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

It voted against 1,200 social, affordable and private homes in Donabate. It voted against them. How can we declare something a crisis in that light? I have said this to all, but Sinn Féin in particular has been opposing projects across the board that involve social and affordable housing.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has committed to 4,000 new affordable purchase and cost rental homes in 2022 and €676 million has been allocated in respect of affordable measures across the board. The help-to-buy scheme is to help enable people to afford housing, yet Sinn Féin opposes that also. I do not see the policies from Sinn Féin. When you read through its documents, they are threadbare. The Government is saying that, realistically, we can provide up to 11,500 to 12,000 social houses next year. Those are social houses, something the Deputy ignored in her contribution. Close to 10,000 of those will be are direct builds through local authorities or approved housing bodies. Sinn Féin just comes along and says "Oh, we think that should be 20,000".

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