Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is in an unenviable position of relying on Fianna Fáil to fix the housing crisis that many believe it created. Does anyone really believe the architects of the recession, who drove us off the cliff, will fix the housing crisis? Like every housing plan we have seen from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, it is a developers' charter that will pour even more money into the pockets of developers and speculators. There are no plans to stop the few homes that will be built being hoovered up by vulture funds and cuckoo funds.

Social housing targets are now lower than those promised by Fine Gael the last time, not that they were ever built. The affordable housing element is completely out of touch with the realities facing ordinary working families. There is no realistic plan to stop rents from rising even higher. There is every likelihood that the Government's plans will push up the cost of homes, meaning that many workers and families will be trapped in the rental market. Homelessness will continue and will increase as more and more workers' income flows into rent.

I do not know anyone who trusts Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to solve the housing crisis. That is what most people say to me. Housing for All preserves the status quoso that a few privileged people do not lose out while workers and their families are being driven deeper and deeper into debt. Sinn Féin has a plan to solve the housing crisis. We need 20,000 social and affordable houses built every year, delivered by local authorities and community housing trusts, not by developers. We need a three-year ban on rent increases and a month's rent back in every renter's pocket through a tax credit.

I return to my original question. Does anyone seriously believe that the same parties that created the mess and told us there was no problem - I was in this Chamber when we were told there was no housing problem - are now capable of or serious about fixing this crisis? That is the big question. I certainly do not believe they are capable.

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