Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State accuses me and Sinn Féin of quoting the ESRI when it suits us, but is this not what he is doing? The ESRI stated that the Government needs to double its expenditure on housing if we are to solve the housing crisis. That is what it stated. Does the Minister of State not accept that as a bona fide fact, or does he say that the ESRI and Sinn Féin are incorrect? There can be no doubt that Sinn Féin's housing policy is the only way to solve the crisis.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would rather spend €503 million every year on private landlords for HAP, RAS and rent supplement, making landlords, speculators, vulture funds and the private sector super rich. That is the Government's policy. Sinn Féin's policy is to deliver public homes on public land.

The Minister of State mentioned the St. Kevin's site. It is unbelievable. I sometimes ask myself whether these Ministers have ever been around. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, I proposed building on the St. Kevin's site. In 2009 and 2010, I proposed building on the old Whitechurch Road site in Cork and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael blocked us every step of the way. Ten years later, the Minister of State is coming in here to tell us to look at the great work the Government is doing. If they had done the work when they should have done it ten years ago, as I and other Sinn Féin people proposed, we would not be in the middle of a housing crisis.

To let the Minister of State know how far behind he and the Government are, Cork City Council has launched a website on which people can lodge their interest in a new affordable housing scheme on Boherboy Road, which the council announced two years ago. It is still waiting on the Government to let it know how much it can sell them for. Cork City Council has six, seven or perhaps eight affordable housing projects waiting to go and the only thing holding them up is the Minister of State and the Government. Sinn Féin will deliver houses.

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