Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are now four weeks out from the most important local and European Union elections for a generation and housing is the number one talking point at the doors. It is the biggest issue by far for workers and families across the State. After 13 years of Fine Gael in government, the housing crisis has gone from bad to worse. Rip-off rents continue to rise, homelessness has hit record levels and an entire generation is locked out of home ownership due to the sky-high house prices. On the watch of Fine Gael Governments, housing affordability has been torn to shreds. A new report published by MyHome.ie shows that nearly half of people are postponing buying a new home due to the cost of living. The Government's failure to deliver the affordable homes needed to rent and buy is at the heart of the problem. It has missed its affordable housing targets in each of the years since its so-called housing plan started. In the past two years, not one affordable home to rent or buy was delivered by the Government in Dublin city. It is the same story for Galway, Kerry, Wexford, Donegal, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Sligo and Tipperary, and I could go on.

The Government is very big on promises but very short on delivery. To make matters worse, the homes delivered through what the Government considers affordable housing schemes have price tags far beyond what ordinary workers can afford. I will give the Taoiseach an example. A house in a scheme in Clonburris in Clondalkin, Dublin is €425,000. That is close to half a million euro. It seems that is what the Government considers to be affordable. I think it is off the wall. It is little wonder the Taoiseach refuses to say what he regards as an affordable home. If we are to go by these schemes, his answer is "Sky high". It is no better when it comes to the Government's scheme for affordable homes to rent. I will give the example of Citywest, where rents are close to €1,800 a month. I do not know in what world that is deemed affordable rent. This is, nonetheless, what renters are getting on a Government scheme. They are ripped off by landlords and ripped off by the Government. The whole thing beggars belief.

The repeated failures of the Taoiseach's Government and its broken promises on affordable housing have real consequences for real families. Young people are stuck at home with their parents, unable to strike out on their own. Today, just over one quarter of 25- to 34-year-old people own their own homes. This is down from 60% in 2004. Some 40% of people under the age of 34 still live in their family home. That statistic alone should be enough for this Government to pack its bags. Fine Gael claims to be the party of home ownership but the truth is that it has never been harder for people to buy their own home. That is a direct result of Government policy. Is í an tithíocht an cheist is mó sna toghcháin áitiúla agus Eorpacha. Tá glúin gan fáil acu ar thithe ar phraghas réasúnta mar gur theip ar an Rialtas iad a chur ar fáil. Tá sé in am don athrú.

In his speech to his party's Ard-Fheis, the Taoiseach said he would fix housing once and for all. All three taoisigh who have led this coalition Government have made the same promise, and each time things got worse. My question is simple. Why is the Government repeatedly breaking its promises and failing on affordable housing?

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