Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In negotiations where the future of our island is at stake, any satisfaction and media headlines drawn from a dramatic vote would soon be replaced by uncertainty and instability. Our long-term future would be jeopardised for the sake of short-term party gain. All the while not a single additional house would be built while political parties played political games. We should instead take a more difficult but responsible path. That means providing stability during fragile Brexit negotiations and using the upcoming budget to put housing front and centre. Our party is focused on the business of practical steps to tackle the crisis. Given the depth of the crisis and the intensity of citizens' feelings on it, this debate is welcome. The Government is accountable to the Dáil and each Deputy has a responsibility to ensure it does its job. In the fragmented political landscape which emerged in the last election we also have an obligation to work for a stable Government for our people. It means holding Ministers to account but also putting forward viable solutions and working to make sure they are implemented. The same old political game-playing will not cut it any more.

I will use the few minutes I have to outline areas where the Government has failed and also what needs to be done to fix it. There is, at the heart of Government housing policy, a core addiction to spin and announcements over hard work and delivery. Since 2011, six separate housing plans have been announced and countless sub-plans re-announced. That is more than the number of houses built in the 16 local authorities where not a single new social housing unit has been built so far this year. Rapid-build units were hailed as a quick-fix solution until we found out they cost much more and to take as long, if not longer, to complete than other houses. Repair and lease, as the Minister alluded to, has delivered just 15 units out of a promised 800. Affordable rental units were promised as far back as 2015 but not a brick has been laid yet. Some 7,000 units were identified by the National Asset Management Agency for social housing but fewer than 2,500 were transferred. Capital spending on social housing is still at only 84% of its 2008 level. Only €20 million was allocated to an affordable scheme this year with a target of just 500 units and none has been delivered. It is a story of over-hype and under-delivery. It is clearly time for the Government to recognise the gap between PR appearance and bricks-and-mortar reality. People are interested in solutions, not political grandstanding. The key question, therefore, is what can be done. First and foremost, housing must be placed at the heart of the next budget. People are extremely angry and frustrated, as was demonstrated by the recent marches. They should not be condemned for protesting, as they have been by some, including the Taoiseach. We need to realise that people want solutions, which are available to us. We can quantify the problem. Therefore, we can fix it.

In May, Fianna Fáil put forward a comprehensive motion setting out the need for an affordable housing scheme.

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