Máire Devine (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The ESRI's quarterly economic summary states it expects unemployment to remain low and wage growth to exceed inflation this year and in 2026. That would be welcome in my constituency, Dublin South-Central, and across the country. The most pressing need that underpins everything in this country is housing. My colleague spoke about this previously. There is a kind of depressing forecast for this year and next year for all families, not just homeless families but people earning decent wages with jobs, and young people, people in their 40s and 50s and older people. It affects every stratum of life. Is there anything the witnesses can say that might lighten that load? I do not see us meeting any of our targets. It will be poor.

Last week, I asked the Central Bank about productivity, which is 20% lower than other European countries, and the idea of modern methods of construction, such as off-site construction and delivery. The Central Bank thought that would significantly reduce the discrepancy and allow us to catch up a little with the norm across Europe. Do the witnesses have a ray of hope for housing?

Will the Minister's recent lurch towards reducing the minimum size of units to produce more units mean more people can be housed in smaller spaces? What will the impact be on housing people, whether through purchase, affordable or social housing? That is probably three sub-questions in one.