Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What we all can agree on is that we need a greater supply of houses, whether they be social or private.

This Bill is a mechanism to try to address some of the viability issues and also to incentivise the use of high-potential sites where there is high demand. It is but one way of responding to the housing crisis of which the Deputies speak. The Government is making other inventions as well. It is treating it as a priority. The social housing strategy is a priority for the Government. We would all like to see far more funds available for it, but a strong commitment has been made by the Government to build houses over the next number of years and to engage with approved housing bodies and local authorities to ensure more houses are delivered through direct construction in local authority areas right around the country.

We need more social housing but I would argue from an ideological point of view that we also need more private housing. I have listened closely to some of the arguments on the other side. The solution I am hearing in the main is that we only need social housing on a large scale and that will solve all our problems.

See this speech in context