Ó Snodaigh - Right to housing must be enshrined in law
Speaking at a pre-election Forum on Homelessness organised by the
Simon Communities of Ireland on Wednesday, 3 April, Sinn Féin
candidate for Dublin South Central, Aengus Ó Snodaigh said:
"On behalf of Sinn Féin, I commend Simon for organising this
Forum and for providing a very important focus on homelessness in
the run up to the forthcoming general election. This is an
important opportunity for us to outline our policies but also for
you to assist us to develop those policies. As the people at the
coalface of the homelessness issue yours is the most important
input that policy-makers can have.
"I want to express my support and that of Sinn Féin for Simon's
list of priorities. We agree strongly that the right to housing
should be enshrined in legislation and in the Constitution.
Housing is a social right but the current government does not
regard it as such. This government's housing policy is not based
on the rights of citizens but on the dictates of the market where
the driving force is the profit motive of speculators,
developers, builders and landlords.
"The ideology that has driven this government is expressed in a
section of a government amendment on housing in that debate where
it stated that "first time buyers have been afforded greater
participation in the housing market".
"Our people are first and foremost citizens with rights not
consumers with buying power. They have a right to an equal place
in society and decent homes not a niche in a cut-throat housing
market designed by this government for the profit of its friends.
"We in Sinn Féin fully support Simon's demand for the full
implementation of an integrated strategy on homelessness. We see
the primary measure needed as a real social housing programme led
and funded by central government, the local authorities and voluntary housing agencies.
"The Report on Social Housing by the National Economic and Social
Forum states:
'The ever-widening increase in income inequalities and resources
is nowhere more evident today than in the case of housing. One of the results is
that home ownership is now beyond the reach of most people on
average incomes. This in turn is adding to the pressures of an
already over-stretched social housing sector.'
"The NESF represents a broad cross-section of society from trade
unions to employers, from farmers to local government members,
community and voluntary groups. Even such a diverse group was
able to agree that at the root of the
current housing crisis is the Government's failure to provide
social housing - that is houses built by the local authorities
and housing co-ops.
"Incredibly, given the massive need we see all around us, only
around 8 per cent of all houses are being built by the local
authorities or voluntary sector. This is by far the lowest share
for any period in the past century. Since 1996 the
number on local authority waiting lists has risen by 43 per cent.
"Spiralling house prices have driven more people onto local
authority waiting lists and into private rented accommodation.
"People in private rented accommodation face poor living
conditions, high rents and no proper security of tenure.
Unscrupulous landlords can let sub-standard property for high
rents and evict tenants with little difficulty. These
landlords are being subsidised by taxpayers to the tune of over
£100 million annually in rent supplements under the Supplementary
Welfare Allowance Scheme.
"The Commission on the Private Rented Sector presented its report
in July 2000 but the government has failed to take action even on
the limited proposals of the Commission. Tenants are being left
to suffer. We know that evictions are now at levels not seen
since the Land War under British rule.
"New house starts were down by some 20% in 2001. We believe that
the slowdown in the private housing sector provides an
opportunity for the government to use the available capacity of
the construction industry to attack the housing crisis by
increasing resources for public sector housing.
"Sinn Féin's key housing demand is for major renewed State
investment in a comprehensive Social Housing Programme, with
front-loading of funding under the National Development Plan to
allow the local authorities to house our citizens.
"We also call for:
- A target for elimination of waiting lists by local authorities,
with an immediate target of 70 per cent of applicant units to be
provided with suitable accommodation within two years of their
being on the list. We support Simon's call for specific targets
also for the reduction of the absolute numbers of homeless people
based on 2002 figures.
- The control of land prices with a statutory ceiling on the
price of land zoned for housing to stop speculation and reduce
house prices. A Constitutional amendment to allow for this if
necessary.
- Statutory control of rents in the private rented sector,
strengthened laws to set standards for accommodation and more
resources to implement those regulations."