Large family housing
Deputy Wynne argued there is a shortage of four- and five-bedroom homes for large families and questioned what to tell approved applicants waiting for suitable housing. The Tánaiste said larger homes are included in some schemes and that a full range of house sizes should be provided as building increases.
Last week I welcomed the approval in principle by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, of 22 one-, two- and three-bedroom houses for Moore Street in Kilrush. I want to raise the matter of demand for the larger four- or five-bed units which the Government is no longer building. In my constituency, there are 164 families approved for four- or five-bedroom homes, and in my town of Kilrush alone there are seven. What are we going to do with these people if we are not building homes that reflect the size of families? What am I to tell these people when they come to my clinics every week? We know the rental market is unattainable because the housing assistance payment, HAP, is far too low. I have challenged the Minister, Deputy O'Brien on this many times. We also know local authority emergency accommodation is at full capacity.
Comment on this
The Minister is very conscious of that particular issue, and in quite a number of schemes some provision is made for four-bedroom houses in respect of larger families. In this era, housing is provided in a range of sizes, smaller houses for smaller families and for individuals living on their own and so forth. The full range should be provided. As we build up the schemes and get more critical mass in house-building - we built 30,000 houses last year - we will be endeavouring to make provision for the particular group the Deputy identified who do need housing and accommodation for large families.
