Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It has brought forward a Bill. Ironically it had elements after it had eventually seen the light on a staggered approach to eviction notices. But we fundamentally disagree on extending the eviction moratorium because we believe that we must have a functioning market. You have to have private landlords. You cannot have a situation where they are not there. If they are leaving the market, tenants lose out because of it. The only measure it did bring forward was a €400 tax on landlords.

I looked at its record in the North. Deputy Ó Broin was a councillor in the North for many years. There were 835 houses built between 2021 and 2022 when there was a Sinn Féin Minister. There are 44,000 on the housing list. There are about 70% more on the housing list in the North relative by size to here.

We are building about four times more than what is being built in the North. We want to build more, but we are making very good progress.

Deputy Bacik referred to an evidence-based system. This is a policy from Labour, but it has not been thought through. Having a situation whereby if one person is removed from the homeless list over four consecutive periods, we will lift the ban is not a policy that has been thought through.

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