Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As Deputies Ó Broin and Boyd Barrett have stated, the reason for these amendments is our concern that public land is being siphoned off to the private sector. We want to deliver truly affordable homes for people. I am dealing with a large amount of people every week who do not qualify for the social housing list and who cannot get a mortgage. These people are trapped in the middle with high rents and being unable to save. They need affordable homes. Those homes should be delivered by local authorities. If the LDA Bill goes ahead and if we cannot stop it, then we want it to be truly focused on people who need affordability, either in cost rental or affordable purchase. That is why we want to change the Bill and that is why these amendments have been put forward.

To give the Minister and the Government parties some insight, in my maiden speech in Cork City Council in 2009, I outlined the housing crisis. At that meeting, I was attacked by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors for grandstanding and for trying to create hysteria when there was no housing crisis. The difference between Sinn Féin and other parties in the Opposition and the Government parties is that we knew there was a housing crisis because we were talking to people on the ground. Now we have the Government 12 years later, saying it wants to tackle the housing crisis and saying that the Opposition is not engaging in the process to deliver truly affordable homes. I completely reject that. These amendments will ensure that public land is used in the best possible way to deliver affordability for people.