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

The Deputy produces legislation, puts it up on the wall and then claims the Government is voting against reducing rents. The Deputy can claim his party is voting for it and they are, therefore, the virtuous ones. That completely ignores the reality on the ground in terms of the non-implementability, to coin a phrase, of the Bill. It is not doable. It is as simple as that. We have rent controls in the rent pressure zones. What is doable is to build the largest ever number of social houses this year, which we will. We will have to do that every year for the next five to ten years. We must build far more affordable and cost rental homes. We have to maintain HAP, which is a strong subsidy for people who are renting now.

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