I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on affordable housing, which took place on Wednesday, 8 May 2024. On the question, "That the amendment to amendment be made", a division was claimed, and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Affordable Housing: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on Wednesday, 8 May 2024:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— house prices continue to spiral out of control with prices for new homes up 9 per cent last year;
— rents are also rising and have increased by 9 per cent for new tenancies and 6 per cent for existing renters in the last year;
— the Government missed their new build social housing target by 11 per cent last year;
— the Government missed their cost-rental and affordable purchase target by over 60 per cent last year;
— the Government missed their vacant property refurbishment grant target by 83 per cent last year; and
— as a consequence, thousands of social and affordable homes that were promised by the Government were not delivered;
further notes that, as a consequence of these failures:
— homelessness is continuing to increase month-on-month, up 13 per cent in the last 12 months;
— a growing number of young people are being forced to emigrate;
— a growing number of adults are forced to live at home with their parents;
— a growing number of people in their 40s, 50s and 60s are trapped in an expensive and insecure private rental sector; and
— an entire generation are locked out of affordable home ownership, and this is impacting on the economy and the delivery of public services;
furthermore, notes that:
— it is both possible and necessary to deliver homes at prices that working people can actually afford;
— this means selling new homes to eligible purchasers at prices less than €300,000, depending on size and location;
— under Sinn Féin's affordable leasehold purchase scheme:
— the State pays for all land and site servicing related costs and retains ownership of the land, and makes a further contribution, where necessary, to guarantee affordable prices and development levies are waived;
— the purchaser buys the home, at or near the full cost of construction;
— the purchaser, through a legally binding covenant, is given free indefinite use of the land which is transferable to subsequent generations of their family; and
— the purchaser is free to sell the home to another eligible affordable purchaser at the future affordable purchase price;
— the benefit of this approach is twofold, firstly, it reduces the initial purchase price of the home, and secondly, it ensures permanent affordability for subsequent buyers; and
— the aim, over time, is to create a market of privately owned, privately traded and permanently affordable homes;
agrees that:
— the best way to address the affordable housing crisis is with the delivery of an ambitious programme of affordable leasehold purchase homes;
— this would require the delivery of affordable leasehold purchase homes at scale;
— this must be delivered as part of the most ambitious public housing programme in the history of the State, including increased delivery of social, affordable, cost-rental and affordable leasehold purchase homes to meet wider social and affordable housing needs; and
— only a general election, a change of Government and a change of housing plan can deliver such an ambitious programme.
The following amendment No. 1 was moved by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien:
To delete all the words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland, now in its third year of implementation, sets out a comprehensive suite of actions aimed at addressing affordability in the housing sector and that supply, which is critical to achieving this, has increased significantly since its publication in September 2021;
— almost 33,000 new homes were built in 2023 alone, exceeding the target of 29,000 by some 3,700 homes, and this represents the most new homes delivered in 15 years, with a further 5,841 homes added to the national housing stock in Q1 2024;
— in the first quarter of 2024, 11,956 new homes commenced, a 63 per cent increase on the same period in 2023, and the highest number of quarter 1 commencements since the data series began in 2015; and
— the Government is providing €5.1 billion capital investment in 2024, the highest level of funding for housing in the history of the State, to accelerate the delivery of new homes and increase the supply necessary to reduce homelessness and moderate house and rental prices;
recognises that an increased delivery of social and affordable homes is at the heart of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland and welcomes that:
— in 2023, 11,939 new social homes were delivered, surpassing the 2022 delivery figure of 10,263 social homes by 16.33 per cent, and this includes 8,110 new-build homes, 1,830 acquisitions and 1,999 homes delivered through leasing programmes;
— this delivery is the highest annual output of social homes in decades and the highest level of new-build social housing since 1975, and when the Housing Assistance Payment (8,292) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (1,542) are included, 21,773 social housing supports were delivered in 2023;
— over 4,000 affordable housing supports were delivered in 2023 via Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), local authorities, the Land Development Agency (LDA), through the First Home Scheme, the Cost Rental Tenant-in-Situ Scheme and the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant;
— this represents an increase of 128 per cent on 2022 activity, which saw the first affordable homes delivered in a generation;
— over 1,600 cost rental homes have already been delivered by AHBs, local authorities and the LDA;
— funding is approved to support the delivery of more than 4,000 affordable homes (affordable purchase and cost rental) by 21 local authorities with the support of almost €330m in grant assistance from the Affordable Housing Fund; and
— over 7,700 Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant applications have been made, with over 4,621 already approved and 300 grants issued to date and based on current grant approvals and timelines to complete approved works, the set target of 4,000 by 2025 will be achieved in 2025;
acknowledges the ongoing efforts to secure pathways out of homelessness for individuals, families and children and notes that:
— Budget 2024 provides an allocation of €242m for homeless services, and this funding will support those experiencing homelessness with emergency accommodation and the supports that they need to exit homelessness to a tenancy; and
— in 2023, local authorities and AHBs made c. 1,300 acquisitions under the Social Housing Tenant-in-Situ scheme and the Government has approved local authorities and AHBs to acquire a further 1,300 social homes in 2024;
also notes that the delivery pipeline for new build social homes is very positive with over 22,000 homes on site or at design and tender stage; and
agrees that the continued implementation of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland represents the most appropriate response to deal with the housing challenges which Ireland is now facing.".
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1:
To insert the following after "which Ireland is now facing":
"; and
calls on the Government to introduce legislation to allow for the zoning of land for the particular use of providing affordable housing as defined in Parts 2 and 3 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021.".
- (Deputy Cian O'Callaghan)
Amendment to amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 47; Níl, 65; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Níl
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- 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.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Cian O'Callaghan and Gary Gannon; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.
Amendment to amendment declared lost.
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 66; Níl, 47; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- 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.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 66; Níl, 47; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- 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.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.
Motion, as amended, put and declared carried.