Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Having spent some 30 years on the back of a tar barrel in some corner of Dún Laoghaire raving and ranting, he cannot believe he has the Minister for Finance in his sights. He goes on and on and lectures us. He has things the wrong way around. This is a modest measure, designed to alleviate and make a contribution to solving our current problems. He is correct in that in the previous 20 years inadequate social housing was provided and we transferred social housing need to the private sector. That drove the building programme and suited the politics of the day. However, the current Government has announced the largest social housing provision since the 1970s. It is wrong to present this modest amendment as the total response to the housing situation.

If this Government had discussed building houses in 2011 when it came into office, the people in white coats would have been sent for. There was an overhang in housing everywhere, including Dublin. Things have changed quickly-----

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