Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

When commencing the Planning and Development Act on 31 October 2000, the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey, said it was not an exaggeration to say that Part V of the Act would bring about the most fundamental changes in how local authorities plan and provide for housing.

Since the Act came into effect, approximately 400,000 private houses have been built. The Minister of State has said that 1,837 have been delivered for affordable housing and 950 for social housing. We were supposed to get 20%, but the figure he announced today is not even 1% of the total number of private houses built here since the Act came into effect. It is barely 1% of half the number of houses built. The only exaggeration here is the degree to which the Government exaggerated its promise. It promised 20% but delivered only 1%. That is the Government record on social and affordable housing under Part V, seven years after it was announced, six years after it was enacted and five years after it came fully into force.

Whatever the Minister of State may say about the Government's role in terms of house prices and the housing market, delivery on Part V was the one thing it was supposed to achieve. It was supposed to deliver 20% of the private housing output for social and affordable housing. It has delivered less than 1%. This is a monumental failure on the part of the Government and the Minister of State with responsibility for housing.

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