Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In relation to the directive which the Minister issued, which I am sure the Ceann Comhairle has also read, what are the implications of it? Approximately 18 months ago, on the final sitting day prior to the Dáil going into recess, we had a debate on housing policy, at which time the Minister could have taken the line of equipping the local authorities with the capital funding needed to launch a social housing programme. That is what the Minister's predecessor, the late Jimmy Tully, did when in office. As stated by Fintan O'Toole, during the poorest decades tens of thousands of local authorities homes were built. Like the Minister and, I am sure, other Members, I lived in a local authority home. They sustained our families. This is not being done now because of the influence of Fine Gael in government and the previous influence of Fianna Fáil in ending the social housing programme.

I attended the modular housing exhibition in the North Strand. The impression is being given that use of this housing is a stop-gap measure to address the needs of people in emergency housing accommodation. I was informed at that exhibition that these units have a life span of 60 years. Are we, in terms of the proposed use of this housing, creating another problem? We need tens of thousands of bricks and mortar homes. These homes were needed up to 18 months ago but, unfortunately, the Government has not delivered them.

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