What I have said is true and on the record of the House. I would say to the Deputy that the public do not want to see him shouting at me and bickering with me. The public want to see an affordable purchase scheme that will deliver for them. That is what this Government intends to provide. When I have a plan, I will publish it and discuss it in an adult way. I hope that there will be constructive engagement from the Opposition, which there is in many parts of the Opposition. I hope to do that in an open way so we ca…

I thank the Deputy and assure him that, whether he is on the housing committee or not, I intend to work with any Deputy who brings forward constructive measures on housing. I will absolutely do that. The matter of the composition of committees is for the Whips and the Business Committee. I cannot control it. To answer his specific question, the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2019 provide that where a tenant has been in occupation of a dwelling for a continuous period of six months with no valid notice of termin…

There will be a couple of parts to the Bill that I bring forward. One relates to significant and permanent changes to tenancy protections that will endure beyond the Covid pandemic. We all want to see the pandemic conclude as soon as possible, but it will be with us for a while. I will bring forward other measures, subject to Cabinet approval, and the Bill has not been approved by Cabinet yet. Those measures are focused on those who are most vulnerable during the pandemic. I hope to be in a position to publish that…

There will be some permanent measures in the Bill I intend to bring before the House next week. They will take effect from 2 August so there will be no gap between them and the current protections. There will be a seamless transition to the new provisions. The session of the Dáil beginning in September will also be important. We will need to work with the joint committee on further measures. I have mentioned one example concerning termination on the grounds of sale. That ground for termination can be very valid but…

Deputy Paul Murphy asks if someone is just sloganeering. I thank him for his question. I say that in jest and honestly do not mean any disrespect. The programme for Government commits the State to playing a greater part in the provision of affordable and social housing, with a focus on those earning low and middle incomes and the development of sustainable mixed-tenure communities. These principles will guide our housing policy and the work of the Land Development Agency, LDA, in assembling strategic sites in urban…

We want to get to a stage where it is not a question of whether people's homes are public or private in this country but that they are simply people's homes. We want to ensure we are delivering both types of housing. If we look at the Shanganagh development in Dublin, nearly 600 units have been approved by the LDA and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and all of them will be social and affordable homes. That is what we want to see in most places. There may be instances where that exact model will not suit, but …

Our job is to deliver homes for our people through various mechanisms and that is what we will do. Our focus has to be on driving down homelessness and continuing to focus on accommodation for singles. Approximately 60% of adults who are homeless are single and we do not have enough accommodation for them. That is why I put out a call this week to all local authorities - I assume the Deputy has been in contact with his own local authority on this matter - to ensure that they buy homes to put into public stock. That…

My views on this matter are well known and I have initiated a review of the scheme. I am bound to do so and that is what I am doing. To put the issue in context, not one co-living development has been built. That said, I am aware of applications that have come in quite recently in the co-living space. I want to make sure, through the review, that there is no impact on or any unintended consequences for purpose-built student accommodation or other things. I have started that review and I do not intend it to go on fo…

I am absolutely aware that some permissions have been granted. I looked for detailed figures on this and they show that out of 62,546 homes which were approved up to June this year, 600 were deemed to be shared accommodation. That is the proportion we are talking about. However, the Deputy makes a very fair point that there are applications coming in and permissions have been granted. As he knows, I am precluded from talking about particular applications but I have initiated a review and I am serious about it. My o…

I probably should be flattered that Deputy Ó Broin takes such a personal interest in the things I say. He never misses an opportunity to jump on a bandwagon either. I say "well done" to him. It is no surprise. I must act responsibly and I will do so as Minister with responsibility for this area. To answer Deputy Ó Ríordáin's question, which was a genuine one because he wishes to see a resolution to this issue, I have been in office for slightly less than four weeks. We have done a significant amount of work in that…

I will read a prepared response as it is a very specific question. On its establishment, the LDA had access to an initial tranche of nine sites that have near-term delivery potential for approximately 3,600 new homes. The sites in question are the Central Mental Hospital site in Dundrum, Hampton in Balbriggan, Hacketstown in Skerries, Devoy Barracks in Naas, the former Meath Hospital in Dublin city centre, St. Kevin's Hospital in Cork, Columb Barracks in Mullingar, Dyke Road in Galway and Shanganagh, which will be …

In preparation for oral questions, I met my officials yesterday and raised the comments made last week by the Deputy regarding rent-to-buy. My officials will be in direct contact with him on the issue. I intend to meet him on the matter. As I stated in response to other Deputies, there are multiple ways of delivering affordable housing. We must be open to looking at other ideas. I spoke to my officials yesterday regarding the suggestion made by the Deputy. They will contact him directly. I intend to meet him offici…

For the second time this morning, Deputy Ó Broin is piggybacking on questions tabled by the Labour Party.

I am just going to answer Deputy Ó Ríordáin first because he took the time to table the question. With the LDA legislation, we will be open to that. I have circulated the Bill among Cabinet members for observation. We are already at that stage. It will come back to me and it will go to the joint Oireachtas committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. I certainly want to see affordability tied into the Bill. On the other elements, I am acutely aware of what I raised when I participated in pre-legislative scrutiny in the …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 15 and 24 together. I am absolutely committed to ensuring that affordable, quality homes are available to everyone in Irish society. This key Government goal is clearly reflected in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. In particular, I am focusing on progressing the affordable purchase scheme and delivery programme and moving the cost-rental scheme forward. This work will focus on our major urban areas, where people and families are facing the greatest challenge in t…

I intend that will absolutely be the case. Under the Government plan, we will not exclude couples who earn more than €75,000, unlike what other parties have put forward, which would exclude nearly half of those who need housing. We need to look at the net cost for people. The Deputy is 100% correct in that there are so many people out there who are working hard, paying 50% to 60% of their net take-home pay on rent. They are trying to save every cent, and are never going to reach the target they need to reach, first…

We will bring forward a plan in the autumn and we will be looking for input from Members of all parties and none. We do not want to delay this. People have waited too long for an affordable purchase scheme. We can deliver homes quite quickly under some of the options that I am also looking at. Fundamentally, there is a whole generation of people to whom the Deputy referred, including her friends in the constituency, who feel right now they have no hope of ever owning their own home. We are going to change that and …

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "recognises that the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future acknowledges that Covid-19 has presented the global community with a terrible set of challenges to add to the ongoing climate and biodiversity emergency; acknowledges the extensive range of measures included in the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future, building on the initiatives already undertaken and in progress, which will be brought forward to s…

The Deputy is misleading the House.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “acknowledges the extensive range of measures included in the Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, building on the initiatives already undertaken and in progress, which will be brought forward to support individuals and families to access affordable housing and, in particular, notes that: — this Government has confirmed its overarching housing policy principle that everybody should have access to good-quality hou…