Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is not responsible for the crisis in housing. The crisis is a result of an approach taken as far back as the 1980s when the State adopted a policy of not building public housing and relying solely on the private sector. The problem is based on the fact that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and the Green Party bear responsibility for this.

What the Minister is responsible for is spoofing and he is very good at it. He is very good at pretending he has a solution and that he is making progress. The facts speak otherwise. Just 647 new houses were built by local authorities in the first six months of this year, with 11 local authorities building none. Of the 4,100 promised affordable and cost rental homes for this year, only 325 affordable and 234 cost rental homes were actually delivered in the same six-month period.

Homelessness has reached record numbers of more than 11,300 men, women and children. It is a terrible indictment of this Government and this has been developing over the past ten years. Rents are rising at record levels. A record number of notices to quit and evictions have been issued. According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the most accurate estimate for households with a housing need may be close to 122,000. That takes in housing assistance payment, HAP, and the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. The Minister should go and take with him the Taoiseach, the Taoiseach-in-waiting and the rest of the Government. We need not just a change of Minister but a change of Government and policy.

See this speech in context