Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Cheating on taxes is fairly unparliamentary. The Minister is also relying on a landlord who has used dog whistling of a racist kind to distract from the true causes of the housing crisis, and the party of the Galway tent and the big developers - Fianna Fáil. This suits him because he represents the same developer and landlord interests. He has overseen an increase in the total rent going to landlords from €5.5 billion in 2009 to €13 billion a year. He stands over legalised tax dodging by the real estate investment trusts, REITs. IRES REIT paid nothing in corporation tax on profits of €120 million last year.

The Minister is engaging in spin and lies that are worthy of Boris Johnson when he speaks about delivering 10,000 social houses this year given his own plan involves leasing 2,000 of them from private developers rather than the State. Just 1,000 houses were built in the first six months of this year but the Minister expects us to believe that 5,000 will be built in the second half. This is just like Johnson's claims in respect of nurses and hospitals. The truth is that this crisis is going to get worse. Fianna Fáil supports it. It is time for the Minister and the Government to go. It is time for the Minister's neoliberal, pro-developer, pro-landlord policies to go.

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