Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

10 o’clock

When I read last week in the report of the Business Committee that we were to have a debate on affordable housing, I was hoping we would have an interesting, constructive debate with specific proposals coming from the new Fianna Fáil spokesperson on housing. This is a very disappointing motion. We have had several very constructive debates in this House with people across parties where we have tried to tease out the various complex issues that arise in respect of the housing crisis. This motion is just designed to be sabre-rattling to indicate somehow or other that Fianna Fáil has loads of muscle to stand up to Fine Gael and that it is planning an election at some stage in the year to come. One would never think it is in a confidence and supply situation where it can use real power in the lead-up to the budget by putting figures on this issue. It is the woolliest motion I have read in a long time. Even the proposals are general, for example, "earmark an additional capital investment for a State-led affordable housing scheme in 2019", etc., with no figures or anything else, or "expedite the establishment of a cost rental model across the country with clear localised income criteria and location targets". We had a very good debate on cost rental a couple of weeks ago with very specific proposals and many contributions. Another proposal in the motion states: "utilise State and local-authority owned lands in the development of social and affordable units.” That is everybody's policy but it is entirely non-specific. Is Deputy O'Brien saying all the land should be utilised for social and affordable housing? If he was, we would support him. As far as I can see Fianna Fáil's policy is similar to Fine Gael's policy, which is to use most of that land for market priced houses and only a relatively small percentage for social and affordable housing.

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