John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

Housing is a topic worthy of debate and I thank Fine Gael for tabling the motion, although I do not support the sentiments in it.

The country has seen radical change in recent years. When I left school, many students in my year had to emigrate but that is no longer the case. People are staying and we are experiencing inward migration. Our population is rising. Family units are changing significantly and those issues are changing the demand for housing whether we like it or not.

The Fine Gael motion refers to the abolition of the first-time buyer's grant, the increase in VAT rates on houses and the imposition of development levies. It implies that if the Government had not done these things, houses would not be so expensive. That is a load of rubbish. House prices have nothing to do with the cost of the provision of housing, they are a question of supply and demand. That is why gazumping is so relevant. It is as a result of what the Government is trying to do that demand is so high that our output is——

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