Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the sum of €246 million, which can be found in a footnote on page 116 of the expenditure report. That is the amount of capital funding which was supposed to be spent on housing in 2021 but is being carried over to next year. That tells one everything one needs to know about how this Government treats the housing crisis, despite the urgency it requires. Think of what could have been done with that €246 million this year, if it had been spent, for people who are experiencing homelessness, who are sleeping rough or who are living in terrible conditions in emergency accommodation, for the more than 100,000 households in insecure HAP tenancies or on housing waiting lists, for people who are renting and are fearful of the next time there will be a rent increase or are fearful of eviction, or for people who are trying to buy a home. It is inexcusable that €246 million in capital funding for housing that should have been spent this year to ease the housing crisis is being carried forward into next year.

See this speech in context