Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Billy Kelleher had the opportunity to speak. Will he now allow me the chance to do so?

I also avail of the opportunity to extend Christmas wishes to all Members of the House, the Ceann Comhairle and the staff, including support staff. I would also like us spare a thought for those Members of the Houses who are unwell. I am thinking of our own Deputy Nicky McFadden but also Senator Jimmy Harte who I believe is still in hospital. I am sorry if I have left others out, but I would particularly like us to join together in extending the warmest greetings to both of them at this time.

The Minister probably thought when he saw that Deputy Billy Kelleher and I were taking Leaders' Questions they would be on the same subject, but they are not.

I want to address housing need and homelessness because of the time of year. I hope we can find some common accord on it. On 7 February 2002, the Minister's colleague, who is now Tánaiste and leader of his party, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, said in this House:

The Government's housing policy has been a disgrace, testified to by the fact there were 26,000 applicants on local authority lists when it took office... I estimate there are about 60,000 families on local authority waiting lists... It is time the Minister of State, the Minister and the Government were swept from office and a Government elected which will deal with the housing crisis.

I fully agreed with Deputy Eamon Gilmore when he made those remarks in the House. How do the Minister's colleagues, particularly Labour Party Ministers, stand over the fact that the housing waiting list is some 90,000 families across the State, which is 30,000 family units more than when Deputy Eamon Gilmore made those remarks about the previous Government? It is an area of great concern to many people. The Labour Party quite rightly condemned the failure of the previous Governments to build local authority housing and its almost total dependence on the private rented sector and rent supplement in order to cater to the needs of people who could not afford their own homes. Does the Minister accept this Government has continued with a similar approach and there has been a failure to address in a real and substantive way the housing need and homelessness that presents up and down the length and breadth of the country in our cities and towns and across rural Ireland? Does the Minister not accept the public monies expended on rent supplement would be better employed adding to a fund to create a new public housing stock to meet the needs of our people and be part of the assets of our State to meet the needs of future generations?

Some €400 million was expended in rent supplement in 2013. There is unquestionably a need but there is not the address of some 90,000 family units across the State. I appeal to the Minister and his colleagues in both parties in government to recognise that this is a most serious issue that needs urgent address. At the earliest point in the new year, the Government should pledge to address it in the way it must be grappled with. There is no excuse for the continuation of a piecemeal approach, with piddling little efforts here and there. We need a substantial public housing building programme to meet the needs of those who have housing need. This could be part of the generation of a new impetus in the economy.

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