Rose Conway-Walsh Highlights Loan Gap for Separated Homebuyers

I want to bring to your attention the rebuilding Ireland home loan and the anomaly there for people who have been divorced or separated or with long-term partners. They need to be considered at any reform, but under the current rebuilding Ireland home loan there are technical exemptions from the first-time buyer clause for people who have gone through a separation. However, this information is not being shared properly with people making applications. Indeed, people are being refused despite actually qualifying in some local authorities. So, a separated person who has got enough for a deposit, say, from the sale of the family home, but has refused a mortgage from financial institutions is then refused from the local authority and has nowhere to go. They are often with children and they are driven into the private rental sector, often at the mercy of landlords and of real estate investment funds. But families are often left in this very difficult situation with nowhere for them to go. So, Thichok, can you discuss this with the Minister for Housing and can you have people who have suffered family breakdown, can you include them in the rebuilding Ireland home loan? And finally, just generally on rents, which covers a number of questions. Again, on the rent freeze, the government has been advised in the strongest possible manner that it is on constitution to do a three-year rent freeze. Now, I remember before when opposition put forward a commercial rent freeze, do you remember that years ago before an election? Subsequently, when people got in, they couldn't do it because they were told it was unconstitutional. It was a different government to this government. So, it is easy to say in opposition, but what we are being told is that it is not possible. I think the Minister is very committed, however, to getting rent, to controlling rent price increases. And, you know, there was the ongoing situation in July when pressure zones until the end of 2014 were extended, prohibiting any rent increase in an RPZ from exceeding general inflation as recorded by the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices. And that this measure significantly reduces the level of permissible rent increases for the estimated 74% of all tenancies which are in RPZs. In addition, until 2025, rent reviews outside of RPZs can occur no more frequently than biannually, and it remains the position that rent reviews in RPZs can occur no more frequently than annually. The Housing for All commits to strengthening security of tenure that has been raised by deputies, subject to legal advice, by legislating for tenancies of indefinite duration, and work in this area is now underway. There have been increased funding for housing assistance payments to support new tenancies. The operational costs of the residential tenancy board, which is $11 million additionally provided to carry out its work, and $2 million on top of what was there, bringing it to $11 million. $10 million for the rental inspections programme was allocated for 2021 to assist local authorities to achieve inspection targets of private rented accommodation. From July 16, as we know, the previous cap of 4% on annual rent increases was replaced, and rents in RPZs can only go up, if necessary, and rely on general inflation. When he brought in the harmonised index, that was done in good faith. Obviously, international commodity prices have gone through the roof, and there is a general global inflation drive, which now means that has to be reviewed to see if we can get a realistic cap to keep the levels of rent increases down. Because they are very high in cities, too high for people, and that is something. But ultimately, it is supply. We have got to get building supply up. We have got to build more houses, more houses for affordable, for rent, and for social housing as well, to take pressure off the HAP system, take pressure off the private sector and give people proper security of tenure in social housing. Progress has been made this year, notwithstanding the lockdown. The sector is coming back strong in terms of commencements and so forth, but we will wait and see in terms of the end of the year to get the figures in. In terms of respect of that, Deputy Le Hart made a very good suggestion in respect of a transparent, tangible picture of the affordability landscape for people who wish to buy a house. I think they could have some sense of what is happening over time, and I feel that is a very fair point. In terms of strategic development zones, which I think Deputy Murphy raised. Again, the Minister is moving to the expiry of those. And then in terms of making sure that the right amenities are put in place in largely built-up areas. That is ongoing work and significant capital money has been allocated to local authorities to facilitate the provision of such amenities. In large housing conurbations and that money is there. In terms of the whole O'Connell Street Hammerson development, it is going on for decades. At the moment it is terrible in terms of the dereliction that is there. The Government moved to secure by buying the National Monument. There is always a balance to be struck in these situations. I have no interest really in going back another 10, 20 years. I do really think we need to transform O'Connell Street and to make it a modern, thriving street in a modern city like Dublin and give opportunities for people. Whilst also bringing in as part of that and bringing really to the floor something which has never really happened, is the incredible heritage that the 1916 site represents. There are opportunities now, but if we keep putting it on the long finger. I regret to say this but I get the sense of huge politics in this. I get the terrible sense that here is another campaign now to undermine. A lot of people were involved in this. I am not paranoid at all about it through the church. I would say that a lot of people across the House were involved in trying to bring this to a conclusion. A lot of people in the Council across the party divides. But to bring this to where it is now, if we go back again, there is no guarantee that it could take another 10 to 15 years. That is a realistic perspective on it, I would have to say. Could I just say that the key issue in terms of rebuilding home loan is provided for? I would have understood and come back to the Deputy in terms of someone who is divorced or separated. They would have access to the rebuilding home loan and they should have access to it. Deputy McAuliffe raised a key issue on the Metro. I think our Minister was misinterpreted. He was trying to give a realistic timeline as to what will happen with the Metro. Given what we know about big infrastructural projects in terms of planning and CPOs and all the rest of it. But there is a commitment to doing it.