Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I recently had an opportunity to speak briefly on television about the housing crisis. At that time I mentioned that, in the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s, when we were really poor, 50,000 to 60,000 social housing units were constructed. At a time when this country had no money we had a major social housing programme. Despite what happened to this country in 2008-09, and the policies which has been supported by the Minister if State, Deputy O'Sullivan and Deputy Conaghan since 2011, we do have the resources to mount a major social housing programme.

The disgraceful Fianna Fáil Government and MacSharry and Haughey cuts of the late 1980s and early 1990s began the total abandonment of a social housing programme. This was continued by Fine Gael-led governments and another lengthy Fianna Fáil-led government. All of those governments abandoned the social housing programme, thereby abandoning the achievements of their forebears in the 1930s. As a result, we now face a serious housing crisis, with housing lists of 90,000 to 100,000 people. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, recently told me that 78,000 people are in receipt of rent supplement. We are faced with an astonishing crisis.

I have previously suggested that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, should be elevated to a full Cabinet Minister with responsibility for a Department of Housing. Whatever one's view about housing, it is one of the most important social and personal economic goods of any family or person. We need this Government, and in particular those who would call themselves Labour Ministers, to take vigorous action to respond to this crisis with which every Deputy in this House is dealing on a daily and weekly basis. That is the type of response we need.

It appears the strategy of this Government in terms of social housing provision is to again rely on Part V of the planning and development Acts.

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