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

Go bunúsach, is é atá i gceist ag páirtí an Teachta, Sinn Féin, ná a bheith ar gach taobh den scéal seo. Is é Tadhg an Dá Thaobh an teideal is oiriúnaí dá pháirtí ó thaobh chúrsaí tithíochta de. Labhraíonn an Teachta gach aon lá faoin ngéarchéim ina bhfuilimid. Cad a dhéanann Sinn Féin áfach? Bíonn sé i gcoinne gach aon Acht a thagann isteach sa Teach seo chun an scéal a fheabhsú. Sin í fírinne na ceiste seo.

Deputy Doherty talks about me coming in every day and trotting out slogans. The only people who come in here trotting out populace sound bites with regard to housing is the said Deputy and his party. I am interested in solutions to the housing crisis, and we do have a housing crisis. I will say this to the Deputy. We decided in Fianna Fáil over the last two and a half years to take the portfolio of housing to make a difference. Close to 10,000 social houses were delivered last year. Close to 12,000 social houses will be delivered 2023. That is the highest figure on social housing since 1975.

The Deputy spoke about young buyers and asked what we are doing for young people who want to buy a house. The largest number of first-time buyers occurred last year when we reached 30,000 new builds in housing. The corner was turned last year. That went from 20,000 to 30,000 in one year, which is a massive increase in building in terms of new houses. How many young buyers and first-time buyers benefitted from the help-to-buy scheme? It was 33,000. What was Sinn Féin's position on that? It opposed it. The Deputy talks in this Chamber about helping young buyers and young purchasers; Sinn Féin opposed it. It opposed to first home scheme and the Land Development Agency. It kept on opposing and then to make it worse, in local authorities around the country, it opposed housing scheme after housing scheme. The Deputy talks out of both sides of his mouth on this. When it comes to the eviction ban-----

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