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

Whatever this House decides tonight, many people in this country have already passed judgment on the Minister and his policies. He need only look at the level of public support for the Take Back the City initiative to understand the level of public alienation from the Minister, the Government and its policies on this issue. The Taoiseach is no doubt aware, as he contemplates rolling the dice and calling a snap general election, that housing may emerge as the top issue with the potential to undermine his Government severely at the polls.

It is little over a year since the Minister was appointed to his post. Since his appointment, in my city, Cork, and the wider south-west region, the number of homeless people in emergency accommodation has increased by 37%. The number of homeless children has increased by a stunning 55%. I would say that I am amazed, but I am not. The Minister criticised large social housing estates. I would prefer to live in a large social housing estate than in bed and breakfast accommodation, and so would many other people.

On the Minister's watch, house prices have increased by over 6% and rent rates nationally have increased by 12.6%. Some 500,000 young adults live at home with their parents, unable to buy or rent. They are the locked-out generation. Of course, there is good news for some. Only yesterday, Goodbody Stockbrokers forecast that Ireland's largest corporate landlord, Ires REIT, will harvest €39.5 million this year in rental income. Ires REIT doubled its profits for the first six months of this year, compared with the same period last year, and Goodbody's forecast that its rental income would increase by a further 14% next year. I could go on and give similar examples about housing assistance payment, HAP, landlords and developer profits if I had the time. The wealthy few benefit on the Minister's watch at the expense of the many.

I must say a few words about the Fianna Fáil position. Some 500,000 people voted for Fianna Fáil at the last general election. I suspect that more than one or two will not be impressed by seeing those Deputies vote to keep the Minister in office. Of course, replacing the Minister with one of his co-thinkers would make no difference whatsoever. We have no confidence in the Minister, his Government or the housing-for-profit model, also known as the market, which was supported by past Governments which included Fianna Fáil, the Labour Party and the Green Party. We need a different policy. We need public homes to be built on public land. There is enough public land in the control of NAMA and the local authorities which is already zoned residential to build 114,000 homes. We need housing for people, not for profit.

The Minister's failure could hardly be more complete. It is time for him to step aside, and those toxic, neo-liberal housing policies must go as well.

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