Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

There is very little reality in what the Minister is saying. It does not bear any relationship to the existing situation. He had an opportunity this week to do something about that and ensure there were controls introduced for all homes. The question is whether he regards apartments as homes. Is it his view that first-time buyers have a right to purchase apartments? At the moment, they cannot do so. There are no apartments at all in Dublin city centre available for first-time buyers. The Minister talks about incentives and subsidies for young people. That means nothing to young people living in Dublin because they cannot buy an apartment at the moment. They are all controlled by funds. The Minister and his party had an opportunity this week to do something about that and they failed to do so. They failed the young people of Dublin city in terms of their aspiration to purchase a home.

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