I must now deal with a postponed division relating to amendment No. 1 in the name of the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the motion on social and affordable housing supply. Yesterday, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Social and Affordable Housing Supply: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett on Wednesday, 26 October 2022:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland is failing to meet its hopelessly inadequate targets to increase the supply of social and affordable housing;
— according to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the most accurate estimate for households with a housing need may be close to 122,000, when you include those on the waiting list and in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and other housing support payments;
— of the 4,100 affordable and Cost Rental homes promised for 2022, only 325 affordable and 234 Cost Rental homes have been delivered to end of Q2 2022;
— of the 9,000 social homes promised for 2022, only 1,500 have been delivered at the midpoint in 2022;
— homelessness figures have risen in the last year from 8,475 to a record 10,805 people in August, including 3,220 children;
— according to the Government, 2,273 households could have faced eviction over the winter, but that could have been higher if we take into account those who received a termination of tenancy date that was prior to the emergency period as set out in the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Bill 2022; and
— according to the Economic and Social Research Institute, the proportion of households eligible for social housing or social housing supports, such as HAP, RAS and leasing, fell from 46.8 per cent in 2011 to 33.9 per cent by 2019, and this has undoubtedly fallen further over the last two years because of the failure of the Government to raise social housing income thresholds;
further notes that:
— the Government has committed to introducing an eviction ban from November 2022 to the end of March 2023;
— many tenants who receive Notices of Termination on grounds of sale are in HAP, RAS or Rent Supplement properties, where the State is already paying the majority of the rent;
— many others who receive Notices of Termination have incomes above the income thresholds for social housing or social housing supports, but are unable to find affordable rental properties or property to purchase;
— according to Census 2022, there are 166,752 vacant homes, excluding holiday homes, across the State, of which 48,387 have been vacant for at least six years;
— there are also an estimated 22,000 derelict sites across the State; and
— sites with full planning permission for 80,000 homes are being held by developers and investors that are not being built on, and delivery of private housing is falling short of targets; and
calls on the Government to:
— use the period of the five-month ban on evictions to pursue, by all means at its disposal, an increase in the provision of social and affordable homes, above the targets set by Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland;
— introduce a "Use it or Lose it" scheme, whereby vacant and derelict properties and sites that are not activated within six months without reasonable excuse are acquired by the State, if necessary, by means of a compulsory purchase order, and such acquired properties and sites will be developed and made available for social and affordable housing;
— ensure local authorities acquire HAP, RAS, Rent Supplement properties and other rental properties where the tenants are in receipt of a no-fault Notices of Termination on grounds of sale and where that acquisition would secure that home for the tenants;
— ensure that local authorities embark on a pro-active programme of acquiring rental and developer properties that would be suitable for social and affordable housing, above the current Part V requirement;
— increase income thresholds to ensure all households unable to afford private market rents and house prices are eligible for State housing supports;
— impose tax measures to ensure that developers and corporate landlords do not profit from the foregoing acquisition programme; and
— establish a State construction company and, in coordination with local authorities, speedily progress public housing projects, retrofitting and maintenance of public housing, thereby eliminating the long delays that arise from tendering and outsourcing processes, and the risk of public housing projects stalling or collapsing due to withdrawal or non-delivery of contractors or developers.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "That Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"acknowledges:
— that there remain challenges to overcome, one year on from its publication, Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland is delivering through increased housing supply, a range of affordable purchase and rental measures, new initiatives to tackle homelessness, and ongoing, long-term reforms of the housing and planning systems;
— that the housing supply is increasing, despite such unprecedented challenges arising from the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, increasing interest rates and supply chain issues; in the 12 months to the end of June 2022 almost 25,000 homes were completed and in the 12 months to the end of September 2022 almost 27,500 were commenced, and last year 9,183 social homes were provided, with the Government's target of 24,600 new build homes for this year on track to be met, and all activity is completely focused on meeting the targets in subsequent years;
— that this increase in supply will be key to meeting demand, moderating price inflation, and addressing affordability for those wishing to rent or buy their own home; and the Government has made the delivery of new homes (social, affordable and private) its priority through the development, resourcing and implementation of the Housing for All strategy;
— that, in this regard, the Government's immediate focus has been on delivering homes for households in the lowest income brackets, and for those facing an affordability challenge, with historic levels of investment (in excess of €20 billion) through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the Housing Finance Agency over the next five years;
— that over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes, and 18,000 Cost Rental homes; and
— the recent increase in the number of households in emergency accommodation, through concerted efforts by Government agencies, local authorities and Non-Governmental Organisations, the Government continues to address the housing needs of these households and those at risk of becoming homeless, through a wide range of support programmes, including:
— the proposed introduction of a temporary stay on tenancy terminations;
— increased funding for void units;
— reinstating delegated sanction to allow local authorities to pursue appropriate acquisitions; and
— modifications to the Repair and Leasing Scheme to open up more opportunities to include conversion of commercial units to residential;
notes that:
— Ireland has signed the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness, committing to working towards the ending of homelessness by 2030, and agreeing to promote the prevention of homelessness, access to permanent housing and the provision of enabling support services to those who are homeless;
— the National Homeless Action Committee has been established; this cross-Government, interagency and stakeholder Committee which is chaired by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage ensures the continued coherence and coordination of homeless related services, policies and actions;
— the new Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022-2026 has also been published and expands Housing First targets, with over 1,300 new Housing First tenancies to be introduced over the next five years; in addition, a Housing First National Office was established in March in the Housing Agency to drive the implementation and a National Director for the Programme has been appointed;
— with regard to the delivery of social housing, over 23,300 households had their housing needs met in 2021 – this is despite the very significant impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on delivery; noting that most residential construction was halted for a 13-week period from January to April;
— the 2021 Summary of Social Housing Assessments showed that there were 59,247 households assessed as being qualified for, and in need of, social housing support: a 4.3 per cent decrease on the social housing waiting list in 2020 and a 35.3 per cent decrease in the social housing waiting list since 2016, when the first annual assessment was conducted;
— the latest Construction Status Report (Q2 2022) shows 8,247 social homes on-site, with an additional 12,327 homes at design and tender stage, and 118 new construction schemes (1,647 homes) added to the pipeline; in total the Construction Status Report provides details on 27,006 new build social homes across 1,566 schemes;
— notwithstanding the strong delivery pipeline, Minister O'Brien continues to emphasise the urgency of maximising delivery, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is working closely with local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to secure additional projects to deliver in the short-term;
— with regard to the delivery of affordable homes, the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and the Land Development Agency Act 2021, both enacted July 2021, are two important foundations that will enable the delivery of affordable housing on the scale required;
— taking into account that 2022 will be the first year of affordable housing delivery (affordable housing schemes having been stood down in 2011), the first affordable Cost Rental homes are now beginning to come into the market, advertised at rates that are 40 per cent to 50 per cent lower than market rent; and these Cost Rental homes are designed to assist households currently facing affordability pressures in the private rental market and targets middle-income households, with household net annual income of less than €53,000;
— homes are now being made available under the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the nationally available First Home Shared Equity Scheme supports first-time buyers purchasing newly constructed homes being made available for sale in the private market;
— in addition, a new Local Authority Home Loan has been introduced for those on modest/low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home and the Help-to-Buy scheme, which has been a significant support for first time buyers, has been extended to the end of 2024;
— the LDA has an immediate focus on managing the State's own lands to develop new homes, the majority of which will be social and affordable; and the transfer of State lands to the LDA, with potential to produce 15,000 homes, is underway;
— the LDA has also launched Project Tosaigh to accelerate delivery of 5,000 homes on non-State lands where planning permission has already been granted, but not yet activated; and
— in addition, the Government has launched a new Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Fund Scheme to address the current viability challenges and activate housing supply at density in city centres through the delivery of 5,000 apartments for owner occupiers; and
— good progress has been made in advancing the vacancy related actions under the Housing for All strategy, including:
— the publication of a 'Town Centre First' approach earlier this year, which provides a co-ordinated, whole-of-Government policy framework to proactively address the decline in the health of towns across Ireland and support measures to regenerate and revitalise them;
— the establishment of a 'vacancy' unit within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, led at Principal Officer level, to drive the implementation of the Department's vacancy related actions under the Housing for All strategy;
— the move to a fulltime Vacant Homes Officer in all local authorities;
— dedicated support to local authorities and AHBs via the Housing Agency across a number of programmes, and specifically in relation to the Compulsory Purchase Order programme, and working with partners to unlock the potential to utilise heritage buildings for residential purposes;
— reform of the Fair Deal Nursing Home Support Scheme to remove disincentives for the sale/renting of vacant properties;
— planning regulations, that exempt certain vacant commercial properties from requiring planning permission to change of use for residential purposes, have been extended to 2025;
— the successful launch of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund Scheme for vacant property refurbishment grants and the 'Ready to Build' grant; and
— the planned introduction of a vacant homes tax in 2023; and
furthermore, notes that:
— notwithstanding the responsibility of each Chief Executive for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out their functions as housing authorities, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has sanctioned over 200 posts associated with the delivery of their social housing build programmes, with additional posts being sanctioned for affordable housing delivery;
— the Government is also implementing a suite of measures to facilitate increased residential construction activity and put the housing system on a sustainable footing, through, inter alia:
— the Attorney General-led comprehensive review of planning legislation and a new process for large-scale residential developments of 100 plus units has been introduced to bring supply forward quicker;
— legislation introducing a Residential Zoned Land Tax (commencing in 2024 following publication of maps showing land in scope), coupled with legislation being developed to introduce Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones, these reforms will help to:
— activate vacant land zoned and serviced for housing;
— reduce land hoarding that drives up the value of land and cost of housing; and
— ensure greater community gain from land value increases; and community gain will be secured through a proportion of the uplift in land values for the provision of infrastructure to support development and, where appropriate, social and affordable housing;
— legislative underpinning to a new requirement that residential houses be ring-fenced for individual buyers – almost 16,000 units restricted to single purchasers or social and affordable housing by mid-May as a result of restrictions on permissions, with legislative provision for this 'owner occupier guarantee' incorporated in housing strategies and development plans going forward;
— measures to increase construction sector capacity, including greater investment to increase the availability of apprenticeships and training, international recruitment initiatives and the new 'Future Building' initiative to spearhead activation and recruitment for the sector; and
— a number of significant measures to accelerate research and innovation in the sector, including Enterprise Ireland's new Built to Innovate Fund, a €5 million investment for the establishment of a new Construction Technology Centre, and a new Modern Methods of Construction Demonstration Park, which will focus on increasing specialised training capacity and allow us to better respond to skills gaps in the construction sector; and
— while very significant global and external challenges have emerged since the Housing for All strategy was published in September 2021, the Government remains focused on achieving the targets set out therein, and as committed to last year, when the Housing for All strategy was launched, the Government is currently reviewing and updating the actions in the plan which will be published in the coming weeks, this will allow the Government to respond to these challenges and redouble the focus on prioritising measures to activate and accelerate the delivery of housing supply.
- (Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 80; Níl, 54; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Berry, Cathal.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Foley, Norma.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 79; Níl, 55; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Berry, Cathal.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Foley, Norma.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy.
Question declared carried.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 10.20 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Déardaoin, an 27 Deireadh Fómhair 2022.
The Dáil adjourned at 10.20 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 27 October 2022.