Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

After a decade of housing policy that effectively abandoned affordable home ownership, a new Minister in a new Government is publishing legislation that introduces cost rental for the first time, reintroduces council-led affordable housing, applies a permanent affordability charge on all public land and provides affordable home loans to those accessing housing in the short term while these measures come on stream. Let there be no mistake - Fianna Fáil and this Government are delivering public housing on public land with affordable rental and affordable purchase schemes.

I can understand why Opposition parties are trying to find things to oppose; after all, they supported many of those proposals with Fianna Fáil when we were in opposition. They are focusing today on a measure that is expected to cover a tiny percentage of market transactions in order that they can repeat outdated slogans about Fianna Fáil from decades ago. I heard the word "developer" 20 times in the 20 minutes of the Sinn Féin contribution.

Many people speaking today will also reference a scheme in England with similar characteristics to the shared equity loan scheme. People will compare the two schemes and make the assumption that the criteria used in Ireland will be the same as those introduced by the Tories in England when perhaps they will be the same as those introduced by the SNP in Scotland, with very different results.

It has also been cited that the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, is opposing this scheme but we should put on the record what was stated by the ESRI. It stated that the scheme will provide access to housing for households that would otherwise be unable to make transactions. It stated that the scheme is with merit and if done in the right way, could provide solutions. I urge people to look at exactly what was said in that committee meeting.

The ESRI has stated that the scheme is possible, as has the National Audit Office, yet Opposition parties oppose it without seeing any details at all. I encourage young people out there to call their Sinn Féin Deputies, ask them to support the Affordable Housing Bill and the affordable and cost rental schemes, and ask them to ensure a generation of Irish people have access to housing.

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