The system works, though.

The most important thing is that the Deputy is here now.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am glad to have the opportunity to outline the provisions of the Bill, which will deliver on the ambitious electoral reform agenda set out in A Programme for Government - Our Shared Future. The package of reforms set out in the Bill will address some of the most significant challenges our electoral system faces and, what is more, will create much-needed capacity within our system to anticipate and address new challenges into the future. At a time when democracy i…

The Deputy is branching out.

The Deputy has gone national.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I flagged in advance that we expected an increase in homelessness over a number of months before we see it reducing again. What we have seen is of serious concern to me, the Government and all Deputies. We are acting to address it. While significant work has been done, more needs to be done. We are committed to doing that work. I have established the national homelessness action committee and asked it to prioritise the issue of homelessness prevention and look at all avenues to add…

The Deputy is correct on exits, which have been difficult in recent months because of shrunken supply. We are affected by the lack of new supply coming in over the past two years. We could not build the number of homes we needed. Much of that was down to Covid. We will see a significant increase in social housing supply this year. We will hit our target of 9,000 new builds. That does not take into account acquisitions, the remainder of the leasing piece that will come in or vacant units coming back into use. Increa…

There is no prohibition on the purchase of properties but we cannot have it both ways. We want to increase stock. I heard Deputies rightly criticising the Government last year for buying homes out from under first-time buyers. We have to have a balance. The figure of 200 set across the board is there but properties can be purchased in extremis . I am looking at further measures, particularly around Housing First, to allow additional properties to be purchased to come into that sector. I may look at other options. I…

The cost rental equity loan funds approved housing body, AHB, development of cost-rental homes through low-interest loans over 40 years for up to 30% of delivery costs. We have had two calls for proposals to date, with a major focus on delivery in 2022. We set parameters specifying that proposals submitted must see homes being tenanted this year. There was one application from Dublin City Council, DCC, that did not meet that criterion. We expect it to come in again. To explain what we will be doing in this regard, …

It is a new scheme and a new call and it is important that we recognise that this year we are going to have hundreds of families in State-backed affordable cost-rental units with rents up to 40% and 50% below the market rate. It is something that is most welcome. Equally, just to be clear, when I referred to turnkey units, many of these properties being developed are ground-up turnkeys. There are not being purchased from someone else just to provide cost rental homes. These turnkeys are being developed from the gro…

Let me be very clear. We are going to be delivering cost-rental units in Dublin city.

As I said, what I wanted was short-term delivery. I want people in homes this year. As a result, I set the parameters around the call to the local authorities and AHBs to bring proposals to us whereby the units could be delivered this year. That is what I wanted. Dublin City Council had a proposal that would not be delivered this year, and I stated that it would not be included in the call. I look at all these proposals with my colleagues. There will be further proposals and we will deliver cost-rental at scale. We…

I do not, frankly. I cannot comment on any individual case; I am not privy to private negotiations and nor should I be. I cannot confirm either whether the reports are 100% accurate. What I will and can say very clearly regards the measures that this Government has introduced. We have committed to introducing a form of owner-occupier guarantee - this has been done - to enable local authorities to specify the proportion of houses and duplexes in a development for owner-occupiers. This is intended to build on the exi…

Deputy Ó Broin cannot ignore the facts. He would say they have failed because that is what he would say. There is no question. He would never come in and say that any Government measure is working because his go-to point is to say that it is failing, everything is wrong and nothing is working. That is what he does. He is the one who said in his interview with The Currency and elsewhere that he meets these private investors and developers regularly. He has met Johnny Ronan and all these guys and he talks to them abo…

This Government has banned bulk buying. We have changed planning and brought in an owner-occupier guarantee. For the first time in planning we have recognised owner-occupier as a tenure of housing. We are doing that and have done it. I am at a loss to understand what Sinn Féin housing policy is. I listened to the Deputy a few weeks ago talking about bringing in 10,000 vacant units in one year, which would supplement his magic 20,000 homes he wants to deliver. We are grounded in reality. The reality is that what we …

They will be for purchase under Project Tosaigh.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 120, 168 and 173 together. I thank both Deputies for their questions. I have an interest in seeing progress on this project also. Emmet Road is a really important project for development, particularly in the cost-rental sector in Ireland. The plan for a local authority-led financing structure is a key element in the long-term delivery of cost rental and one that could be replicated elsewhere. A dedicated Dublin City Council project manager and project team are working on the de…

I genuinely thank the Deputies for their contributions on this issue. We worked on it together in opposition and I assure them that we will continue to do so. I want us all to work together on it. St Michael's is a really important site. The Deputies and the rest of us all know that. We want the project to be delivered. I do not want there to be any delays. I wish to make two points on the planning side. In response to Deputy Joan Collins, obviously, the council cannot submit the project for planning permission unt…

I will respond in a moment.

To clarify, for Deputy Joan Collins, the mixed tenure unit is the unit within my Department that will deal with the post-planning stage and the funding and approval of it. The planning stage is separate. That unit is being established. In response to the point made by Deputy Ó Broin, I can state that it will be a three-stage process. I believe that St. Michael's is such a significant site that I am absolutely open to looking at how we can ensure that the project is expedited. I will certainly arrange a meeting with…