I welcome the Tánaiste. I thought a vacancy had arisen.
Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
I note the Ceann Comhairle's sense of alarm.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. As this is the last sitting day before the Dáil breaks for Christmas, I take this opportunity to wish the Ceann Comhairle, Members, the press and the staff here in the Houses of the Oireachtas a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. Nollaig shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise dóibh go léir.
May I also extend solidarity to the family of Private Seán Rooney of the 27th Infantry Battalion Dundalk whose first anniversary takes place today. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I am sure that everyone in the House will join me in extending to the family our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time for them.
Tá sé soiléir, a Thánaiste, go bhfuil teip iomlán ar pholasaí an Rialtais ó thaobh tithíochta de. Chím ón tuarascáil a foilsíodh inné go bhfuil teip arís sa cheathrú bliain i ndiaidh a chéile ar an Rialtas na figiúirí a bhí siad ag dréim leis a bhaint amach ó thaobh tithe sóisialta. Níl siad in ann, fiú amháin, ábalta an tríú cuid de sin a bhaint amach i mbliana. Téann sé seo ar aghaidh bliain i ndiaidh bliana agus an Rialtas ag teip ar na spriocanna seo a bhaint amach. Yesterday evening, the Minister for housing published the latest report on social and affordable housing. That report makes clear once again that the Government will miss its targets for social and affordable homes. Just like in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Government will miss its targets again this year. The housing plan introduced by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, which is failing, contains a promise to deliver 9,100 new-build social homes this year. How many had been delivered by the end of September? Less than one third of that. These homes are badly needed in every area and community across the State for workers and families who are trapped in emergency homeless accommodation, for people languishing on lengthy council waiting lists and for those with a social housing need. The Government's social housing targets are far too low, and still it is failing to deliver on them. As we know, the housing crisis is not just an issue of supply, it is also an affordability crisis, with an entire generation of people unable to find homes they can afford.
Last week, I raised with the Tánaiste the report by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland which found that the cost of new-build homes had gone through the roof. The average cost of a new build in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath stands at €461,000. That is an increase of €90,000 since the Government took office just over three years ago. It is well beyond the reach of the majority of people hoping to buy their first homes. It is the same across the State, with new builds in the private sector becoming even more expensive and less affordable for a generation of our people. That is why yesterday's report on the delivery of the Government affordable housing schemes is so troubling. This year, the target for affordable homes through councils, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency, LDA, was 3,500. How many had the Government delivered by the end of September? The answer is 262. The Government reached 7% of a target that was too low in the first instance.
On anybody's watch, this is a complete shambles. Not only are the targets too low, the Minister is simply incapable of delivering on them. On every metric, the housing crisis is deepening under the Government's watch. Rents, house prices and the level of homelessness are rising. The longer that Fianna Fine Gael and Fine Gael remain in power, the worse our housing crisis is getting. The Tánaiste tells us that the Government is making an impact. The only impact we are seeing is that it is putting affordable housing and rents further out of reach for ordinary workers and families. Does the Tánaiste believe that the Government will meet its social and affordable housing targets this year? Does he accept what is patently obvious to everybody, namely, that it not only fail to meet these targets but that those targets are too low? As the housing crisis deepens, what is the Government going to do to ensure that it does not continue to break the promises makes over and over again every year? What will it do to ensure that it does not miss the targets relating to social and affordable housing?
Before I begin, I would also like to take a moment to mark the first anniversary of the death of Private Seán Rooney. One year ago today, Seán was killed in the service of peace in southern Lebanon. His life was one full of courage. It was cut short in the noble pursuit of peace. There is no more noble work than that of the peacekeeper. Everyone in the House will join in expressing solidarity with and sympathy to Seán's mother Natasha, his fiancée Holly, the Rooney and McCloskey families and his colleagues and friends in the Defence Forces who mourn his loss every day.
I also want to take the opportunity, a Cheann Comhairle, to thank you for your very fair-minded and warm chairmanship of proceedings throughout the year. I hope that you will get a well-deserved break. I thank all of the staff in the House of the Oireachtas. Our work would not be possible without them. In particular, I pay tribute to Tom Hickey, the deputy head usher, who has worked here since 2001 and who will retire at the end of the year. I wish him and his wife Lorraine many happy years of happiness in retirement. To all of the staff in Leinster House, including the catering and cleaning staff and everyone who makes everything possible for us, I say that I hope they have a good break and a lovely Christmas.
The Government has been very clear since it came to office that housing is its key priority. By the end of this year, we will have built and completed over 100,000 since coming to office. That is notwithstanding the shutdowns during Covid-19. It is interesting that this morning the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, economic outlook, which Deputy Doherty did not quote for some reason, forecasts 32,400 housing completions in Ireland this year. This is a 10% increase over last year and is the highest figure in 15 years or more. As the Deputy knows, the overall housing target was 29,000. The Deputy also knows that in quarter 4 of last year, 6,000 social homes were listed as completed. These were in addition to what was completed prior to that in the third and fourth quarters. Quoting quarter 3 figures is not an accurate depiction of the reality or of what will transpire at the end of the year.
There is no doubt that the momentum in housebuilding has been significant over the past two years since we have come out of Covid and by every measure, of home permissions, of completions of home purchases, first-time buyers and mortgage drawdowns, we are seeing very positive momentum.
The Minister with responsibility for housing is very confident that it will be a record year not just for the building of social homes but also in the context of their acquisition and delivery. I refer, in particular, to new builds. The number of completions last year for affordable housing was about 1,750. This year, the Minister is confident it will be up to 4,000. The quarter 4 figures will be available in quarter 1 of next year.
It is interesting that prior to Christmas last year, we had similar presentations from Deputy Doherty and his party. When the actual figures were produced, they just glossed over-----
Not true.
-----the number completed last year, which exceeded the targets for last year that were set in Housing for All. Objective, independent assessments of the ESRI state we will be at 32,500 this year. The target was 29,000. The pipeline for social housing is particularly strong.
The Tánaiste is clearly not listening. I just made the point that the Government missed its target for social and affordable housing last year. The Government missed its target not only last year but also the year before and the year before that. It is going to miss the target again this year. The consequences of that are very real because there is an affordability crisis. There are people now who cannot get rental accommodation. Rents have been at record levels. There has been a 12% increase in the past year. House prices are still going through the roof. Emergency accommodation is full with people who do not have a place to call home. There are 4,000 children in emergency accommodation. That is a consequence of the Government missing its drastically low targets in the first instance. Is it trying to present some illusion that it is hitting its social and affordable housing targets? It is not.
I ask again whether the Tánaiste is convinced that the Government will hit its targets for social and affordable housing this year, which would be a break from what has happened in the past three years. Alternatively, does he accept what we all see is patently evident, namely, that the Government is going to miss its target again this year and that the Minister is incapable of delivering what is under the control of the Government, which is building social, affordable and cost-rental homes? That is the reality. I urge the Tánaiste to wake up and look at is what is happening right under his nose.
The Deputy did not say that in 2022 we saw the highest level of delivery of new-build social housing since 1975. Over 10,000 social homes were delivered last year, including 7,433 new builds. That will happen again this year.
The Government missed its targets.
The strong pipeline of over 23,600-----
The Government missed its targets.
Again, Deputy Ó Broin does not want the truth to be told in the House. I am being heckled again.
Answer the question on the targets.
The Government cannot hide that it missed its targets.
It happens here, week in and week out. When we want to put a few facts on the agenda, Deputies Ó Broin and Doherty seek to intervene.
The Government cannot hide that it missed its targets.
The bottom line is that there is a pipeline of over 23,600 social homes at either the on-site stage or the design-and-tender stage. The funding is in place-----
Too little and too slow.
-----to deliver over 11,600 social homes in 2024. Thirty thousand five hundred homes have been added to the social housing stock-----
Why will the Tánaiste not answer a basic question?
Please, Deputy.
I am answering the question but the Deputy does not like the answer-----
He will not. The question was whether the Tánaiste will miss his targets again this year. He should please answer the question.
Will the Deputy please resume his seat?
-----including over 19,500 new builds.
This is strategic heckling. Please allow the Tánaiste to respond.
He is provoking us.
Deputy Ó Broin, Leaders Questions have got nothing to do with you. You will have to wait until you are Leader.
Homelessness has something to do with me.
I will finally say-----
Homelessness was created by this Government.
Let me quote, if I may-----
This Government is missing its targets.
Please desist.
The latest report from EUROCONSTRUCT, which is an independent construction market forecast, notes that construction output in Ireland is forecast to grow at the strongest rate among 19 European countries, expanding by 3.2% this year and 4.4% in 2024.
(Interruptions).
On a point of order-----
There is no point of order. I ask the Deputy to resume his seat.
I asked twice for the Government to acknowledge it is missing its targets.
Resume your seat, please.
(Interruptions).
Good God. Could we at least behave ourselves when there are visitors present?