Richard Boyd Barrett: Urges Ban on Co-Living, Demands Women's Refuges
Richard Boyd Barrett questioned the minister about co-living "box room" accommodation and urged an immediate prohibition on public-health grounds during COVID-19. He also pressed for increased women's refuge capacity after a reported spike in domestic violence.
Co-living concerns
The deputy described co-living as "box room rabbit hutch accommodation" created to maximise developer returns rather than provide decent homes. He warned that schemes with shared kitchens - citing plans where 40 to 45 people would share a kitchen - are incompatible with public-health requirements in the era of COVID-19 and asked whether the government would prohibit co-living developments.
Statutory guidelines and planning
He called for the statutory ministerial guidelines from 2018 to be amended to ban co-living on public-health grounds. The deputy noted examples from other jurisdictions, saying some councils, such as Croydon, have reconsidered co-living schemes in light of the pandemic.
Ministerial and local authority response
The minister replied that county and city development plans are a mechanism for local authorities to set planning criteria and said he would seek a direct response from the minister responsible for housing. He acknowledged the statutory instrument from 2018 and the point raised about local development plans in Dunleary.
Women’s refuges and domestic violence
The deputy highlighted a sharp rise in domestic violence reported by Women's Aid and the Rape Crisis Centre and warned that some areas, including his county, lack a women's refuge. He asked whether the government would increase refuge capacity and whether every local authority area should have at least one refuge.
Plans to fill gaps
The minister recognised gaps in provision in a couple of local authority areas and said that plans to fill those gaps had been discussed and would be brought to Cabinet. He also noted population differences between local authorities, saying a uniform one-size-fits-all approach would not be appropriate and that some population centres require more than one refuge.
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I probably should be directing this question at Minister Murphy but I'll ask it anyway. Minister, I've made fairly well known my views that the box room rabbit hutch accommodation known as co-living is not in my opinion something that should be allowed in this country. It's just a way to make money for developers to maximize the value of a site and not to provide actual decent quality accommodation for people but if that was true and I believe it was true prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 is there any recognition on government now that from a public health point of view we have to immediately shelve, prohibit these co-living developments. We've got one in our area, 200 box apartments planned where there would have been shared kitchens. I think 40 or 45 people sharing a kitchen. Absolutely cannot happen in the era of COVID-19. I see councils in Croydon for example, more than 200 co-living developments. Croydon council are saying we just can't go through with this anymore. So my ask is, is the government considering prohibiting these co-living developments on public health grounds? If not, why not? And all that is required, Minister, is for the statutory ministerial guidelines of 218 to be amended to prohibit these box co-living apartments. Will the government do it? I will have to ask Minister Murphy to respond directly to you. I have no responsibility in relation to housing. I understand what the point that you're making in relation to, you mentioned local authorities and other jurisdictions. As I understand it, county development plans or city development plans are another mechanism by which local authorities themselves can set out the criteria under which planning applications should be judged and we're all familiar with them. I don't know what the local authority or local development plan in Dunleary right now says on the issue of co-living. I do acknowledge what you've said in relation to the statutory instrument from 2018. And I will ask Minister Murphy to respond directly. Deputy. Just change the guidelines. This is public health we're talking about now. I mean, these overcrowded conditions were unacceptable from the get-go. But now they just simply are not compliant with public health. So that guideline should be changed. My other question is one of the rather grim facts of the COVID-19 situation is the pretty awful spike in domestic violence, violence against women that's been reported by Women's Aid, the Rape Crisis Centre and other bodies that would deal with that. Now, that's an awful vista. But in my area, particularly highlights something that is just unacceptable, which is I think we're one of the only counties, if not the only county that doesn't have a women's refuge. And indeed, even those counties that do have refuges, they're completely, you know, the capacity is not sufficient for the number of people who are seeking that refuge when they're faced with domestic violence and abuse. So, will the minister, you know, is the government doing anything about increasing the capacity for women's refuges? And at a minimum, shouldn't it be the case that every single local authority area should have at least one women's refuge? Because we have none in our area. And it's a real, real problem that has now grown worse as a result of COVID-19. Thank you, Mr. President. We have 300,000 or 250,000. We have some local authorities with 100,000 of my own, 60,000, 65,000. So, I don't think there's a uniform one-size-fits-all that would be, but in some population centres, we need more than one. And I can assure you that my recognition from that day is that you are not the only one. I think there are two or three. But what was discussed at that particular meeting, with the view to being brought to the Cabinet subsequently, was the plans that are in place to fill the gaps in the couple of local authority areas where there isn't either a centre provided or an arrangement or an arrangement with a giant local authority area for capacity for those areas. I'll get Minister. Thanks, Minister.
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