Tenant in situ scheme data
Deputy Bacik asked whether the RTB should provide data to help local authorities identify tenants at risk of homelessness under the tenant in situ scheme. The Taoiseach said local flexibility was important and that the priority should be supply and use of existing schemes; he said legislating for RTB data would not clearly speed things up, though he left open that there might be a better way.
I have a practical question for the Taoiseach on the housing crisis. Last week, I asked about the tenant in situ scheme, which enables local authorities to take into State ownership homes that have been put up for sale and which would otherwise leave a tenant or family at risk of homelessness. I specifically asked if the Government could legislate to enable the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, to provide data to local authorities to help them identify renters who are most at risk and who might be assisted by the tenant in situ scheme. In response, the Taoiseach referred to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage's repeated call on local authorities to buy such homes and operate the scheme and I welcome that 600 homes have been purchased through it. The difficulty is the scheme remains ad hoc and merely voluntary. We in the Labour Party are calling for the Government to ensure councils have a stronger imperative to implement the scheme and keep families out of homelessness and to use the period of the winter eviction ban to scale up delivery of homes for people.
Comment on this
I have a point of difference with the Deputy on that. I appreciate the motivation but we need to allow flexibility to each local authority. We very often criticise the centralisation of a whole range of decision-making and then every now and again, we pay lip service to the idea of devolution of authority to local councils. There is a balance to be struck here and a balance within the housing situation as well. The real focus has to continue to be-----
Comment on this
There is no balance to be struck if people are going to be homeless.
Comment on this
The focus has to be on additional supply in the first instance, getting local authorities to commission new housing programmes, and also to work with approved social housing bodies and using the tenant in situ scheme, which the local authorities are developing with some degree of flexibility. I am not clear how legislating with the RTB would fast-track anything.
Comment on this
It is a practical way to run the scheme.