Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The foundations have not been dug, never mind there. That is the problem. There are 70,000 housing units with planning permission ready to go. Does the Tánaiste understand viability? Could he pass that information on to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage because he does not know what the specific planning policy requirement is? We do not get that in what the Tánaiste has spoken about, namely, the planning and development Bill. We get it from the document I received from the Minister, which is the greatest load of rubbish.

We have to introduce a specific planning policy requirement whereby county development plans are already formed in order to change densities. We are months away from doing so - perhaps six to 12 months. That is why there will not be houses built or first-time buyers purchasing homes. I am not worried about first-time buyers; I am worried with those being evicted by landlords who can no longer pay mortgages because of interest rates and for many other reasons.

The Tánaiste is expecting landlords to do his job without compensating them. We should not have an eviction ban. It is the Tánaiste's fault and the Government's fault. That is why we have it. The Government is expecting landlords to do its job. It has a solution but it does not understand it.

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