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

I will ask the Minister for a third time how many affordable purchase homes were actually occupied in 2021. He has not answered that question. He might give me an answer. The Minister knows well why I did not support the Affordable Housing Bill. I do not support the Government's definition of affordability as not being related to incomes but instead being based on market prices. For the record, the Minister's party on Dublin City Council voted against zoning to provide affordable homes. His party, Fine Gael and nearly all the Green Party councillors with one notable exception voted against it. The facts are that according to Dublin City Council over the next number of years almost 70% of new households will not be able to afford to buy or rent a home in Dublin city. Almost 70% are going to be reliant on social or affordable homes. That is absolutely shocking. Policies that continue to inflate rents and house prices are causing that problem. We know from the Ó Cualann model that affordable homes can be delivered, three-bed semi-detached, at the rate of about €260,000 as is happening in the Minister's constituency. That needs to be rolled out across the country at scale. For the last time, how many affordable purchase homes were actually occupied last year?

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