Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Deputy Curran on assuming the role of Chairman. Housing and health are the two most important issues of our time. In the case of health, when crises arise people are dealt with and solutions are found. In the case of housing, however, satisfactory solutions cannot be found in many cases. Housing is probably the issue that frustrates me most at my clinics because it is one on which I cannot give advice. I ask people to find accommodation to rent when I know there is nothing to be found and the people with whom I am dealing have been searching for accommodation. This problem is highly frustrating and caused by a lack of housing supply.

We must find solutions. I concur with previous speakers that the committee must work in a non-political manner. There is no point in recreating something that is already in train. For this reason, we must examine current plans to ascertain what measures are in place or in the pipeline and which of these can be delivered in what timeframes. The committee has a short time within which to do its work. This urgency must be reflected in the frequency of our meetings. We should dedicate as much time as possible to this issue in the coming weeks.