FIANNA FAIL OBJECTION TO GOVERNMENT'S SOCIAL HOUSING PLANS CANNOT BE TAKEN REMOTELY SERIOUSLY - KENNY

Posted on January 29, 2015 2:28 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Speaking on Private Members Business Recently we had the RTE Drama "Charlie" which amongst other things highlighted the link between FF and builders such as the Gallagher Group during the CJ Haughey period. I recall that when I purchased my Gallagher built home in 1969 in Raheny, I received a letter from then Minister CJ Haughey shortly after I moved in welcoming me into his constituency and assuring me that if I needed his assistance I should contact him. As I was not even on the electoral register CJ could only have obtained my name from the builder Gallagher; there was no Data Protection Act in 1969. The Flood and Mahon Tribunals highlighted the FF rezoning scandals in North Dublin in the 1990's. It now appears that many of those found by the Tribunal to have acted corruptly may go scot free and some of them may have their legal costs paid for them by the taxpayer. I welcome the statement by Mahon reported in today's Irish Times that some of the Tribunal's corruption findings will not be erased. As a Dublin Councillor for over 30 years I witnessed many of the events that were revealed in the Tribunals. The planning "light touch" era presided over by FF lead to Priory Hall and Pyrite. It has been all too obvious that the construction sector and the housing market were very heavily affected by the economic downturn and the bursting of the property bubble. It has been all too obvious that a poorly regulated banking sector with lax lending standards combined with pro-cyclical and inappropriate fiscal policies adopted by the previous Government led to a property bubble the consequences of which are still evident throughout the country. This Government recognises the importance of ensuring a strong but sustainable construction sector and housing market that meets the needs of the economy and society. Fianna Fail forgot about those needs when they let the housing bubble go crazy during their time in Government, and the country paid very dearly for that. Fianna Fail taking issue with the approach by Government cannot be taken remotely seriously. The Government's Construction 2020 Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector is focused on addressing constraints that are inhibiting new housing supply, such as planning, mortgage and development finance, infrastructure and public investment, standards and regulation and education and skills. The publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014, which builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. This means a variety of ways will be used to meet emerging housing needs, including the expansion of schemes such as the Social Housing Leasing Initiative, Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and Payment and Availability (P&A) agreements with Approved Housing Bodies. The upsurge in social housing need during the economic crisis was also met through the Rent Supplement scheme, administered by the Department of Social Protection. The Housing 2020, Social Housing Strategy (SHS) will provide 35,000 new social housing units, over a 6 year period, to meet the additional social housing supply requirements as determined by the Housing Agency. It will support up to 75,000 households through an enhanced private rental sector. Finally, it will reform social housing supports to create a more flexible and responsive system. I support the approach taken by this Government very strongly and would like to commend Minister Alan Kelly for his work on this as Minister for the Environment. It is infinitely better than what the opposition could arrive at - especially given their record. After 14 disastrous years, they simply cannot be trusted on housing policy.