Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Soaring rents, outrageous house prices, crumbling County Donegal homes, large-scale housing defects countrywide, a severe shortage of housing supply, 166,000 vacant properties and homeless figures reaching all-time highs for four consecutive months. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, is not a Minister for housing. He is a Minister for landlords, developers, vulture funds and homelessness. This Minister has, through his inaction, pitted the most vulnerable in our society against each other. He has driven and enforced an us versus them narrative and we are all suffering as a result. There is room for every single person in this country to be housed, and let us make it very clear that the decision not to do so is a choice by the Minister and the Government. This and previous governments have continually made housing a product of the market. That is the problem. That is the reality of the situation.

There are many reasons I will not be voting confidence in the Minister. One on which I will focus, however, and some of the Minister's colleagues mentioned it, is the massive amount of legislation he has brought forward in the House over his term. That is true, but how much of it came through in July and December when it can be guaranteed there will not be any scrutiny or anyone looking at it? The mica legislation was rushed through the House in July with no debate or scrutiny and no examination of amendments. It was rushed through and then nothing happened. There has been complete inaction since. The mica families and people had to stand and occupy council offices to force action by the Government to ensure they could actually get accommodation and get that done.

This week, a couple of planning Acts were put through in the jaws of Christmas when there will be no scrutiny and which will fundamentally change how the planning system will work in this country to the benefit of those same landlords, developers and vulture finds.

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