Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Either the members across want us to proceed quickly or they want to keep interrupting. They can do whichever they want. The reason why we do not have those units is not because of the absence of legislation but because of the absence of Government investment. Only a few years ago, we were told that there would be 6,400 affordable rentals and purchase units available by the end of this year because of a €300 million investment in the serviced sites fund and virtually none of it has been spent. This year, only €50 million will be spent.

The fundamental problem, to correct Senator Cummins, is not that that we are not letting the private sector in. In fact, that has been our problem for too long. It is that we are not providing the necessary funding in budget after budget to allow local authorities, approved housing bodies and community housing trusts, to deliver at scale. That will still be the case even when this legislation passes. Members have to make a decision. Either they want to drive down the cost of renting or buying these units or they want to let in private developers to maximise profit at the expense of the taxpayer and make these units less affordable. That is what the parties opposite have already done, voting in Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council with respect to O'Devaney Gardens and Kilcarbery.