Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like, I am sure, every other Deputy, people come to see me every week who are caught in that situation where they do not qualify for local authority housing and mortgages are out of their reach. It is similar to what Deputy O'Reilly said. These are my peers to a large extent. I am 28 and I would say very few of my peers are anywhere near being in a position to buy a house. For those of them who are looking for a house or considering it, the option of going to their mothers and fathers for assistance is not realistic. Many of these people are still paying off their own mortgages. The fact these people do not qualify for local authority housing means they get no assistance with the extortionate rents that exist.

I said in my speech following the last budget that the last two Fine Gael-led Governments have done nothing for people who need that kind of affordable housing model. The first line of this motion absolutely stands: Fine Gael has not delivered a single affordable rental or purchase home through any Government scheme.

In recent weeks, as ever, we have had new announcements from the Department and from the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. However, I am not very optimistic. It is still the case that no such houses have been delivered. The Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is often quite defensive when he is characterised as being blinded by ideology. He likes to present himself as a practical person driven by solutions and all the rest of it. It is hard to escape the conclusion that there is ideology in this. There is a very rational logical model of local authority-led affordable housing, a model that has not been pursued by the Government with any real vigour. It is clearly the best solution and the best approach. I note that despite the Government first suggesting it in 2014, there has been no movement on a cost-rental model.

I am sceptical of the ability of the affordable housing loan scheme the Government has announced. Perhaps in a functioning housing market it would make a difference and could assist families, and it may assist some families. However, on the whole it does not address the real issue that housing is too expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary people. The reality is that for thousands of people, many of them young people, owning a house is a pipe dream and the Government has not addressed that.

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