Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I respect the right of the Member to speak. I did not interrupt her colleague. I am stating my own opinion and the opinion of thousands of other people across this country. That is the reality of it. In the first few minutes of this debate the Social Democrats, others and the Government have engaged in a blame game, the Taoiseach having given us a history of former housing Ministers and trying to blame former Labour Party Ministers, Green Party Ministers and others. He has a responsibility himself and we know that, as do the people watching this debate who know the country is in the grips of a housing crisis. People want to know how we propose to fix the crisis and what alternative measures we propose to bring forward.

As Fianna Fáil spokesperson on housing I have published 13 pieces of legislation in the last 14 months dealing with issues such as strengthening security of tenure, tenants' rights, student rents, affordable housing, owner management companies, multi-unit developments, an ombudsman for this area and strengthening the rights that people have in housing. This is what the people want to see us doing. This motion will not result in one person being housed or one person being taken off the homeless list. It will not do that. It will be seen for what it is, namely, a motion that does not put forward any solution.

Fianna Fáil would do things differently.

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