Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We can if the Deputy wants to. The population grew by 8% from 2016 to 2022. It has probably gone up by another 150,000 since then, principally, I acknowledge, due to Ukrainians and international protection, IP, applicants coming to the country but also due to net inward migration.

There are people leaving the country for many different reasons. People will always leave because they want life experience, to work abroad and to experience living abroad and so on. However, there are many people coming here because of the quality of life and the economic opportunities. The Deputy is right that housing is a constraint. He said that is a push factor for some young people who are leaving Ireland and that is undoubtedly the case for some. He also pointed to childcare as a constraint in the activation of people who are here. That is true. That is why we have significantly increased investment in childcare and reduced the cost. We need to ensure that works for the providers as well as for the parents. We must ensure a good career pathway for the workers in the sector.

The Deputy made an interesting point about housing income support. Many people in that bracket should be looking at the combined benefits of the help-to-buy and first home schemes. People who are at a level of income who previously would not have imagined being able to buy may now be in a position to do so. We have a job of work to do to highlight the interaction of those schemes and ensure they are fully understood.

The Deputy is right about cost rental. That is the very cohort of people it is intended towards. The Land Development Agency, LDA, is now working on the next phase of its development for the years ahead. As a Government, we will have decisions to make about backing it and providing extra capital and support. The plans are exciting and are coming to fruition. We need to scale it up and deliver more.