Brophy, Colm.
Browne, James.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carey, Joe.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Coveney, Simon.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Hourigan, Neasa.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
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'Dea, Willie.
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.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Troy, Robert.

Níl

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Berry, Cathal.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
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.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Martin.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Verona.
Nash, Ged.
Nolan, Carol.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Donoghue, Richard.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
Ryan, Patricia.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tóibín, Peadar.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Duncan Smith and Ivana Bacik.

Question declared carried.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Wednesday, 15 Feb 2023