Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Rebuilding Ireland has failed. That is not just my view, it is the view of the thousands of people who gathered outside the Dáil today. Raise the Roof was not just another march. It marks the beginning of a mass movement demanding change. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions and all of its affiliates, the Union of Students in Ireland, the entire homeless sector, grassroots campaigning groups, Take Back the City, and the entire Opposition have spoken today with one voice. We are telling the Government again that its housing policy is not working. Underinvestment in public, social and affordable housing is not working. Overreliance on the private sector is not working. Repeatedly sticking its head in the sand and defending the indefensible is not working.

It is time for change. The Government will ignore at its peril the thousands who stood outside the House today. They in turn represent hundreds of thousands more: young people locked out of secure and affordable accommodation, families trapped with children in emergency accommodation, single people stuck in a cycle of hostel accommodation and rough sleeping, workers paying more than 30% of their income on mortgages or rent, Travellers living in 19th century squalor, or migrants living in appalling conditions or trapped in direct provision, As many as half a million people are hurting because of the failed housing policies of this Government. The Minister will ignore all of them at his peril.

Today's rally was timed to coincide with this Private Members' motion. Some 47 Deputies have signed it and a majority of Deputies will pass it through the House today. It sets out what the Government should be doing to tackle the housing crisis. The Government keeps telling us that the Opposition has no alternatives. This motion puts that lie to bed. The alternatives are clear. We call on the Minister to declare an emergency to signal his intent to do things differently; double capital investment in public housing in budget 2019 to meet social and affordable housing need; increase the stock of real social and affordable housing by 15,000 units next year; introduce emergency measures to stem the flow of families into homelessness; take action to halt rising rents; and pass legislation to allow the holding of a referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution. These are all credible policies that we on the Opposition benches have been calling for for years. The Government has ignored us up to now and will probably ignore us again this evening.

Every Fine Gael backbencher knows that the Government's policies are failing. He or she knows that the hundreds of thousands affected by the Government's failure have votes and that he or she cannot ignore all of them.

I genuinely welcome the support of Fianna Fáil for the motion. All those in need of housing demand more than just words from politicians; they want action. Fianna Fáil Members may think they can stand with the people today and get away with facilitating another failed housing budget next week, but the people outside beg to differ. The budget next week will be the litmus test of the sincerity of Fianna Fáil's commitment. If its Members force a real housing budget from the Government, I will stand here and commend them. However, if they fail, they must withdraw their support from the Government and its failing housing policy. Let the people decide who should govern the country.

I commend the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and its members, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Union of Students in Ireland, the National Homeless and Housing Coalition and all of the other groups, many of which are represented in the Visitors Gallery. Today marks the beginning of a new mass movement for change in our society. We will not stop until we ensure all people have access to secure and affordable accommodation. I have no hesitation in supporting the motion.

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