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

No. The question is meant to be a propaganda spin, designed to portray Government housing policy as being exclusively about one thing and one thing only, which, of course, is far from the truth. I have outlined the facts to the Deputy. As far as the Government is concerned, and Fianna Fáil has been in government for approximately a year and a half now with Fine Gael and the Green Party, we are very committed to enhancing public housing supply and also providing affordable housing in a very substantive way for the first time ever.

In regard to institutional investment and private housing development, there has to be a private sector dimension to all of this as well. We want private sector activity in the market but the primary intervention from Government is public housing. The provision of record numbers of public houses is what we want to achieve.

We have sent out the mandates to the local authorities to do that. We also want to assist in the construction of affordable housing in order that ordinary people can afford to buy houses, releasing them from the significant rent pressures which many are under.

Maynooth was not purchased. We have banned bulk buying by investment funds. Two recent An Bord Pleanála decisions have supported Government, which means homes have to be sold to individuals.

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