Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I listened carefully to the Minister, Deputy Roche, in the faint hope that he might announce some radical measure to address what for many of our citizens is a housing crisis but, as expected, there was not even an indication that the Minister was conscious of there being a major housing issue. There was no admission from him that the breathtaking cost of houses and the massive increases in prices which have spiralled out of control in recent years are unjustifiable and demand action. Neither was there any admission that the scandal of homelessness is a black mark on the record of this State, as are the lengthy waiting lists for local authority housing. There was no mention of the profiteers who lurk in the background and engage in racketeering in new house prices and land values, while a small number of multi-millionaires control the bulk of development land in the Dublin region. That does not appear to be an issue for either the Minister, Deputy Roche, or the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition. What is the reason for that?

Extreme profiteering activities are unsustainable and unjustifiable and no amount of tinkering with the system will change that. While developers and builders manipulate and control the housing market in a manner which allows them to maximise their vast profits, the number of unfortunate people joining the local authority housing waiting lists increases steadily. The average price of a house in Dublin is well in excess of €300,000, which is out of the reach of the average worker. Affordable housing for many of our citizens is a meaningless term while the latest phenomenon is the increasing number of new housing schemes advertised in property supplements which feature prices starting far in excess of €1 million.

For a rapidly increasing number of families, owning a home of their own is a distant mirage. Frustrating years lie ahead for them on a local authority waiting list while they are forced to live in overcrowded and sub-standard conditions in some landlord's property. For a minority, however, there is an ever-increasing choice of lavish properties in gated enclaves with prices ranging from €2 million. This extreme social inequality is the most corrupting influence in Ireland today, yet it appears to fit very comfortably with the political philosophy of the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition.

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