Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My genuine view is that we have to be solution driven in respect of housing. I get the housing crisis, and nothing motivates me more in government as Taoiseach than exploring every available option to get more houses built and houses that are affordable for people to buy, and also to get more social houses built that people can get access to. In addition, we are looking at other options, such as cost-rental, which the Minister is developing and will allow for houses to be rented at 25% below market value. We want to bring voids back into use. In fairness to the Minister, with the July stimulus money we brought back 2,500 last year. We will bring back 3,000 this year. When we say "voids", we mean local authority housing that is not currently occupied. Those are the types of initiative that are being developed. The Deputy knows that. A range of measures, including the Affordable Housing Bill and the Land Development Agency Bill, are coming close to coming through this House and their commencement and they will create pathways to enable us to facilitate people to access housing in a much more affordable way than has been the case. That is the overall agenda of the Government, and housing for all will provide a broad range of measures and will illustrate the prioritisation of this issue at the heart of Government. It is a crisis facing society that has built up over time.

In terms of rent, I think that is a very comprehensive and important report today by the RTB. From our perspective, I think the Minister's initiative to reduce rent increases and link them to inflation is a very important and significant step and change, but also one that the Government entirely supports and is doable.

The Deputy's rent freeze of three years is just not doable constitutionally.

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