Alan Dillon
Ceist:1. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [52251/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 6 December 2023
Ceisteanna (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:2. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53190/23]
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Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:3. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53191/23]
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Mick Barry
Ceist:4. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53403/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAlan Dillon
Ceist:5. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will meet next. [53465/23]
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Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:6. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53575/23]
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Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:7. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53589/23]
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Paul Murphy
Ceist:8. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53592/23]
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Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:9. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53697/23]
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Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:10. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the committee on housing will next meet. [53748/23]
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Rose Conway-Walsh
Ceist:11. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [53902/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (11 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on housing last met on Monday, 27 November. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for 18 December. This committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All and programme for Government commitments regarding housing and related matters.
Housing for All is now in its third year of implementation. Earlier this month, the Government published the second annual update alongside the quarter 3 progress report. This sets out our priority actions for the coming year. Despite considerable challenges in the external environment, we are making real progress with new homes and apartments being built all over the country. While new housing construction is slowing down in much of the western world, it is speeding up here. In the past 12 months, over 30,000 new homes have been built. We have exceeded the Housing for All output target for 2022 and now expect to exceed it again for 2023. The pipeline for delivery is very positive, with over 26,000 new homes started in the first ten months of 2023 and planning permission granted for over 20,000 new homes in the first half of this year alone.
We have seen large numbers of first-time buyers buying their first homes. In the 12 months to September, first-time mortgage approvals exceeded 30,000, well over 500 per week. In many cases, these were helped by the first home and help-to-buy schemes, which the Opposition wants to abolish. On State lands, building is under way on sites in Cork and Dublin which, between them, will provide over 850 homes and the Land Development Agency, LDA, now has planning permission for over 2,500 additional homes. This is on top of the 1,000 affordable homes due under Project Tosaigh.
We are also committed to improving the rental market by providing greater security, affordability and viability to tenants and landlords into the future. To date, over 300,000 renters have claimed the rent tax credit, which will be increased to €750 per renter in 2024. We have also introduced changes to the tax treatment of landlords to encourage them to stay in the rental market and not to sell up.
The Government has responded to issues of financial viability in home building. The Croí Cónaithe cities scheme is assisting the building of apartments and the new secure tenancy affordable rental, STAR, scheme will help to build over 4,000 cost-rental homes. We have also taken further action to bring additional vacant and derelict properties back into use, having doubled the target for the vacant property refurbishment grant. The local authority home loan will be extended to people looking to buy and renovate derelict homes. Housing for All is a coherent plan designed to accelerate home building in a sustainable way.
The new Planning and Development Bill, once enacted, will bring greater clarity, consistency and efficiency to how planning decisions are made. Importantly, the system will be more coherent and user-friendly, allowing for greater understanding on the part of both the public and planning practitioners alike. In addition, we will continue to enhance the capacity of the construction sector, launch campaigns to attract more people from Ireland and abroad to work in construction, promote the use of innovation in both public and private delivery and promote greater productivity in the house building sector. We are building more homes and will continue to maintain this strong momentum into 2024 and beyond.
Recent reports suggest that pyrite issues are affecting up to 1,000 homes in Mayo, from Erris to Ballina and from Westport to Castlebar. That figure encompasses both rural and State properties. These homes are showing concerning signs and cracking patterns, suggesting immediate attention is required. This devastating development is forcing families to witness the demolition of their homes and to seek alternative housing solutions amid an ongoing housing crisis. Over the past year, a total of €94 million has been allocated to various local authorities across the country for the purpose of constructing social homes using modern methods of construction, including the rapid-build modular approach. My question pertains to the widespread issue of pyrite affecting homes not only in my constituency, but across the country. Mayo County Council has submitted an expression of interest in delivering hundreds of rapid-build homes using modern methods and technologies. Is it possible to explore the use of rapid-build and modular home delivery as a means to provide short-term accommodation for those who are currently seeking housing due to pyrite-related problems in their own residences? I certainly feel this is a political decision that should be embraced rather than a decision for civil servants to make.
The incremental purchase scheme for newly-built houses allows people who qualify for social housing to buy designated newly-built houses from a local authority or AHB at a discount price. The issue is there does not seem to be one or two that one can buy singly. My understanding from the local authority is it has to be a group scheme. This is a really good scheme. I am wondering can we look at this that they can be purchased one-off, two together or three together because there is such a good discount on it. We need to look at it.
The other issue I want to ask the Taoiseach about is homelessness. I see it in Carlow recently, where we need a lot more accommodation and we need more limited accommodation. The biggest issue is that if one becomes homeless and one goes down for one's social welfare, one cannot collect it because one has no address. Parents are now coming back to me saying that they cannot take their children back into their house as they will lose their benefits. I know there are challenges. I know a lot of really good work has been done but I believe that is an area that we need to address urgently.
The committee met on the 27th, the Taoiseach told us. That would have been three days after the publication of the homeless figures which made for very grim reading. Another record was set, with 13,179 people homeless, and almost 4,000 of those children. Can the Taoiseach tell us what consideration of homelessness and those figures was given at the meeting on 27 November and what consideration will be given on 18 December when they convene again?
I am conscious that we are coming into Christmas season and children are writing their letters to Santa Claus. It is a real shame that almost 4,000 children will write those letters from homeless accommodation and for many of those children, it will not be their first time living in homelessness. What is the plan, as record upon depressing record is made and broken, to accommodate our homeless people, in particular, homeless families with children?
We are one of the richest countries in the world. We are now heading into Christmas with over 13,000 people homeless and 4,000 of those are children. Many of them have been homeless for several years. It is a stain on our society and, frankly, on Government that in such a wealthy society that should be the case. I have a simple question. What hope can the Taoiseach offer those families and children who are homeless as to when they will get a home of their own? Can the Taoiseach give us any indication of when he thinks the figures that have been rising every month will fall?
Can I particularly point the Taoiseach to the fact that the number of families in homelessness and trapped in homelessness is rising? Because of the push by us, which the Government has adopted to some degree, to purchase mostly one- and two-bedroom apartments and homes, there is a serious deficit of family accommodation to provide for families that are homeless, and their numbers are rising. What has the Taoiseach got to say about that?
Under the Taoiseach's watch, the housing crisis has got worse and worse. We now have over 13,000 people living in emergency accommodation. There was an incredible story at the weekend in The Irish Times detailing how almost 10% of those are living on one street, Gardiner Street, in unsuitable inappropriate accommodation.
One good thing that happened under pressure from us was the tenant in situ scheme which says that where tenants are faced with eviction on grounds of sale, the local authority should step in and buy the properties leaving the tenant in situ. It is a good idea in theory. It is good when it happens in practice but things are extremely slow on the ground. I have been dealing with one family who were given a date for eviction of 1 January next year at the start of May. I was in touch with the local authority. The landlord was in touch with the local authority. The local authority said that it was interested and they were discussing, and that is it. The landlord has not heard anything more. The tenant has not heard anything more. They are now there weeks from the family being made homeless. It is simply not good enough. I cannot get answers from South Dublin County Council in relation to this. Surely the Government needs to give assurance to someone like that that they will not be made homeless rather than leaving them waiting.
There are 4,000 children currently homeless. That is the equivalent of 171 classrooms of children who are homeless within this State and quite a shocking figure. That homelessness is leading to hundreds of deaths currently. It is estimated that in the past five years 1,400 people in the State have died in homelessness, which is horrendous. It is leading to a rise of major difficulties around mental health issues and addiction issues. Nutrition for children, education for children and socialisation of children are all suffering as a result.
Last year, the Government missed its targets in terms of social housing by 2,500 units. What will be the Government's output of social housing for 2023? Will the Government meet the targets, that, to be honest, are already too low, this year?
The Tyrrelstown amendment was introduced to protect renters from eviction in cases where entire apartment blocks of renters were being evicted and when the apartments were being sold. The amendment was introduced to ensure that where ten or more rental homes were being sold together, renters would not be evicted and would be able to stay in their homes while the homes were sold. However, the amendment has proven ineffective as it has a number of get-out clauses that are exploited by landlords. We have seen in the case of Tathony House, for example, that even though the RTB found in favour of the renters and against the landlord, the landlord is now attempting to go ahead with a fresh eviction having used the get-out clauses to pressurise most of the tenants into leaving. It is clear that we need to strengthen the Tyrrelstown amendment and remove the get-out clauses that are exploited by some landlords. My Tenancy Protection Bill would do exactly this and it is being discussed in the Dáil tomorrow on Second Stage. Will the Government support it?
The Taoiseach continues to quote figures and defend Fine Gael's record on housing, but Fine Gael's record on housing in Mayo is clear. We went from one person homeless in 2014 to 87 people homeless today and that does not nearly tell the picture of all those who do not have a home or who are in completely unsuitable accommodation. That is the record in Mayo.
People are waiting months in Mayo to even access emergency accommodation. We asked the Taoiseach the question, in April last, where do people go. Today, again, I want to ask the Taoiseach where do the families of children with disabilities go when they have nowhere to live and where do women and men living in abuse go when they also have nowhere to live, not even emergency accommodation. Could the Taoiseach please answer me that?
We are well aware, in relation to housing, that delivery is what we need to see and we need to make sure that we ramp-up the modern methods of construction. I also want to deal with schemes such as Housing First, which is an attempt to deal with those who are vulnerable and may be in a chaotic scenario. The problem with Housing First is at times greater supports are required and it suits individuals. We need to look at that being reviewed and upgraded. We also need to have something that is more applicable to families and we need to look at the means of providing for some of the issues that can be created by those with added difficulties as regards estate management. We need a holistic approach and all those supports that are required. Some will involve the Garda but in some cases, we need mental health services, the HSE and others. Unfortunately, that is a part that is missing and sometimes it impacts greatly on many communities out there.
I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Dillon raised the issue of pyrite in County Mayo and whether modern methods of construction and rapid-build housing might form part of the solution. We can and will examine proposals made by Mayo County Council in that regard. Our experience with rapid-build solutions, however, is that they are never as rapid as people may believe they are. They are not much cheaper and while they may be more rapid than regular construction, they are not as rapid as people hope they might be. Often, that is not about the building itself but the site because you cannot just drop a house or apartment building onto a site. It has to be properly serviced and all of those things. That is often the main cause for the delay, rather than the structure itself. We will consider any proposals that are made.
Deputy Murnane O’Connor raised the Government's policy on purchasing social housing. I will have to raise that with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and ask him to come back with a reply.
On the issue of not being able to collect social welfare if there is no address, I thought we had a solution for this, namely, that it can be collected if an address can be provided. That might not be the person's address but an address to which the Department can at least write. I thought that was the solution but I will double-check that with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys.
Deputies Boyd Barrett, Paul Murphy, McDonald and Conway-Walsh raised the issues of homelessness. As things stand, 13,000 people are in State-provided emergency accommodation. That could be a hostel, hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation and in some cases it is an own-door apartment. The numbers on the street are thankfully much lower, at in or around 100 or 200, and they are often people who, for different reasons, decide not to accept the shelter that might be available to them. Nonetheless, it is far too many and that is particularly the case with families and children. Our objective as a Government is to reduce the overall number of people in emergency accommodation considerably and that, where people experience homelessness, it should be rare and short-lived and should not be repeated. It is terrible to see some people going in and out of homelessness. That is distressing for them and all of us.
What is our plan? It is prevention, more social housing and more places for people to rent in the private sector. Prevention involves measures such as extending notice-to-quit periods so people have more time to find alternative accommodation. It also involves the tenant in situ scheme, where we buy houses and apartments off landlords who are thinking of selling up so that the social housing tenant in the property, who may be in a housing assistance payment, HAP, tenancy, can be regularised and become a normal social housing tenant. It also involves increasing the amount of social housing we are building. In this decade we will break all records since the foundation of the State for the amount of social housing being built. It also involves more HAP tenancies.
To pick up on Deputy Conway-Walsh's point, we are providing more domestic violence refuges and they are being built around the country, as are more safe houses. The latter are an alternative to a refuge, sometimes a better one, depending on the individual circumstances. We all know this is a complex situation, perhaps more so than the Opposition would like people to believe. As all of us know from working with people who are experiencing homelessness, every individual and family has a story and a lived experience and those can be different. For example, there are some people in emergency accommodation who might not be entitled to social housing because they already own a share in a house. It could be a case of family breakdown. The family may have broken up and there is a house but one person lives in the house and the other person cannot live in it. That can make the issue complicated to resolve. The profile of people in emergency accommodation has changed. Approximately 44% of people in emergency accommodation are not Irish citizens. That figure was less than 20% not that long ago. While some of those people are entitled to social housing, some are not and will never get social housing. They could be in emergency accommodation for an indeterminate period. That would not have been the case if we were talking about this in 2010, 2012 or 2014, or certainly not to the same extent.
Deputy Tóibín asked about our housing targets for 2023. Overall, we expect to exceed the targets. We will build more than 29,000 new homes in Ireland this year. It is too early to say whether we will meet every sub-target - the targets for social housing, affordable housing, private housing, etc. - but I can say that we will exceed the overall target.
We discussed Deputy Cian O'Callaghan's Bill, the tenancy protection Bill, at Cabinet on Tuesday. We will not oppose it. There are some issues that need to be teased out and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will set those out in the debate. Hopefully, we can then tease them out on Committee Stage.