Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Irish Timestoday ran a headline which asked whether it was time to take a punt on Irish property again. Does this not concern the Minister or for that matter the Taoiseach in going to New York and talking about how property investors should come to Dublin because they could make a killing in the Dublin property market? To start to treat and incentivise speculation in property after the economy was beggared precisely because of that activity seems crazy beyond belief. One of the consequences of this, as I am sick of pointing out, is an absolutely massive housing and homelessness crisis. Even the Irish mortgage brokers association has stated it cannot and will not provide social housing for people on low and middle incomes. It will not do it. That is why we say rent allowance is not accepted. On the one hand, we again have speculation in this area and, on the other, we have a homelessness and housing crisis. When will the Minister wake up?

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