John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this issue as it is one with which Deputies on all sides and some more than others have experience. Deputy Ellis, the Minister of State and I all represent areas of regeneration and are familiar with the problems that arise when social housing policies go wrong. As with other Deputies, we also face the many other housing anomalies and problems that our constituents experience every day.

While listening to previous speakers, I jotted down the phrase, "One can only play the cards one is dealt". While people can bang drums and point fingers, the Minister of State is doing everything possible with the resources available to her. Some may say that is plámas on my part but it is the reality. I do not believe in giving out because it does not solve any problems. To achieve results, one must sit around a table and focus on solutions. In fairness to some of the previous speakers, notably my constituency colleague, Deputy Ellis, they engaged in the type of conversation the House needs to have on Private Members' business. Rather than complain, Deputies should propose solutions and hope some of their suggestions are adopted. Some of Deputy Ellis's interesting proposals could work and I hope they will be included in housing policies at some point.

The Minister of State has managed to ensure the majority of her budget is allocated directly to housing related issues, for example, housing adaptation grants, of which there are not enough, direct building projects and some of the other areas to which previous speakers referred. She has essentially been asked to solve the many woes caused by the policies of previous Governments. No one should expect her to achieve this in one day. Irrespective of whether we like it, the issue is one of supply and how we address it. Even if the International Monetary Fund were to decide tomorrow to write off all of our debts and allowed us to spend what we liked, the number of people who are homeless or on transfer lists, medical priority lists or other housing lists would not decline the following day. That is the unfortunate and sad reality. It is also an indictment of the previous approach of allowing the problem to develop over a protracted period. I remember----

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