Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government is listening to what is being said by all of the organisations, political parties and people who will be at the Raise the Roof campaign protest on Saturday. We understand the pressures and frustrations many families are facing because the general rental and housing market is not delivering for people in the way it needs to. We are changing that. That is why almost 5,000 social houses are being built on 291 sites throughout the country. We will add 10,000 units to the social housing stock this year.

This idea that we are just letting the market solve the problems over time is simply not true and not borne out by the facts. We will spend €2.4 billion on our housing budget this year. That is by far the highest ever spending on housing in Ireland. We will provide 27,000 or more housing solutions for people who need the support of and intervention by the State. I have stated that there is an over-reliance on the private rental market to provide solutions for people under pressure every time the Deputy has asked me these questions. That over-reliance is putting the rental market under pressure and that is why the only solution is increased supply across all segments of the housing market. We will add an extra 50,000 housing units to the social housing stock over the lifetime of the Rebuilding Ireland plan. I remind everybody that was the figure that the all-party housing committee asked the Government to deliver and that is what we are seeking to do. We also have in place agreed plans and funding for affordable housing schemes, which are starting. We also need an environment that attracts investment into the housing market in respect of high density, affordable apartment living in the cities, as well as more conventional family homes. That is happening, as the Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures this morning confirm. More than 22,000 houses came into use in the past 12 months. This year, we hope to add an extra 25,000 housing units to the overall housing stock. Between 20% and 25% of these new-builds will be social houses.

I understand the frustration and we are hearing it and responding to it. People who paint a picture of a Government that is not listening and is not plugged into the housing pressures many families across Ireland are feeling do not understand what we are doing. Housing is a massive priority for this Government. The proof of that is where we are spending money and the amount of new legislation and policy change implemented in this area. That will continue. We understand the situation. We live in a democracy. People should protest if they feel strongly about something and make sure they are heard by the Government. We are, however, hearing the message and taking action. We are spending much more money changing policy and legislation to fix the housing market and it will be fixed over time.

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