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(Speaker Continuing)
[Deputy Eoghan Murphy:   ] One of the findings of the report was in relation to the conditions in a number of social housing areas, with Dolphin House and St. Teresa's Gardens in Dublin specifically cited. I accept the committee’s findings based on the conditions that prevailed at the time of the various studies that supported the complaint. It is important to note, however, that we now have multimillion euro regeneration programmes well under way at both these locations and, when completed, they will result in vastly improved living conditions for the residents there.
There are other aspects of the committee's findings that I will be studying over the coming weeks and my Department will be responding to the committee shortly. We respect the role of the European Committee of Social Rights and while it is important to note those aspects of the complaint where no violations were found, we will also consider carefully those aspects of the complaint that the committee upheld.
Deputy Barry Cowen: I would have thought the violation was plain and obvious. That being the case, what timeframe has the Government put in place to address this issue? For example, is the Minister considering establishing an independent complaints commission whereby local authority tenants will have access to independent assessment of their complaint regarding violation? Many local authorities are placed in an unfortunate predicament because they do not have the funding available to them to address many of these issues. What budgetary measures has the Minister taken or will he take in light of this in order for this issue to be addressed? It is bad enough to try to deal with the failure to meet the targets for the provision of social housing. We now have this issue on the table which needs to be addressed. We need to hear from Government a clear pathway as to how it might be addressed, the way it is being dealt with and a copy of the Minister's response to the European charter.
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: It is important to note that in approximately four cases no violations were found. That is in the correspondence. I will not repeat what those were but in terms of the timelines and in so far as our response is concerned, my Department is in the process of drafting it in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A written response will be made available by 21 November. There will then be an initial discussion of the decision and Ireland's response, which is scheduled to take place in Strasbourg on 28 November. This initial consideration of the matter will be undertaken by a rapporteur group of the committee of Ministers. It will not be in public, but we are not contesting the findings where they have been made and recommended.
In so far as the funding that has been made available, if we look at the voids programme, for example, and the remediation programme, approximately 7,330 social housing homes were refurbished by local authorities in the period 2014 to 2016. We have an energy efficient programme and between 2013 and 2016, the period in which the complaint was first made, funding of €107 million went into that programme, which saw 58,000 social homes upgraded in that same period. We also have a preventative maintenance programme and all local authorities which have not already done so are to undertake stock condition surveys in respect of their social housing stock. This will commence in the fourth quarter of this year to be completed by the fourth quarter of next year. On the basis of what we get back from those surveys, we will know how to move on from there. Also, as I cited in my initial response, a multimillion euro investment programme is going into regeneration of a number of sites.
Deputy Barry Cowen: The voids programme and the retrofit programme, commendable as they both were, are separate from this issue. The final part of the Minister's answer paints a clearer picture in so far as he said there is an ongoing survey or audit of existing stock. When will that be with the Minister? That having been identified, has he increased the allocation to local authorities for ongoing maintenance programmes and to what extent has he done so? Will he make public the findings of the audit and allow us scrutinise it to ensure that the relevant funding, if it is being increased, will be adequate? As I said, it is putting local authorities in an unfortunate predicament in so far as they do not have the available funds to address many of these issues. Now that this has been found, it could lead to other cases being taken, which might have greater repercussions.
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: It is important to note that these are legacy issues. The case was taken in 2014 and in the period since then, a huge amount of money has been invested and will continue to be invested by local authorities to make sure they are retrofitting stock and bringing stock up to the proper standards. All Deputies get representations from our constituents who live in social housing as to the standard of that housing, be it regarding problems with ventilation, draughts, mould and so on. We need to make sure that the local authorities respond to those adequately and sufficiently. We will respond to this and we will detail all of the things we are doing where those complaints were upheld.
On the point the Deputy made about an independent complaints procedure for local authority tenants, that is something that is worth discussing in greater detail to see if a mechanism can be put in place to allow that to happen. In so far as this audit is concerned in terms of what needs to happen, that will commence in the fourth quarter of this year and the local authorities across the country will complete that work over the course of next year.
Homelessness Strategy
3. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the allocation of additional funding to homelessness services announced in budget 2018; if he has revised targets for reducing the number of homeless families and children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45568/17]
Deputy Barry Cowen: In light of the extra €18 million made available in the budget for homeless provision and funding for the homeless to assist in finding solutions to this issue, will the Minister now revise the targets he had set, and can he made them public?
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: Budget 2018 provides for an allocation of €116 million for homeless services, which is an additional €18 million, or 18%, on this year's provision of roughly €98 million, and a 66% increase on the 2016 provision of €70 million.
The long-term solution to the current homelessness challenge is to increase the supply of homes. Accordingly, the Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is designed to accelerate all types of housing supply; in particular, it seeks to increase the delivery of social housing by 50,000 units over the period to 2021.
Working within this plan, it is intended that the long-term housing needs of households in emergency accommodation will be met through a range of social housing supports such as the enhanced housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme and general social housing allocations. Notwithstanding the significant level of homelessness presentations, considerable progress is being made on securing accommodation solutions for homeless households. In 2016, over 3,000 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies were achieved. During the first half of 2017, the rate of progress increased, with over 2,000 such exits being achieved. This level of activity, which has continued in recent months, has resulted in the number of homeless families in emergency accommodation in Dublin falling for a second successive month in September, for the first time in three years.
To mitigate the issues associated with homeless families accommodated in inappropriate temporary arrangements, housing authorities are pursuing a range of new supported temporary accommodation initiatives, referred to as family hubs. These will continue to offer much better family living arrangements while more permanent housing solutions are arranged for the families concerned.
Deputy Barry Cowen: To be more specific, has the Government adjusted its targets for eradicating homelessness arising from the allocations made in the budget and, if so, what are they? Are all families removed from hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation in keeping with 1 July target? Where do we stand on that, or what revision of that target has been set based on the improvements that will accrue based on the increase in funding, as given in this year's budget?
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: I advise the Deputy that we released the homeless figures for September earlier this evening. In Dublin, for the second month in a row, and this is the first time this has happened in three years, we are exiting more families into secure and sustainable homes than are entering our emergency accommodation services.
Deputy Eoin Ó Broin: All the three categories of homelessness - adults, child and family - are up on the previous month. The Minister should tell the truth.
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: That is the truth.
Deputy Eoin Ó Broin: The truth is that all three categories are up.
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: That is exactly the truth. For the first time in three years, and for two months in a row, we are exiting more families into secure accommodation than are entering our emergency accommodation.
Deputy Eoin Ó Broin: The September figures for all three categories are up on August.
Deputy Eoghan Murphy: That is the case for August and September. This is welcome progress. I know it is too slow and that we need to do more. The Government recognises that, and that is why we have increased our funding for homelessness services next year. We have also increased our HAP supports for next year, as committed to in the budget for 2018. There are still 690 families in hotels. Any one family in a hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation is one too many but that figure is significantly down on the high point that was reached in March earlier this year when 871 families were in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation. That is a 20% decrease in the number of families in hotels. We are working with all stakeholders to ensure that these numbers reduce further over the coming months.
Regarding targets for next year, we have five new family hubs in Dublin and a further three new hubs in Limerick and Cork coming on board for our expanding homeless accommodation programme by the end of the year. That will look after at least 180 families in this first response of accommodation as we move them into more secure accommodation. We are developing out a programme for more hubs next year to help these families while we are building more houses and finding more HAP solutions for them.
Deputy Barry Cowen: Again, I will try to be specific to ensure that people can plainly understand where we are at or what progress is being made or likely to be made. The Minister said more homeless families are exiting homelessness and I do not doubt that, but as Deputy Ó Broin alluded to, unfortunately, the figures are up. Based on the increase towards addressing this issue made in the budget, has the Minister adjusted his targets? I acknowledge the five new hubs in Dublin and the three in Limerick and the other solutions in the form of hubs that other local authorities may find in the coming months. Purely based on the Minister meeting his line Minister in the Department of Finance and the increase in the allocation towards the provision of funding to help to eradicate this issue, does that mean the Minister adjusted his figures downwards? |
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