Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have listened to the recent statements of Fine Gael Deputies and Ministers on this issue. In typical Fine Gael manner, three common themes emerged. One could call it a three-point plan. The first is that Sinn Féin councillors are objecting willy-nilly to local authority houses. That is absolutely untrue, as Fine Gael Deputies know. For all the criticisms they or local authority managers throughout the country may have of Sinn Féin, they know that our councillors are a thorn in their side and are seeking more social housing. The second theme is that Sinn Féin has no alternatives. That is consistently repeated by members of Fine Gael but it is also untrue. We have published eight policy documents and put forward eight Bills and dozens of motions, many of them detailed, along with fully costed budget proposals to provide solutions. Members of the Government know that charge is untrue but they keep repeating it anyway. The third theme is that no party has moral authority or monopoly on the issue, which is true. Having listened to the contributions of some on the Government benches, however, I am unsure that all of its members believe it. Some of the speeches by those on the Fine Gael benches indicate that there is a belief that the moral and intellectual authority is on that side of the House.

It is true that Fine Gael inherited an emerging housing crisis for which Fianna Fáil should not get off lightly. That said, while Fine Gael stated that the crisis cannot be tackled overnight, it has now been in government for seven years. Not enough social housing has been built and not enough has been done on affordable housing or to protect those in private rented accommodation. The Minister survived the motion of confidence. A housing rally took place outside the Houses today. He needs to listen and to change course.

See this speech in context