Fine Gael vows to appoint housing minister
Families facing eviction from their homes in Tyrrelstown yesterday marched on Leinster House before attending a debate on the housing and homeless crisis in the Dáil.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Kenny said a new housing initiative similar to the Action Plan for Jobs would be rolled out within four weeks of his party re- entering power.
He said it is “imperative” that a new Government take immediate action on housing.
Mr Kenny said: “It is my ambition that after forming a stable government that it would introduce a new ‘housing initiative’ within four weeks.
“Similar to the jobs initiative the previous government introduced within 100 days of taking office to deal with the major unemployment crisis, this new housing initiative will be designed to tackle this crisis. It would also be my intention to appoint a new Cabinet-level minister for housing to take the lead on the development of the initiative,” Mr Kenny said.
AAA-PBP TD Ruth Coppinger said emergency legislation is needed to give security of tenure to all tenants or home owners whose houses have been bought up by non-bank investment funds.
“These funds have been buying property on a large scale unhindered and encouraged by the government and it is now time for the government to act. To be very clear, 100 families in Tyrrelstown would mean up to 200 adults and potentially 400 or 500 children leaving the area.
“It is completely untenable that people would be forced to move out of their community where they attend school, play GAA, and take part in daily life,” she said.
Environment Minister Alan Kelly told the Dáil that the local authority in Fingal has attempted to purchase the houses in Tyrellstown. “Fingal County Council and housing association have been in touch and have been working on trying to purchase those units. And I don’t want to get into too much detail on that. But the facts are that activity did take place and it wasn’t like they didn’t try. I want to put that on the record and I know that the chief executive did that with his own councillors.”
Lucy Teslaru and her daughter Aura Eva were among the families are facing eviction from their homes after a vulture fund moved to sell the development they are living in.
“We got a letter a few weeks ago which said in two months’ time I have to leave,” she said as she attended the Dáil. “Last week I go a second letter, and in the second letter it said we could stay until we find another place. But it’s extremely difficult to find another place.”
She now fears she will have to leave the area where she works and where her daughter goes to school. Her 12-year-old daughter said: “Thinking about moving into homeless accommodation is scary.”
Fianna Fáil housing spokesman Barry Cowen said vulture funds, which are subject to no regulation, are threatening up to 47,000 homeowners throughout the country. “It is a well-known fact that the outgoing Government failed miserably in its efforts to deal with housing,” he told the Dáil.
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