David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The housing crisis has been with us for years. Every day, week and month it is getting worse. The Minister takes debates in this Chamber almost on a weekly basis now and he gives essentially the same recycled speech, that the Government is doing its best, this problem cannot be solved overnight, and we have a strategy and a plan. Despite all of that, the situation is getting worse. We heard from Deputy Eoin Ó Broin last week that the overall number of people on the housing waiting lists has gone from 91,000 to 99,000. We have heard that there is an increase in homelessness. The figures speak for themselves almost every month when they are published. The problem is real.

The Taoiseach's response to Teachta Adams this morning on the issue of housing was an absolute disgrace. He accused my party of seeking to manipulate people's sense of hurt and suffering because of the fact that they are victims of the housing crisis, that we somehow thrive on their suffering and that we do not have solutions. That is absolutely not true. The Taoiseach knows that and it is quite cynical coming from a Government that has done precious little really to deal with the housing crisis.

Teachta Ó Broin and many Members of this Dáil sat on the all-party Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness. They were diligent, did their work and listened to witnesses. That committee did excellent work, produced a report and set targets that the Government should be meeting. The Minister will not even work to implement those objectives, modest as they were, that would actually solve the housing crisis. My party has put forward dozens of solutions and Teachta Ó Broin has published dozens of policy positions on how we can address the housing problem. The Minister and his Government have simply ignored them. It is not good enough.

I will never, cynically or any other way, play on people's emotions or fears who are victims of the housing crisis. I represent them. I come into this Chamber and represent them. We put forward solutions. That is what we want, not hollow words or honey words. Teachta Ó Broin has gone through those solutions. The Minister knows what they are and all I can say is that, at the very least, he needs to commit to implementing all of the recommendations of the all-party report into which so much work and effort was put.

See this speech in context