Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Half a million young people are locked out of the housing market. They cannot afford to buy and they cannot afford to rent. They are the locked-out generation. Yesterday, Fr. Peter McVerry said that emergency situations require emergency action. He gave his support to the Take Back the City campaign, which is being supported by many of those young people. It is well established and I believe will go national this Saturday, something which Solidarity supports. Yesterday, the Minister of State, Deputy English, described the campaign as a disgrace. I put it to him that the real disgrace is the inaction on the part of the Minister of State and his Government. What legislation of an emergency character does he propose to introduce to get to grips with this issue? Is it to be more tax breaks for landlords or serious vacant site levies, compulsory purchase orders and the type of measures that are necessary to allow the State to take over private property and provide the housing people need in this emergency?

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