Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and come to rely on it too much by bringing in the provisions in this Bill. Let us not go backwards. We have multiple delivery streams for social housing. This year more than 4,000 new social housing homes will be built but the stock of social housing will increase by 8,000 homes. Next year the stock will increase by 10,000 homes. These are positive developments for people in emergency accommodation, on the housing list or in overcrowded accommodation to get a home, to get their own front door and their own key. In tandem with this we now have local authorities bringing forward public land for the development of affordable housing under the affordability scheme that was agreed during the budget negotiations with Fianna Fáil. We also now have the Land Development Agency, which is not a response to the crisis as it should always have been there, but which will help to bring forward public land in high-demand areas and a social mix. It is not, as Deputy Boyd Barrett said, selling off lands to developers. We are the developer. It is bringing forward public land for homes for the general public. We should support that principle.

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