Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses, including those from NERI and Dr. Healy, have all played a very important role in respect of this issue. The NESC report on cost rental has been hugely influential. Inchicore should be the first large-scale example of its deployment. We have a small project in Enniskerry but it is not big enough in scale. There is potential for this to change our entire housing model and if we can get the Inchicore site done it will be hugely important. It is so obvious because everyone agrees that the system of subsidising rental is not working. It is incredibly expensive and maintains a divided and ineffective housing market and rental model.

I was very glad that our motion supporting cost rental passed with all-party support in the Dáil earlier this year. What is frustrating, however, is that the Department has been so slow, even though the Minister is making noises that suggest he agrees and despite the fact that it is in the programme for Government.

The inability to translate that outward support for a concept into effective action is deeply frustrating.

While the Minister states that he is talking to the EIB and has one or two projects in mind, we should be thinking of ten or 20 projects, not just in Dublin but also in other cities. We should start in Inchicore within a matter of weeks and secure the necessary support for the capital funding to have a working model. I know the site well. It is located ideally close to the centre and meets all the national objectives in terms of restoring life to the core and creating diverse communities whose members can live close to work and schools. My simple message is that this is crying out to be done. I commend Inchicore and, in particular, Ms Comerford, Ms Fagan and Mr. Bissett on showing such leadership. The State must respond to make this happen. The NESC report presents the economic analysis that gives us confidence that this is the right thing to do. I am deeply frustrated that it has not been turned into reality on a scale required to deal with the housing crisis in this city.