Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach said the housing issue is the single most important social issue of his time. That is true, but the Government has failed miserably, and is continuing to fail miserably, to solve or deal with the issue because it has focused entirely on the private housing market to solve this issue, and the private sector will not do it. The only way to deal with this issue is through a public building programme.

A family of four earning €28,000 a year cannot get on the housing list in Donegal and will never, ever be able to buy a house in Donegal. That is the reality of the situation. That is what the Taoiseach is missing in everything he is saying and the facts he is throwing out regarding what is being done. These people are continuously being left behind because the Government is not dealing with them. None of its housing policies will deal with those people and they will not get on the housing list because they are not allowed onto it. The Government's policies stop that. The reason the Government will not let them on the housing list is because the housing list would balloon through the roof straightaway, and that would be a massive failure that would expose the Government housing policies for what they are. The reality is that the policy is not working. Public housing bodies and solutions led by local authorities are the only way to deal with the issue.

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