Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Access to a home is the issue of our time, and many are being restricted in getting a roof over their heads. A global depression, Brexit, a pandemic, unprecedented population growth and Putin's war have brought us here. Hearts and minds might be bought by sophistry, but Housing for All contains measured solutions and funding to meet our crisis. Through the stewardship of the Minister, I am proud to say that the Green Party has delivered legislation for 100% public housing on public land. Green Party cost-rental policy has firmly been actioned. The LDA alone has a remit to deliver 30,000 affordable high-quality cost-rental properties with succession rights. Our towns and villages are unique cultural settlements, where 30% of our population live. Under this Government, the Green Party has actioned its town centre first plans, with grants of up to €75,000 per unit available to tackle vacancy and dereliction, ensuring not only good-quality housing, but also job opportunities, safe and accessible public spaces, good transport links, climate resilience and the making of ten-minute towns. During its time in government, we have seen further Green Party policies actioned, including the abolition of co-living and the end of undemocratic strategic housing development systems. Working groups have been put in place to deliver redress for owners of defective dwellings. Further to the work of Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, in the 32nd Dáil, I have tabled a Defective Dwellings Bill, which would secure a legal redress process for homeowners. A referendum on a right to housing was a key commitment secured in the programme for Government by the Green Party, and wording is being drafted currently. A right to a home should be in our Constitution, as is the right to an education. Over the past two years, I have participated in cross-party debates in Trinity College and UCD in which the Opposition spoke in favour of the nationalisation of all homes in Ireland and the prohibition of the purchasing of council houses by tenants. My parents were afforded this opportunity.

See this speech in context