The Minister is denying reality.

Before I talk about the importance of a referendum, setting a date for it and the need for us strongly to oppose any possibility of privatisation of our water and wastewater infrastructure, I support the comments by my constituency colleague, Deputy Mitchell, regarding the problems for people moving into homes because of delays in water connections. It is completely and utterly unacceptable. Regarding lead pipes, we have a public health situation in which people's health is being seriously affected. The programme i…

Does the Minister of State not think the Water Advisory Body plays a valuable role and has contributed in a very positive way? Why is he seeking to put forward this amendment?

I support this amendment. Turning to my amendment No. 9, fundamentally there is nothing to stop the Government from setting a date for a referendum on this issue now. It could be done and should be done. This has been talked about for years. We need the Government to finally get off the fence on this issue and to name and set a date. If the Government were to do this, then we could then start to move forward on this topic. Deputy Ó Broin said this or a future Government could end up trying to privatise our water se…

Notices to quit give people a feeling of sickness in the pits of their stomachs and cause stress and worry. There is a sense that one's life is being uprooted. Often people in these circumstances talk about how the increased anxiety affects their children. They might tell you about how a child is doing well in school after having overcome several challenges in the preceding few years and that they are deeply worried that a notice to quit and an eviction will uproot that child just as things settle. I am referring t…

In the context of Government co-ordination, what is the Government doing to prevent more than 100 people from being evicted from Tathony House? Thirty-five households are being evicted, including many families and children. An entire block of renters is facing mass eviction. The Tyrrelstown amendment was meant to stop these sorts of mass evictions happening, but there are so many loopholes in it that landlords can exploit that it is not effective. In this case, the landlord is claiming financial hardship despite th…

The Social Democrats will be supporting this Bill. I have tabled a number of amendments to improve it. It is unfortunate that there will only be 60 minutes for dealing with amendments today. We will likely only be able to discuss one or two of the amendments rather than all those that have been submitted, which does not do the legislative process justice. This Bill is needed fast and quick but we should have had at least a few hours to discuss the proposed amendments. The reason this Bill is in front of us is becau…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. The Social Democrats are supporting this Bill and the amendments in this group. I have said to the Minister before that we really need to move away from these kinds of temporary and reactive measures in order to bring in long-term permanent reform into the private rental sector to give it stability. There have been 21 legislative changes in the sector since 2009 with piecemeal reforms and this will be the 22nd. That is not what we need to give the sector stability. We…

I will speak to my amendments Nos. 18, 22 and 23. Amendment No. 23 covers the main issues Deputy Ó Broin spoke about with regard to removing the ground of a dwelling no longer being suitable to tenants' needs. Having this as a ground for eviction, when in fact the worst thing that could probably happen in terms of the tenants' and renters' needs is for them to be evicted and potentially evicted into homelessness, does not make sense. It certainly does not make sense given the intention of the Bill and what the Mini…

I thank my colleague Deputy Cairns for tabling this motion. I will take up the point that Deputy Whitmore made. It is profoundly worrying and disturbing that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister do not seem to understand the importance of the early stages of childhood development up to five or six months. One would have thought that, of all the Departments, such an understanding would be ingrained in the thinking of the Minister's Department. When we meet children…

It appears from the Taoiseach's comments earlier that he is now okay with family homes being traded by investment funds as a financial asset. Let us be very clear about what is happening. Investment funds bought up homes at inflated prices, reducing the supply for individuals and families trying to buy homes and increasing prices at the same time. They then secured long-term leases guaranteed by the State. The investment fund, having secured those lucrative deals, then flips the home onto another investment fund at…

The contributions we heard recently from Government backbenchers on this subject have been meaningful and considered. They have made some valid comments on vacancy, dereliction, the problem of local authorities not using the one-stage approval process for social housing projects worth under €6 million, and the contrast between what local authorities are saying and what the Department is saying. I say there have been considered contributions because they contrast with what we heard in the first half-hour of this deb…

"The introduction of the 10% levy on all concrete products is the actions [sic] of a 'rogue' Government." These are not my words, but the words of the chairperson of the International and Small Business Alliance, ISBA, Mr. Seamus Maye, who says that there is no excuse for quarries and concrete producers not being held to account for the mica building block crisis. The Government is gung-ho about introducing this levy. It is reasonable to ask where the same enthusiasm is for ensuring strong, robust and effective reg…

I have to ask what part of the term "affordability crisis" the Government does not understand. Earlier this month, we learned that house prices had surpassed their Celtic tiger peak. Never before in the history of the State have they been so high. Workers and families are locked out of homeownership, stuck in a never-ending loop of paying extortionate rents but never being able to buy a home. The housing disaster is causing untold human misery and pain. Nowhere is this clearer than in the record numbers of people w…

I asked three specific questions. They were not addressed at all in the Tánaiste's answer. I ask that he address them in his final response. There is no shortage of independent analysis which shows that Government policies in respect of housing are continuing to push up and fuel house price and rent inflation through myriad schemes that provide subsidies for developers. Every week I meet young people who, years after finishing school or college, are still living with their parents. These individuals want to be able…

According to the August fiscal monitor, capital spending on housing is 31.7% lower than expected. This means it was running 21% lower in August 2022 than in August 2021. How is this affecting the delivery of Housing for All targets and the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes? What is the Minister doing to address and tackle the current underspend on housing? What is that current underspend?

The Dublin Housing Delivery Group issued a stark warning on housing delivery, stating that the pipeline of land local authorities had for meeting their housing targets was running out. Memos given to the Cabinet sub-committee on housing confirm the targets set for the delivery of affordable and social homes will fall significantly short this year. Under last year's budget, more than 4,000 affordable purchase and cost rental homes were promised. So far this year, just 300 cost-rental homes have been delivered and on…

In the past year, new rents have increased by 9%, house prices have increased by 8%, homelessness by 30%, and child homelessness by 47%. Rents, house prices and homelessness have never been so high. Is the Minister confident that the capital underspend in housing will be tackled? Why did the Government publish in its budget forecast documents yesterday that there would be a capital underspend of €240 million in housing this year? Is the Minister saying that the memos given to the Cabinet sub-committee on housing st…

I will address the housing aspects of this budget. It is very disappointing that both senior Ministers, when talking about the housing measures contained in the budget, said that they feel the Government's housing plan is working. This shows that they are massively out of touch with the reality of people's lives when it comes to housing. They seem to be oblivious to the huge pain there is in this country due to the inadequacy of access to housing. This budget fails to tackle rents and the scourge of vacancy across …

I have two specific points to make about this legislation. We support and welcome this Bill although it is alarming to see how long it has taken to get through the process. That certainly is an eye-opener. It has taken the best part of ten years. There was an expectation in 2015 that it would progress at that point. That shows the length of time involved. I thank the Minister of State for thanking the joint committee for its work on pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. It is great to get that feedback from him. We…