Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 October 2013
10. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way in which he intends to reduce social housing waiting lists; and the capital funding that will be provided to build social housing either by local authorities or approved housing bodies. [44848/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government’s housing policy statement, published in June 2011, clearly identifies the priority for Government will be to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support.
I am determined to ensure the social housing programme optimises the delivery of social housing and the return for the resources invested. To achieve this, it is essential to tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing conditions and explore the full range of solutions to address housing needs. The financial parameters within which the Government will continue to operate rule out a return to large-scale capital-funded construction programmes in the immediate future. Nonetheless, the Government is committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to social housing support needs through a variety of mechanisms, including through increased provision of social housing. In July 2012, I announced details of a three-year funding programme of €100 million to deliver approximately 800 new units of voluntary and local authority-owned social housing. In addition, budget 2014 provides for the allocation of a further €50 million to fund infrastructural investment primarily in the housing area. When this is taken into account, funding for housing for next year is effectively maintained at 2013 levels.
Delivery of social housing is also facilitated significantly through more flexible funding models such as the rental accommodation scheme and leasing but the Government continues to be committed to other funding mechanisms that will increase the supply of permanent new social housing. Such mechanisms include options to purchase, build to lease and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies for construction and acquisition. The Department and the Housing Agency also are engaged with NAMA to ensure continued delivery of housing units for social purposes. In spite of the current challenging circumstances, I expect the final output across all social housing programmes for 2013 to be approximately 5,000 new housing units and it is provisionally estimated that approximately 5,000 units will be provided for social housing in 2014.
Yesterday, I spoke to the Focus Ireland Coffee Shop, with which I am sure the Minister of State is familiar. It was trying to find emergency accommodation for 70 women in the city that was not available. If one speaks to people involved in social housing and homeless services, they will tell one that reconfiguration basically is cover for the complete obliteration of the provision of homeless services or the addressing of housing need in the city. Does the Minister of State recognise there is a crisis?
Hear, hear.
There is no recognition in this House of the disaster that has been visited upon people. More housing supply is needed and the available units must be used efficiently. Any time I ask the Department of Social Protection about the rent supplement scheme, the esteemed Minister tells me it is the job of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to provide social housing. While the Ministers are in the same Government, they do not appear to speak to each other or to discuss the issue. It is a crisis and I at least seek recognition from the Minister of State that this is the case.
First, the money for homelessness next year will not be cut and will be the same amount as for this year. The Department works closely with the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum in particular regarding the issues that arise in Dublin. The Department was determined that it would maintain the budget for this year, for which there was rightly a strong campaign. In addition, there is a proposal on which the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum and Focus Ireland are working in respect of providing accommodation for homeless families who are in private emergency accommodation at present and moving them on into long-term and supported accommodation. Consequently, there are a number of measures. I meet representatives of the Dublin region regularly in respect of homelessness and the Government wishes to ensure the money is well spent.
Our approach is housing-led. In other words, we would get people into homes as quickly as possible with the necessary supports and thereby ensure that they do not spend any longer than they have to in emergency accommodation. We are very much aware that we are facing into the winter and that people will be looking for housing and emergency accommodation. This is a major problem in Dublin in particular. We are working with the authorities throughout the country to ensure that we address the problem. It is not easy to do that. It is an issue that has been raised over many years. It is one on which we have a policy. An oversight committee is advising me on the policy and I am determined that we will work on that issue with great priority.
With respect to the Minister of State, it is all an elaborate fiction. There are 100,000 people on the housing list. I do not think any Deputy in this House is not inundated with requests from people who are unable to access appropriate housing for their needs. The Minister mentioned that she wanted to get solutions. More European funding would be available through the European Investment Bank, for example, if we had a proper regulatory framework for approved housing bodies. When will she bring forward legislation to bring that in and allow us to access the extra funding that would be available?
I ask the Minister of State not to listen to the spin that her officials seem to spinning and to talk to people at the front line. She should go out and talk to homeless people and ask them is the system working. I can tell her that it is not.
Will the Deputy put a question to the Minister of State?
It is not good enough for Ministers to come into the House and give the same spin, bluff and rubbish when citizens' lives are being destroyed by austerity and the Government's policies.
I want to absolutely reject what Deputy Nulty said about spin and bluff. First, we are working with approved housing bodies on a regulatory framework and we have agreed a voluntary framework with them which eventually will move to a statutory framework. Second, we have applied for funding from the European Union under the JESSICA fund and we hope to get an answer on that soon. Such funding would address the problems of flats in Dublin and in other cities that are currently in need of renovation and would provide homes for people. Third, as I said, we have maintained the homeless budget and stabilised the general housing budget and that has been done against a difficult financial situation where we are under the troika whether we like it or not-----
Increase the taxation of the wealthy.
-----and considering the difficulties in the economy, we have a done a very good job in maintaining budgets in the housing area. Admittedly there are huge problems, but it is simply unfair to suggest that we are not addressing them.
