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

-----due to changing demographics, including the revival in the economy. There is an acute housing shortage in some urban areas. Despite what Deputy Boyd Barrett would like the House to believe, one cannot go to Tesco and buy a housing estate off the shelf. It takes some time to build housing. In the interim, this is a modest measure designed to make a contribution.

It is entirely wrong to misrepresent the remarks on the level of the housing supplement in 2011 and 2012. It helped to reduce rents at the time but, of course, rents have increased since then because of the housing shortage. The social housing package announced by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is designed to make a serious impact in that area.

Housing is the subject today. Every time I watch Deputy Boyd Barrett's contributions, which I enjoy, he deals with a different subject. He seemed to ignore the fact that we have come through the worst financial crisis in the history of the State. If we could do all the things he wants us to do, there would not have been a crisis. We are where we are. It will take some time to get-----

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