Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The Central Bank stated this morning that the number of housing completions by the end of this year will be 32,000. The Taoiseach came in and told the House that the Central Bank is wrong and the number of housing completions will be 40,000. If a general election is held in February of next year, the likelihood is that before it is held, the Taoiseach will have been shown to be wrong. It will have been shown that the Government's housing policy has failed and the Government has failed in the targets it has stretched out. It will be a real embarrassment to the Taoiseach on the number one issue at the centre of that election. However, if an election is held in November, it will be the Taoiseach's word against the Central Bank's word. I think the Taoiseach has dropped rather a large hint because the Government will not reach the figure of 40,000.

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