Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I also want to be associated with the remarks in relation to the gardaí and send my party's well wishes for a speedy recovery and solidarity to both the gardaí and the community who have been traumatised by this.

Whenever the Government's housing policy comes under attack, the Taoiseach consistently tells us that the State, and not the cuckoo funds, is the biggest player in the housing market. Let us examine this. The Government has called its housing budget the biggest in the history of the State and, at €3.3 billion, it is, but is our money being well spent?

Fine Gael's Rebuilding Ireland programme had a construction target of 8,900 social homes for 2021. Under the Government's revised plan, the target has increased to 9,500. Given the Government has upped the housing budget by €500 million, an additional 593 housing units does not seem like much bang for the buck. Despite the fact that construction target has increased by 593 houses, the Government claims that an additional 28,500 households will secure social housing this year compared to Rebuilding Ireland's target of 22,157. If construction has increased by only 593 units, how is it that social housing provision is increasing by 6,343? The answer is the private rental sector, through an increase of 5,800 housing assistance payment, HAP, mostly, and rental accommodation scheme, RAS, tenancies. The Government's plan to proved social housing is utterly reliant on the private market.

Long-term leasing deals entered into with vulture and cuckoo funds are rapidly increasing but we have no way of knowing how many of these are currently being negotiated. Replies to parliamentary questions cannot be relied on, which is shocking. The only reliable information we get is when individual local authorities speak to journalists and divulge figures. The deputy chief executive of Dublin City Council, Mr. Brendan Kenny, has said that the local authority is negotiating for 1,700 long-term leases. The Taoiseach stated that long-term leasing deals entered into with cuckoo funds are bad value for money and the prospect of local authorities being locked into so many for up to 30 years must fill him with dread.

When the Taoiseach states that the State is one of the biggest players in the housing market, let us be clear about what he means. In case there is any confusion, I want to clarify. The State is prolific in the private rental market. Obviously, that is through those supports I referred to, but it is also snapping up homes on long leases. The State is also, via the strategic investment fund, pumping hundreds of millions of euro into large developments that are exclusively bought by cuckoo funds, and obviously that strategic investment fund is what is left of the pension fund. The State is also determined to sell off vast tracts of land at rock-bottom prices. Therefore, the State is a big player but on the wrong side.

What is wrong with doing what we have always done, and that is directly building? What is wrong with using the Ó Cualann model at scale?

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