Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

It is amazing, when the thrust of my question was about rent allowance and rent supplement, that the Tánaiste failed to mention those words even once in her reply. These are issues over which her Department has control. She is the person in charge of rent supplement and imposing rent limits, which are adding to the homeless crisis. She did not answer my question but I hope the Leas-Cheann Comhairle allows her additional time to do so.

The Tánaiste has been dithering on the question of rent controls for a long time. We were told that the proverbial committee was looking into the issue. Does she agree there is no other solution to preventing the escalation of rents in Dublin in particular, and in other cities? Threshold now has to print out the telephone numbers of Deputies to hand them out to people who seek its advice. They are being sent to my door but that is okay because I will send them to the Tánaiste's door from now on.

With regard to house building, I ask the Tánaiste to table a debate on housing in this House. No time has been set aside to allow us to question her figures. We would love to see houses being built but the problem is that the Government is relying on public-private partnerships, Part V arrangements and landlords. Very few new builds are coming on stream but even if we see more construction, what is going to happen during the two years we will be waiting for the houses to be completed? Where in Dublin West has housing construction restarted? Nobody has seen a building worker or a crane in Dublin West for the last five years.

The Tánaiste said one untrue thing. I was on Fingal County Council for 11 years. Council building projects have decreased since her Government came to power.

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