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

I thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for bringing forward this Bill. It shows once again that we in Sinn Féin are here to introduce positive solutions that will make a difference in delivering housing for individuals and families. The Government claims to know the impact of the housing crisis. If that is the case, why is it not doing everything in its power to deliver housing for people who are desperate for it? The Business Postreported that the Minister was extensively lobbied by developers and that is why this exemption appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. It also reported than an estimated 10,000 homes have not been built because of the exemption. Why did the Minister grant it? The only reason ordinary people can see that is that he and the Government have, once again, prioritised developers, investment funds and the major landowners over the people of this country.

The Government has failed to act. In Cork city, the local authority plans to build numerous affordable housing developments but it still does not have the criteria from the Government to enable it to proceed. Those projects are all on hold. Once again, the Government is not delivering.

This Bill is about housing and priorities. I have no faith in the ability of the Government or the Minister to deliver housing. They are looking at developers more than ordinary people. That is the difference between the Government and Sinn Féin. This is another broken promise. The Minister does not understand how bad things are for most people. There is much I want to say about the crisis in housing but time constraints mean I cannot do so. What I can say to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is that the Government must act now. Will it, for once, put ordinary people and families first? If it does not, they will suffer.

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