Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2024

Vol. 1052 No. 5

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Housing Schemes

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

I thank the Minister of State for being here for this matter. I wish to raise two specific issues with him. In the interest of brevity and clarity, because I tabled a parliamentary question on this very recently, I know exactly how many homes are purchased, how many are in train to purchase and exactly what is going on formally. I wish to bring to his attention what is actually happening to some of the families in my constituency.

I am currently working without about ten people who are at immediate risk of homelessness and who, for various reasons, are trying to get into the tenant in situ scheme or have recently been let down. One of these people was evicted three or four weeks ago and she and her four children are in one bedroom in Ballyfermot. She was originally from north County Dublin and she is now with her children in one bedroom with bunk beds in Ballyfermot. The tenant in situ scheme failed that woman and failed the landlord, whose patience and money ran out during that process. It was not a good experience. I have other people who are currently overholding and they are very worried.

I will read out an email sent to one of my constituents in March. It states:

Fingal County Council are not in a position to assess your tenant in situ application at this point because we are currently prioritising applicants who are at immediate risk of homelessness. I note your termination date is for July, which provides adequate time for you to source alternative accommodation through the HAP scheme.

Where are they getting that information? There are no HAP houses in my area. I do not know if there are any in the Minister of State’s area but there are definitely none in mine. It continues:

If you are not already a recipient of HAP, please contact [blah] ... Should you fail to secure alternative accommodation within eight of weeks or your termination date, please email [e-mail] and we can advise of your available options.

It is telling her she has to wait until eight weeks before she is homeless. Has the Minister of State ever bought or sold a house? Does he know anyone who has ever bought or sold a house in eight weeks? I do not. It is not possible. Even in a case where nobody is contesting it and nobody is in a chain, it is not possible. The council is leaving it until the last possible moment with this woman. It is telling her to wait until she is eight weeks out. It is basically telling her to wait until there is absolutely nothing that it will be able to do. The landlord is selling for a valid reason and he wants to sell to the council. The house is an area where it has previously bought, so there should not be an issue.

I will read correspondence from a landlord:

I am a landlord in Swords. I have been renting a house to a family – two parents and three kids – since 2017. My financial situation has changed and I have to sell the house. Their kids are the local primary school less than 100 m up the road.

He applied to the tenant in situ scheme last year. This was completed in November 2023. The eviction notice was dated 20 April 2024. The house was assessed. Just two days ago, he learned the following from Fingal County Council:

Following a full review of your property, including the building survey, we have decided not to proceed with the acquisition of this property. This decision was made taking into account issues identified with the building survey and the necessary works and repairs that would be required to the property.

He says he is open to discussion to keep the family in the house. He has asked Fingal County Council what the issues are in order that he can rectify them and work with the council to prevent two adults and three children becoming homeless because he is aware of the situation. However, he is being told that the information cannot be released because the report is commercially sensitive. He told me that he was trying to help this family not to become another statistic for homelessness but that he also could not afford to keep that house.

I understand what the headline figures say. However, in real life, ten families are about to be made homeless, and one already has been. This can be added to the list. Can I get some information about what guidance has issued from the Department? It does not seem to happen in other areas but why will they not release reports when landlords are willing to work with them?

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Malcolm Noonan)

I will read the script and then come back with the specifics. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue.

Under Housing for All, there is provision for 200 social housing acquisitions each year. However, with increased pressures on housing and the exit of landlords from the market, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, reinstated delegated sanction to local authorities in April 2022 to acquire social housing properties for a number of specific priority categories. One of the priority categories was to address homelessness, which would include the acquisition of a property to exit a household from emergency accommodation or the acquisition of a property that would prevent a household from becoming homeless.

For 2023 and again in 2024, the Government agreed there would be an increased provision for social housing acquisitions and the Department will provide funding for local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, specifically requested that local authorities be proactive in acquiring properties where a HAP or RAS tenant had received a notice of termination due to a landlord’s intention to sell the property. The most recent circular issued to local authorities in March, setting out these revised arrangements and providing each local authority with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2024. Local authorities have delegated sanction to deliver 1,300 additional acquisitions, subject to those acquisitions being within acquisition cost guidelines issued by the Department.

In 2023, Fingal County Council had an allocation to acquire 125 second-hand social homes. Fingal surpassed the allocation and acquired 234 homes, of which 210 were properties where the tenant received a notice of termination. Fingal also delivered 386 new-build social homes during that period.

It is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy. The time required to compete a social housing acquisition can vary depending on the circumstances involved. Property purchases can be delayed for various reasons, such as title difficulties, which the Deputy referenced, planning issues, outstanding property taxes, general contractual conditions of sale not in place and so on. As the process is also reliant on timely progress from the vendor’s legal sales agent, timeframes vary from purchase to purchase. Local authorities take appropriate steps to ensure their first response will be to support households to try to prevent homelessness in cases where tenants have been served with a notice of termination by their landlord. It is important to acknowledge that the tenant in situ scheme has been a key measure in preventing homelessness and, as such, has mitigated such impacts for many households in 2023.

The Deputy raised the issue of ten families being at immediate risk of homelessness. Again, that is what the tenant in situ scheme is for. If the owner of the property is willing to sell and the opportunity is there to do so, it has been a good scheme. With regard to the specific cases the Deputy highlighted, she is correct that there are not sufficient HAP tenancies out there. They are simply not there in the numbers that are required, so I absolutely appreciate that.

If there is anything we can help with in the Department with Fingal County Council in trying to help these families, we would appreciate the details being provided to us and we can see what we can do to support them.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

I genuinely thank the Minister of State for that, but there is a systemic issue here. I can give him the list and the names right now, and that is fine.

Will the Minister of State specifically address the letter that has been issued informing the tenant she must wait until she is eight weeks out? In his response the Minister of State stated "Local authorities take appropriate steps to ensure their first response will be to support households to try to prevent homelessness in cases where tenants have been served with a notice of termination." That is not happening. Their first response is supposed to be to help tenants but actually, their first response is to tell them to go and see if they can find a HAP house.

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I am not going to use the kind of language that is rolling around in my head now but this is incredibly frustrating. This is supposed to be a homelessness prevention measure. Imagine what a young woman with her child is thinking when she gets a letter like that, telling her to wait until she is eight weeks away from homelessness and then the local authority will engage with the landlord. The landlord wants to sell the property. I know the local authority cannot buy every house. Probably, part of me wishes it could, to prevent homelessness. However, they cannot and I get that but the operation of this specific policy, that is, to wait until a tenant is eight weeks out from the termination date, effectively guarantees that person is going to be homeless for the simple reason that there will not be enough time to complete the sale. The landlord knows that. Logic dictates that if a landlord gets that letter saying he or she has to wait until eight weeks before the termination notice, that person knows it is not going to be completed. The Minister of State knows it is not going to be completed. I ask the Minister of State specifically to examine that. I understand the local authority does not have to give a reason for not purchasing a property but where it does, can a landlord challenge that? Can the landlord ask for specific information? I cannot accept that it is somehow commercially sensitive to share that information with the landlord when in the case I highlighted, the landlord himself is saying he will do the repairs if he can but he needs to be told what they are. However, he has been told it is commercially sensitive. I ask the Minister of State, rather than going into specific individual cases, and we can do that, will he look at those two cases in particular? That is coming directly from the council. Will his Department look at that?

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

There are specific questions here particularly in regard to that timeframe. That is a valid question to ask and certainly we can ask the Department to look at that. In regard to the second question, I cannot give the answer to it here, so again I will ask the Department to look at that, about challenging those decisions, if that is okay.

Fingal County Council has been quite progressive. In quarter 1 this year it already acquired 25 properties where tenants received a notice of termination. Fingal County Council has been very progressive in delivering on the tenant in situ scheme but as I said, if there are specific cases that may need a bit of help, the local authority obviously has the delegated function to do this and appears to be delivering it successfully. However, if there are specific cases where there are logjams or issues affecting the transfer or the sale of the house, in particular the issues mentioned by the Deputy in relation to the local authority asking the tenant to seek a HAP tenancy, if there are none, they really are in an awful bind. I appreciate that. Certainly, we will take these issues back to the Department and revert to the Deputy.

An Garda Síochána

Deputy Marian Harkin

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Minister of State. This is perhaps the fifth or sixth occasion I have raised this issue. To build a new Garda station in Sligo is an urgent matter. Every couple of months a colleague of mine, Councillor Marie Casserly, contacts me to keep it on the agenda because this is a long saga. We need to get it sorted. I have raised it so many times with various Ministers, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach. In fact, the last Minister for Justice to visit Sligo Garda station was the current Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris. I hope he remembers that visit where he was able to see at first hand that Sligo Garda station is completely unfit for purpose on many different levels. The station is cramped, overcrowded and the working conditions are unacceptable for many of the staff. The station is not compliant with fire regulations and some offices have no natural light or ventilation. There are no parking facilities. There is parking for 20 staff but there are 150 in the building. Staff retention, particularly of administrative staff, is an issue because of the poor working conditions. The limited office space and the very limited workspace is hugely challenging for everyone who works in that building. Except for the public office, the building is not accessible for people with disabilities. The plumbing and heating systems are archaic. They were built in the 1840s.

Should the Minister of State wish to read about this, there is a long saga of promises made and broken regarding the construction of a new Garda station in Sligo. There was a walk-out in 2016 and 2017 due to the frustration of those who work in the station at the really poor working conditions and at promises made that were not honoured.

In 2019, the OPW stated that Sligo Garda station was not fit for purpose. That was five years ago and a commitment was given to develop a new regional and divisional headquarters in Caltragh, in Sligo, on a site that was purchased by the OPW for €1.3 million. Money was allocated in the capital plan to build the station. However, in early 2020, to everybody's absolute dismay, the project was pulped. The Garda Commissioner did not support the building of a new station because of the new Garda operating model. It was decided to refurbish the Garda station. That was a crazy decision. In hindsight, that opinion has been shown to be correct. It was a huge waste of money. We now have new Garda divisions and we are told that the Commissioner supports the building of a new Garda station and so does the Minister.

Therefore, after a long saga and much to-ing and fro-ing, I ask the Minister of State this morning, where are we with those plans? Five years ago, the money was ring-fenced.

Where is it now and will it go ahead? As I said, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister are on board but the OPW has to agree that it is going to go ahead with this and confirm that there is a plan in place. A lot of people are very anxious about this and have asked me to raise it. I am hopeful that after many interventions in this House, including written and oral questions and conversations with various Ministers, we can finally get some clarity on what is happening.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (Deputy Ossian Smyth)

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, I thank Deputy Harkin for raising this issue in the House today. I am aware that the Deputy has also written to the Minister about this previously.

The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is committed, as is the entire Government, to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána across the country is central to this policy. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is legally responsible for the management and administration of Garda business. The Minister for Justice has no role in these independent functions and she cannot direct the Commissioner regarding Garda resources, including the need for any new Garda stations.

Works on Garda accommodation are progressed by the Garda authorities working in close co-operation with the OPW. The determination of the need for the development of a new Garda station in any location is considered by the Garda Commissioner in the context of the overall accommodation requirements arising from the ongoing expansion of the Garda workforce and the availability of capital funding. That is not to say that our gardaí and the people of Sligo do not deserve a Garda station that recognises the significance of Sligo in terms of its population and the fact that it is a gateway for the northwest.

Deputy Harkin will know that An Garda Síochána has invested and continues to invest significant funding in refurbishing the current Garda station in Sligo and while the Minister is unable to intervene in these independent functions, she has made inquiries. She has been informed that An Garda Síochána is working on the strategic assessment and preliminary business case for a new divisional headquarters in Sligo, in line with the procedures in the infrastructure guidelines. The preliminary business case must then be assessed and approved in the context of the funding available for capital projects over the coming years.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, recently announced an additional €29 million for Garda capital buildings from 2024 to 2026. This brings the total funding for Garda capital buildings for those three years to over €179 million. The Minister also understands that Garda estates management met the chief superintendent in Sligo on 27 March and outlined the current situation. The accommodation needs of the division were also discussed at that meeting. The planned introduction of the new operating model in the Sligo division later this year will give rise to additional accommodation needs. Officials from Garda Síochána estates met the chief superintendent in Sligo yesterday, 16 April, to consider the requirements to accommodate the new operating model and will continue to work with the OPW on the works required. I hope that this update, received by the Minister from the Garda authorities, will be of assistance to Deputy Harkin.

Deputy Marian Harkin

Obviously, certain things are happening because we now have the divisional change and the Garda Commissioner and the Minister are supportive of a new Garda station in Sligo. I am sorry that the Minister is not here today but to be fair, she did send me her apologies that she could not make it. One always likes, if and when possible, to hear the Minister responsible speaking on these issues. The Minister of State is quite right that the Minister has no role in the independent functions of administration and management of Garda business. However, it is up to the Government to provide funding and a total of €1.3 million was spent on the acquisition of a site at Caltragh, outside Sligo. That site was available back in 2020.

As far as I know, a strategic assessment has to be carried out on the old Garda station and that was supposed to be done in September 2020. We were told that assessment was being done then. Maybe it was done but there has been no report of that assessment. Has that strategic assessment on the old station been done? If so, where is the report? It is my understanding that the Garda Commissioner and the Minister are asking for this, so where is it? It is up to the head of estates to carry out this assessment. We are stuck and cannot move forward until this happens. The Minister of State told me about all of the money that was invested in refurbishing the Garda station but as I said already, that is just throwing good money after bad. That money is being wasted. We need a commitment at various levels. We need a commitment on funding and on the strategic assessment on the old Garda station so that we can move forward and will not have another chapter in this litany of broken promises.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

The Deputy asked about the status of the strategic assessment. I will ask the Minister to update her on that. It is the Minister's understanding that Garda estates management met colleagues from the OPW to discuss short-term works to accommodate the operating model within the existing station. The Minister also understands that Garda estates management is considering the accommodation requirements of the new division. As the Deputy knows, a new Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW has been appointed. I will ask him to update the Deputy on the situation from the OPW's point of view.

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities in rural Ireland and in our towns and cities. To do this, it is vital that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs. The Department of Justice is making changes to the structures of An Garda Síochána through the roll out of a new Garda operating model. This will become operational in Sligo and Leitrim later this year. It will provide for more front-line gardaí, increased Garda visibility and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area.

Disability Diagnoses

Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne

At the outset I want to acknowledge and congratulate the amazing team at FASD Ireland on its fantastic work and for reaching the recent milestone of the first anniversary of the FASD hub national helpline, which allowed it to provide support to more than 800 people living with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, their families, and professionals across the State. I also acknowledge the commitment of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to FASD Ireland. She has worked closely with the organisation and has made it her business to support it. She visited County Clare to meet its representatives on a number of occasions, which is to be commended. Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, known as FASD, is Ireland's silent epidemic and is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is lifelong brain damage for which there is no cure or treatment and according to the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2017, Ireland has the third highest prevalence of people living with FASD in the world at 4.75%, behind Croatia at 5.3% and South Africa at 11.1%. This is the most credible report carried out to date and one that has been referred to many times in Ireland since publication. There has not yet been an Ireland-specific prevalence survey to verify these numbers since that report seven years ago. However, following the two years of Covid-19 lockdown, in September 2022 the HSE alcohol and mental health and well-being programme announced that the prevalence of FASD may have increased to as high as 7.4% of the population, which would equate to around 379,000 living with FASD in Ireland today.

Astonishingly, most people in Ireland are not even aware of what FASD is and only 1% of those living with the condition in Ireland have been able to obtain a diagnosis, for which they had to go overseas. Alarmingly, Ireland is the only country in the developed world that does not recognise FASD as a neurodevelopmental disability. The HSE does not currently have any statutory guidelines for diagnosis, there are no specialist clinicians or diagnosis pathway and few support services for people living with the condition. FASD Ireland, which is based in my own constituency of Clare, is a national organisation providing essential support, advocacy and education to those living with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, their families, and professionals. We know from recent research by Dr. Katy Tobin at Trinity College Dublin that 25% of young people living with FASD in Ireland left formal education at the age of 14. That dreadful statistic could be considered a contributory factor and it informs the latest research from Dr. David Junior Gilbert of Salford University who found that people living with FASD are 19 times more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system in comparison to individuals without FASD.

That number is stark. Tusla recognises that up to two thirds of care-experienced children live with FASD and consequentially most will need supported living or face extreme challenges after leaving care. Children's disability network teams and CAMHS currently do not have statutory guidelines or the clinical experience to diagnose FASD. They are trying their best, providing revolving door support for comorbid conditions for the many children and young adults living with FASD. In addition, tragically, CAMHS supports terminate for these young people upon reaching the age of 18, with no handover to adult mental health services, as FASD is neither recognised nor supported by the service.

I am aware of the publication of the HSE national service plan which, on page 38, mentions that a foetal alcohol project will be undertaken using a multi-healthcare sector approach. The Minister of State acknowledged this in the Chamber in March, in response to the motion on supporting people with disabilities and carers. Will she outline what her Department intends to do to ensure FASD is a recognised disability in Ireland?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue for discussion and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for its having been selected. As Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I am fully committed to the continued development and enhancement of our disability services, through the implementation of my Department’s Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026. As the Deputy will be aware, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a preventable neurodevelopmental condition. It is a group of disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and is associated with a range of lifelong physical, mental, educational, social and behavioural difficulties. FASD is caused by the consumption of alcohol at any time from six weeks before conception, by either parent, until the baby is born.

Many people do not know or recognise that they are living with FASD. The most recent available figures from the HSE, to which the Deputy alluded, estimate the prevalence of FASD in Ireland is between 2.8 and 7.4% of the population. An estimated 600 Irish babies are born each year with foetal alcohol syndrome. The majority of children with FASD have no visible issues at birth, and difficulties may not manifest until preschool age. Currently, there are no standard diagnostic policies or guidelines for diagnosing or treating children with FASD in Ireland.

In line with the HSE’s mainstream first approach to the delivery of healthcare, such measures, supports and campaigns are led across the country by the HSE’s health and well-being division, under the remit of the Department of Health and overseen by the HSE clinical lead for FASD prevention. The HSE has recommended that a number of actions are implemented to prevent FASD. Many of these actions are being progressed and some new actions are proposed that will require resourcing, such as the development of a national strategy for FASD prevention and response in Ireland.

While the Department of Health oversees policy development and direction for FASD, within own Department I was pleased to secure funding in budget 2024 for a foetal alcohol project which will be undertaken using a multi-care health sector approach, including disability services, primary care and mental health services. The Deputy alluded to the fact that FASD is not just a health or disability issue but is actually cross-departmental. There is also a justice piece and an education piece. This is one of a number of targeted services for children which will be progressed in line with the HSE approval process. I assure the House that my officials and I are committed to working with colleagues in the Department, alongside other stakeholders, to ensure that the issue of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is considered a priority.

I think the Deputy referred to page 38 of the HSE service plan. She is right that FASD is mentioned there. It is regrettable that to date FASD Ireland has not received a letter to confirm how much funding it will receive. Approximately €200,000 in funding will be awarded to the team in Clare for the national hub. I commend the work it has done in putting in place the telephone line and supporting families when there is such a deficit in Departments and the HSE in terms of taking on the mantle of providing support. I compliment the team in Clare on what it is doing. I am very supportive of it. There is a tug of love within the Departments as to where FASD really sits. I have taken ownership of it but, at the same time, there is a role for the HSE and we acknowledge that it sits with it.

Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne

I thank the Minister of State for her detailed response and for specifically mentioning prevention. That is really important and I may come back to it. It is also very positive that there is commitment to fund FASD Ireland to continue the important work it is doing. I know the Minister of State has taken it under her wing because the organisation has fallen between the cracks, so to speak. It greatly appreciates that, as do I. It has ensured great positivity and the continuation of FASD Ireland's work.

FASD Ireland runs training courses that have proved to be extremely popular. It pilots a 40-minute FASD awareness class to transition year students. When we are talking about prevention, that is a very good option for getting information out to those who need it. This public health message needs to be nationally rolled out. In respect of that awareness class, three months after the training course when students were asked about their awareness of FASD, 93% had a great level of understanding. That was a great success and points to a need for these courses to be rolled out nationally. I know FASD Ireland is eager for the Department of Education to work with it.

FASD Ireland also wants Tusla to engage on a national basis. It has delivered training to Tusla at local level but would like to roll that out nationally. This work is also vital. The Minister of State mentioned current issues around FASD in Ireland. We need a pathway for diagnosis and for FASD to be recognised as a disability. That has to be a priority. The Minister of State pointed to a huge job of work that needs to be done by all Departments. I am hoping the Taoiseach's recent announcement of a Cabinet committee on disability might see that being explored further. I hope FASD will be included in its programme of work and that FASD Ireland will be able to engage with the committee. Most importantly, the Government needs to continue to hear from those who are impacted directly and from FASD Ireland in particular.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I will continue, with the Department of Health and the HSE, to advance progress on the provision of services for those living with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. I am also conscious, listening to the Deputy's contribution, that a lot of other agencies lean on the hub in Clare for support, including Tusla in Clare and a lot of other counties. I completely agree with the Deputy that the training the FASD Ireland provides needs to be rolled out and scaled to the front line of some of our organisations, including Tusla but also in education and primary care. I am not saying we should diagnose but we should be conscious of the signs professionals can signpost correctly within their fields, so there is an understanding and a pathway there to support parents and people on the front line.

I mentioned the likes of Tusla leaning on the FASD hub in Clare. It is amazing that it does not pay for the service. The hub in Clare, believe it or not, provides hidden disability lanyards as a source of income to support its operations. When I talk about this tug of responsibility, I genuinely see it as a disability piece.

The Department of Health has an awareness and prevention role in this but there is a diagnostic and clear pathways piece. There is an upcoming strategy on disability. I know the team participated in one of the roundtable meetings. There is a clear pathway for engagement and for having FASD signposted in the strategy.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 9.50 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 9.58 a.m.

Sitting suspended at 9.50 a.m. and resumed at 9.58 a.m.