Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They zoned land and created the supply of over-zoned land on floodplains throughout the country. Fine Gael and the Labour Party controlled the local authorities throughout the country. When it came to the provision of social and affordable housing, it was Fine Gael and the Labour Party which controlled the local authorities that accepted cash buy-outs from the developers. I remember going into Limerick County Council meetings and watching Fine Gael local authority members with the developers negotiating buy-outs from the Part V obligations. The Government parties should accept the part they played in the creation of the property bubble. They should take a small bit of time to step back and consider this.

The Government introduced personal insolvency legislation which gave the bankers a veto. I can tell the Deputies in the House that when the county registrar sat in Limerick in November he dealt with more than 200 cases of home repossessions because of the approach by the banks, by virtue of the personal insolvency legislation which gives them a veto and which has strengthened their position in negotiations with distressed borrowers. The Deputies need to take on board what they have done in government in terms of strengthening the banks and weakening the position of the vulnerable person who is being put out of his or her house.

With regard to local authority housing, which is being debated this evening, we do not have a tenant purchase scheme at present. There is demand for one and the Minister of State will acknowledge this. All of us have people in our clinics every day-----

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