Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a budget that was driven by my determination and the determination of the Government to make a difference to the lives of citizens, particularly those who need and deserve support in times of difficulty. Let us look at the figures on this. Let us challenge each of the points that the Deputy has put forward and examine what the figures are. Next year, €1.25 billion will deliver 10,000 new social homes. As I did with Deputy Boyd Barrett yesterday, let us contrast that with the figure for HAP over the same period, which is €423 million. If I was not making this funding available to provide accommodation to citizens in times of need when social housing is being built, the Deputy would condemn the Government for not providing accommodation for people at a time homes were being built in the private sector.

In respect of housing output, I acknowledge that we need to build more and deliver more. However, in the second quarter of 2018 we saw an increase of 40% in new home completions. We need more new homes to be delivered but progress in that area is being made this year, with more new homes to be delivered next year than this year.

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