Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Between 2020 and 2022, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage had a €1 billion underspend in its capital budget. It missed its targets for delivering affordable housing. In his budget speech, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, described housing as the biggest domestic challenge we face today, yet the Government decided it would not make housing the number one priority in its budget. In Dublin North-West, more affordable housing is being built by voluntary housing groups, such as Ó Cualann, than by the Government. While the number of such houses being built are small, it surpasses anything the Government is doing. When will the Government start building housing that is realistically affordable and in sufficient numbers to alleviate the housing crisis in areas I represent, such as Finglas, Ballymun, Santry, Whitehall, Glasnevin and Beaumont?

See this speech in context