Mattie McGrath Praises Volunteers, Warns of Regulatory Costs
Mattie McGrath spoke about the role of voluntary housing associations and the burdens of regulation, arguing they save the state millions and are overstretched by fees and compliance. He welcomed the proposed deletion of section 11 of the registration fee and warned cumulative costs are harming delivery.
Experience in the sector
McGrath drew on 25 years' experience in the voluntary housing sector, citing his role as vice chair of Cotland Newer Voluntary Housing Association in Cotland Newer and Tipperary and having chaired it for about 10 to 12 years. He said the sector has grown fourfold, and that even very small voluntary boards can deliver projects — his own group delivered 17 houses.
Volunteers' contribution and community impact
He emphasised the unpaid work of voluntary board members who source land, develop and manage housing projects and provide local social and health services. He argued housing associations complement local authorities, revitalise urban and rural communities, and often secure community goodwill and sites more easily than compulsory purchase or county councils, saving the State significant sums.
Regulation and financial pressures
McGrath warned that the sector has been subject to multiple statutory regulators and legislative requirements and said there is a limit to what volunteers can absorb. He welcomed the proposal to delete section 11 of the registration fee for approved housing bodies and highlighted existing costs such as annual tenancy registration, local property tax and HICWA as contributing to a negative impact on delivery.
Response to the bill and next steps
He welcomed changes made since the initial bill and said there would be opportunity to address specifics at the amendment stage. The minister responded on regulator arrangements, noting the regulator would have memoranda of understanding with relevant bodies and that third-party concerns and asset transfers would be covered after establishment, a point McGrath acknowledged while reiterating support for volunteers.
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I do welcome the opportunity to speak at this stage as I have significant experience in the voluntary housing sector, both locally through my local approved housing body, Cotland Newer Voluntary Housing Association in Cotland Newer and Tipperary, which I'm vice chair and I was chair for the last, you know, 10 or 12 years, as well as all the practice, the proactive work that the housing associations undertake throughout the country in both providing housing for families, older people, people with disabilities has been referred to here, and the homeless, as well as the wide range of other social and community activities and they do that in many, many areas, Minister, you're aware of that. In my environment over the last 25 years in the sector, I have seen the sector grow fourfold and now plays a key role in complementing the role of local authorities and in some cases shows them up, Minister, because when we were building ours, we got very little support from our local authority and actually, in fact, a lot of obstacles were put in the way. Although housing associations in the past have been often overlooked, they now play an essential role in the revitalisation and redevelopment of both urban and rural communities. The sheer volume of hours that the unpaid, and I stress unpaid, and voluntary board members of housing associations they undertake has to be acknowledged, Minister, whether this is by sourcing land locally, developing and managing housing projects, as well as providing local, social health services, as well as providing local, social health services. This has to be, as I said, save the state millions upon millions upon millions upon millions, and many of the time, and more often than not, local bodies and voluntary groups can acquire sites and can, you know, get, you know, the goodwill of the community behind them, more so than CPOs or county councils or whatever. As I said, the sector will have close to 40,000 homes by the end of 2019 provided over the last, by 1919, and that's going on with over 100 years, and, you know, despite some dedicated housing regulations. But the sector has been regulated by a range of different statutory regulators and legislative requirements over the years, and I think Deputy Fleming alluded to that. I welcome the changes that have been made since the initial bill was published, Minister, which reflects more accurately, I believe, the activities of the sector. I welcome the proposal to delete section 11 of the registration fee for approved housing bodies, which was unnecessary and counterproductive in the development of the sector, especially as the sector has already been hit with costs for annual tenancy registration, local property tax, HICWA in some cases in recent years. There's only so much you can ask the sector to do before it has a negative impact on delivery, and I believe that impact has arrived. I have absolutely no willingness here now to interrupt you, Deputy, but on the amendment, we'll have an opportunity to address the specifics of the bill at a later point, but on the amendment, please. Okay, I mean, I respect that, but as I said, Minister, there's only so much volunteers can take, and they have had it up to here, because they are brilliant people. In my own case, it's a voluntary board of all lay people, not one professional person, and it delivered only 17 houses, but it's a lot of houses, a very small voluntary group in the country, and there were many. But we have had, you know, a lot of challenges placed before them, and some quite unnecessary. Thank you. Thank you, Deputy. Minister, please. In response to Deputy Fleming, any third-party concerns is the coverall there. This will be the regulator, and they will have MOUs with all the relevant bodies that you mentioned. This is in relation to the transfer of assets, which has only happened on occasion, and we wouldn't necessarily see happening, but we think it's necessary after 12 months of establishment to put in place the kind of things that would need to be done, and that's where that will be covered. Any third-party? And, Deputy McGrath, I agree with a lot of the comments that you made on the important role of the volunteers in the housing body sector.
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