Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Is é cúrsaí tithíochta príomhfhadhb na tíre seo. Is gá dúinn tithe maithe ar phraghas réasúnta a sholáthar do gach duine. Caithfear deireadh a chur le drochpholasaithe an Rialtais seo. Yesterday, the Government presented its quarterly Housing for All update. As always, the press conference appeared to be a smiley, happy occasion. However, the reality of this housing disaster for people on the sharp edge of the crisis is not optimistic. The homelessness figures for March are due to be released tomorrow, and doubtless there is going to be more bad news. Those looking to avail of schemes such as tenant in situ where they face eviction are becoming mired in paperwork and inactivity from local authorities. We are all hearing this. I appreciate that some work is being done and that bodies like the Land Development Agency are being better capitalised, but those agencies are still not delivering the homes people need. This Government is not delivering the homes people need.

Upon the lifting of the temporary eviction ban last year – a shameful decision – we heard many promises and commitments about new measures to keep people in their homes. There were lots of new policies, although they all fell short of a ban on no-fault evictions - a ban that should never have been lifted. Even still, the consolation prizes for people who are being deprived of security in their homes missed the mark. New promised laws, which would give statutory first refusal to tenants and local authorities where landlords decide to sell their properties, have still not been brought in. We had been led to believe that permanent schemes to help people facing eviction would be up and running by the start of this year, so there have been more delays.

Delay and a lack of ambition have characterised the approach to housing from the Department and the Government. The consequences are dire for so many. Yesterday, the Irish Council for Social Housing warned that older people and disabled people risk becoming an underclass due to a lack of appropriate social housing. We need more affordable homes. We need more social homes. We need greater ramping up of retrofitting and the Government needs to build. Under Housing for All, we will not see the level of building that is needed because the plan is fundamentally flawed. For months now, even the Government has accepted that its own targets are too low. We know that Housing for All is incapable of delivering the homes needed. We will be waiting until the autumn before we see higher targets being set. You would not train for a marathon by setting the ceiling of your ambition at a 5 km run. It is ridiculous to see such low targets remaining in place when even the Taoiseach has admitted that they are too low. None of us on the Labour benches believes in trickle-down politics, but the lack of urgency at the top of Government is trickling down. It is slowing down construction across the country, it is slowing down responses from local authorities to those facing eviction and it means that many people are still on the sharp end of this housing crisis. When will the Government accept that it is unacceptable to wait so long before we see publication of the higher targets? When will it accept there is far too little urgency or ambition on the delivery of housing and homes for people who need them?

See this speech in context