Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:18. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach to report on progress on Housing for All, which is led by his Department. [44837/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 5 October 2022
Ceisteanna (18, 19, 20)
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:19. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach if he is satisfied that sufficient progress is being made under the Housing for All plan to meet current and future demands. [45712/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Mick Barry
Ceist:20. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on progress on Housing for All, which is led by his Department. [48636/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (12 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 20, inclusive, together.
Housing for All is the most ambitious housing plan in the history of our State and contains actions to ensure over 300,000 new homes are built by 2030, along with delivering fundamental reform of our housing system. The target to 2030 includes 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost-rental homes. The plan is backed by the highest ever State investment in housing and it is beginning to have a significant impact.
Despite the sustained inflationary pressures as a result of the war in Ukraine and other external factors, there are still strong signs of momentum in housing delivery. The second quarter of this year saw the highest level of home completions in over a decade and we are confident that the target for delivery of 24,600 homes in 2022 will be met. Between April and June this year, planning permission was granted for 11,374 new homes. In the 12 months to the end of June, more than 54,000 new homes had been either built or commenced. Last year, 9,183 social homes were provided.
This Government's commitment to delivering increased housing supply was further evidenced last week in budget 2023. We have committed a record €4.5 billion in public funding next year for the provision of more social, affordable and cost-rental homes. A sum of €1.3 billion will be invested in supporting an overall package of measures to deliver more affordable housing, including 5,550 households supported to buy or rent at an affordable price. Housing for All has brought certainty for the many stakeholders involved in the delivery of housing in our country, despite the impact of the invasion of Ukraine. Since its launch over a year ago, we have introduced a wide range of initiatives including the First Home scheme, Project Tosaigh and Croí Cónaithe.
Budget 2023 extended the help-to-buy scheme to the end of 2024 to further support first-time buyers of new homes. It also introduced a rent tax credit to support taxpayers who are paying rent on their principal private residence, and a vacant homes tax. A wide range of other initiatives are under way, including a major overhaul of the planning process, a new land value sharing mechanism, promotion of innovation and productivity in housing construction and increased apprenticeships and overseas recruitment. All these reforms and measures will assist with the supply of housing and fundamentally reform the housing system in the country.
When the plan was published, it included a provision to review and update the actions annually to respond to any changes or emerging challenges. This review is now almost complete. It does not seek to change the fundamental policy direction, but allows us to respond to the significant challenges which have emerged since the plan was published, most notably the ongoing inflationary pressures. The review is focused on measures to activate and accelerate supply and will be considered by the Cabinet committee on housing at its next meeting on 10 October. The updated action plan will be published alongside the third quarter progress report in the coming weeks.
We have little time left and five speakers. There will be less than one minute for each of them.
I fully support the Housing for All proposals. Unfortunately, they are not achieving results fast enough. In this context, might it be possible to accelerate a programme of modular housing or system-built houses for quick delivery, given that we continue to export such houses?
Students nationwide will be walking out of their classes next Thursday, 13 October, at 11.11 a.m. They will be protesting at the lack of student accommodation and the Government's inaction in tackling the financial pressures bearing down on them. This State is expected to have a shortage of 20,000 student beds by 2024. The Government has failed to cap student rents. Meanwhile, the student contribution charge still stands at a whopping €2,000 and the reduction in the budget is only a once-off measure. Is the Taoiseach embarrassed that the nation's students feel the need to walk out of their classes in protest at the lack of sufficient action and support from his Government?
The number of people in homelessness in this State continues to rise. It is now approaching 11,000 people, which is a shocking figure. Will the Government please consider introducing a winter eviction ban as an emergency measure so that, in particular, children and families at risk of losing their homes will at least have some security over the winter and through Christmas? We have seen this being done in France and we are asking the Government to do it here.
Does the Taoiseach have any response regarding the report published by the Irish Refugee Council that raises concerns about the crisis in the Irish protection system, including the lack of appropriate accommodation for those coming here to seek international protection?
We know eviction bans work. They worked here during Covid. The number of homeless people came down consistently when the eviction ban was in place. We also know that an eviction ban is being introduced in Scotland this winter. When the Taoiseach was asked about this yesterday, he implied it could not be done because of the Constitution. I do not agree with that interpretation, but the response to that would be to have a referendum on having a right to housing and to insert such a provision in the Constitution. The Government promised a referendum on housing in the programme for Government. When will the referendum be held and when will the wording be announced? Will a referendum on the right to water be held alongside the referendum on housing?
Regarding the increase in income thresholds, the Minister is examining that with his Department. I hope to receive a update on progress at some stage.
We have been hearing that for five years.
Did the Deputy say the person he referred to was not on the social housing list?
The person's income was over the threshold. No social housing support whatsoever-----
I have spoken to the Minister on this and work is under way on increasing the income thresholds.
I agree with Deputy Durkan. We should accelerate the use of modular homes and system-built housing. We need different types of housing, including increased use of timber-framed housing. Only 20% of housing here uses timber-frame construction, while it is 80% in Scotland. We need faster and more innovative approaches. We must also stop all the opposition to different housing types. It seems the first response, as opposed to the last response, is to oppose housing developments because of the mix in them or whatever. I find it incredible that we are in the middle of a crisis of this scale and that we have the number of people in need of housing that we do, and yet people are saying, "Delay, delay, delay".
On students, again there has been a reduction of €1,000 in the fees this year and it will be €500 in the next academic year. It is not a once-off measure. This has already been put into the budgetary figures. There is also a double payment for those receiving Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grants. Significant supports are being made available to students this year. There is an issue with student accommodation. I said this, and in recent days, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, has been working with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the universities in respect of building on the land the universities have to try to reduce the viability gap they say exists between what the they could build accommodation for and what they could reasonably expect students to pay for it.
Again, the Government has to intervene, just as it has right across the board in housing. The Government is the biggest actor in the area of housing right now, including in social housing, cost-rental housing, affordable housing and the Croí Cónaithe fund. No matter what scheme we look at, the Government is coming in to try to bridge viability gaps in the marketplace. We need to get more student accommodation built and we are committed to doing that.
Regarding the issue identified concerning a winter eviction ban, I made it clear that Covid gave us the context to do this legally. There are legal issues involved and that was all I raised yesterday. What I am saying is that these issues cannot be ignored. I hear what the Deputy is saying and I know the Minister keeps this under constant review. We did put in place a ban during Covid and we had a strong legal basis to do so. We are going to do everything we possibly can. The Minister has acted to make it clear that where tenants receiving HAP or RAS are in danger of being evicted, the local authorities can and should buy the house to prevent the eviction from taking place.
On the Irish Refugee Council, the figures on the Irish response this year are extraordinary. We are in a wartime situation and we must acknowledge that. That is why there is a huge challenge in respect of the numbers of people coming into the country. Even the figures for the normal international protection accommodation services, IPAS, route are significant, with about 15,000 people expected this year. This compares with the norm of 3,500. We also have 50,000 Ukrainians who have fled the war. That is the context we are in and it is causing great pressures. I pay tribute to the civil servants, the local authorities and everybody who has responded to this incredibly difficult and challenging situation.
I will respond to the Deputy later regarding homelessness. There are other issues with homelessness in terms of presentations from within the European Economic Area, EEA, on a continuing basis and these are also impacting our emergency housing situation. Some of those arriving have large families, and that is ongoing. Not everything is as it seems either, but this is something we are determined to try to reduce.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar www.oireachtas.ie.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 2.02 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 3.02 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 2.02 p.m. and resumed at 3.02 p.m.