Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The Minister of State is not fighting tooth and nail for the people of Dublin or for the young people in his constituency. They have been forced to leave the city and must commute to Dublin from outlying counties. They have long commutes resulting in work days of up to 12 to 14 hours. This is the position because the Minister of State is not fighting their corner and ensuring that land is released. He is not ensuring that local authorities do their job.

It appears that the kernel of the issue is that a significant number of developers are sitting on land rather than developing it. Will the Minister of State introduce a "use it or lose it" provision in legislation to insist that where that is happening such land will be released and that affordable housing will be built on it? If he does not do that and continues on the path he is following, he will make it impossible for young people to buy their own home, to purchase an affordable house, particularly in his constituency and elsewhere in the city of Dublin.

This is the first generation of Dublin people who cannot afford to live beside their parents or grandparents and who must spend practically day and night commuting to and from work. In doing that they rarely see their own families. The Government has abjectly failed them. It has failed to provide the affordable housing that is badly needed. The Minister of State's performance today in saying that 3,000 units will be delivered this year is unacceptable.

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