Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is hard to believe that in the new year, it will be 13 long years since Fine Gael took office. Things have gone from bad to worse and we now have an abject crisis in housing. During much of that time, the Minister's party has supported those Fine Gael Governments.

We have heard the Taoiseach say that we have turned a corner. The Tánaiste insists we have made great strides. I do not think they are fooling anyone. Anybody watching the debate probably has a different view. Many such people are probably kicking their televisions at this stage.

The Minister spoke about a fair assessment. Unfortunately, and with the greatest of respect, on any fair assessment, he has failed as housing Minister. It is not just Seán Crowe of Sinn Féin saying that; it is also the opinion of most of the people I talk to on the street and of the people who come into my constituency office.

I have a full-time constituency office and every week people come in with housing cases. The bulk of the work that I deal with is housing cases. Not a week goes by that a family facing homelessness does not contact my office. There was a time when I used to be able to tell people to do this or do that, that there was a solution for them but I do not have solutions any more. The most difficult part of my job nowadays is having to sit down with families and tell them there is a brighter future down the road but that it is not happening any time soon, and certainly not under this Government.

People talked about the giveaway budget but it came and went with no real measures to tackle derelict and vacant properties. That is the sinful part of this; people are looking around and asking why houses are lying idle for 12 months, two years or even longer. They are asking why vacant houses are lying idle for the last 20 years but I do not have answers for them. The county councils do not seem to have the resources or the answers in relation to turning around those houses. My local council was the fastest in the country for housing turnarounds at one stage but that is no longer the case. Questions need to be asked in relation to the slowness of change.

House prices and rents have increased by more than 25% over the last three years. The Government is simply inadequate for the task. The lack of affordable homes to rent or buy has a knock-on impact throughout Irish society. It is affecting young teachers, nurses and gardaí but not only them. All workers are affected and are in crisis. Unless one is already in a local authority house or lucky enough to have a mortgage one can afford, one is in crisis and we are not doing enough about that.

Tonight's motion is about change and we need to see that change happening.

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