Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Irish housing crisis has become a contentious political issue in recent years, with successive governments failing to address the problem effectively. Despite the current Government's promises to take action and implement policy changes to tackle the crisis, the lack of focus and commitment has resulted in limited progress.

One of the main reasons for the Government's failure to address the housing crisis is a lack of political will. Housing policy is often complex, with many stakeholders involved, including developers, landlords, tenants and local authorities. It requires long-term commitment and sustained investment by Government, which have been lacking in recent years.

Another issue is the lack of a coherent strategy to address the crisis. Various initiatives have been launched, such as the Government's flagship housing scheme, Housing for All. The approach has been piecemeal and lacking in ambition. The scheme has been criticised for being too focused on private developers, with little emphasis on social housing that is urgently needed to address the homelessness crisis.

Additionally, the Government has failed to fund the housing sector adequately, with investment levels falling short of what is needed to address the scale of the problem. There has been a reluctance to invest in public housing, with the Government opting to rely on private developers to provide affordable homes. However, this approach has been inadequate, with private developers failing to build enough homes to meet demand, resulting in spiralling rents.

In the small amount of time I have left, I must talk about the issues that affect the constituency of Cork South-West. Genuine young people trying to start out in life might get a little bit of a loan from a bank but are refused planning permission, one after another after another. There is a scenic route and a report must be submitted on every kind of farcical thing that those concerned want to talk about, including worms, pigs and snails.

I would like to criticise Sinn Féin even though I will be supporting this motion. I would like to criticise the attack of Sinn Féin and the Labour Party on Independents. You cannot tar everybody with the same brush. I stand over my record in this Dáil, and neither Sinn Féin nor the Labour Party will dictate to me. I did not support the Government last week and got criticised as if I were one of the Independents who did.

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