Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

The Government appears to claim that things have never been better. The word on the streets is that it would be hard for things to get worse. While the output of private housing has increased dramatically in recent years, the proportion of that housing that is either social or affordable has never been lower. Deputy Dempsey had an honourable tenure, in many respects, as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He introduced the Part V provisions, but his successor, Deputy Cullen, filleted those provisions. In essence, he let developers off the hook and this Minister has upheld Deputy Cullen's decision. It is not good enough to let the private sector off the hook. It is not good enough to limit the good proposals that were in Part V in 2000.

Let us look at the facts. In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, the housing list is treble what it was ten years ago. That is a fact.

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