Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. As this is the last sitting day before the Dáil breaks for Christmas, I take this opportunity to wish the Ceann Comhairle, Members, the press and the staff here in the Houses of the Oireachtas a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. Nollaig shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise dóibh go léir.

May I also extend solidarity to the family of Private Seán Rooney of the 27th Infantry Battalion Dundalk whose first anniversary takes place today. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I am sure that everyone in the House will join me in extending to the family our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time for them.

Tá sé soiléir, a Thánaiste, go bhfuil teip iomlán ar pholasaí an Rialtais ó thaobh tithíochta de. Chím ón tuarascáil a foilsíodh inné go bhfuil teip arís sa cheathrú bliain i ndiaidh a chéile ar an Rialtas na figiúirí a bhí siad ag dréim leis a bhaint amach ó thaobh tithe sóisialta. Níl siad in ann, fiú amháin, ábalta an tríú cuid de sin a bhaint amach i mbliana. Téann sé seo ar aghaidh bliain i ndiaidh bliana agus an Rialtas ag teip ar na spriocanna seo a bhaint amach. Yesterday evening, the Minister for housing published the latest report on social and affordable housing. That report makes clear once again that the Government will miss its targets for social and affordable homes. Just like in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Government will miss its targets again this year. The housing plan introduced by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, which is failing, contains a promise to deliver 9,100 new-build social homes this year. How many had been delivered by the end of September? Less than one third of that. These homes are badly needed in every area and community across the State for workers and families who are trapped in emergency homeless accommodation, for people languishing on lengthy council waiting lists and for those with a social housing need. The Government's social housing targets are far too low, and still it is failing to deliver on them. As we know, the housing crisis is not just an issue of supply, it is also an affordability crisis, with an entire generation of people unable to find homes they can afford.

Last week, I raised with the Tánaiste the report by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland which found that the cost of new-build homes had gone through the roof. The average cost of a new build in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath stands at €461,000. That is an increase of €90,000 since the Government took office just over three years ago. It is well beyond the reach of the majority of people hoping to buy their first homes. It is the same across the State, with new builds in the private sector becoming even more expensive and less affordable for a generation of our people. That is why yesterday's report on the delivery of the Government affordable housing schemes is so troubling. This year, the target for affordable homes through councils, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency, LDA, was 3,500. How many had the Government delivered by the end of September? The answer is 262. The Government reached 7% of a target that was too low in the first instance.

On anybody's watch, this is a complete shambles. Not only are the targets too low, the Minister is simply incapable of delivering on them. On every metric, the housing crisis is deepening under the Government's watch. Rents, house prices and the level of homelessness are rising. The longer that Fianna Fine Gael and Fine Gael remain in power, the worse our housing crisis is getting. The Tánaiste tells us that the Government is making an impact. The only impact we are seeing is that it is putting affordable housing and rents further out of reach for ordinary workers and families. Does the Tánaiste believe that the Government will meet its social and affordable housing targets this year? Does he accept what is patently obvious to everybody, namely, that it not only fail to meet these targets but that those targets are too low? As the housing crisis deepens, what is the Government going to do to ensure that it does not continue to break the promises makes over and over again every year? What will it do to ensure that it does not miss the targets relating to social and affordable housing?

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