Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is easy in these debates to get lost in the macro figures. I want to bring them down to what this Government's record on housing means for people in my county of Monaghan. There was a housing crisis when this Government was formed as a result of the actions taken previously by the two parties that primarily make it up. Four and a half years ago, when this Government came to office, house prices in County Monaghan averaged €168,000. This year, they average almost €250,000. When the Government came to office, rents in County Monaghan were on average €800 a month. New rents are now approaching €1,300 per month on average.

All the while, we have a homelessness crisis in rural County Monaghan that was simply unheard of a generation ago. Entire generations have been locked out of home ownership. I regularly meet people who are living with their parents at an age that simply would have been unheard of in previous times. We have the spectre of emigration returning to our county.

I heard, with some surprise, some Independent TDs spending longer in their contributions attacking Sinn Féin than attacking the Government. That tells me something. Either they have not read Sinn Féin's housing policy or they are purposely misrepresenting it to the House. Let me be clear about what Sinn Féin's housing policy would mean for a county such as Monaghan. It would mean social houses being built in every town and village at a scale that has never been seen previously. It would see, crucially, affordable houses for those people who the Government has locked out of the social housing scheme being built in every community. In contrast, the current Government has not delivered a single affordable house in County Monaghan and has no intention of doing so. Importantly, and the Independent TDs should take note, it would also ensure that small builders and contractors in counties such as Monaghan would be supported in building developments in towns and villages and supporting people who want to build their homes in a sustainable way in rural communities that are under pressure.

The choice is now stark for people in County Monaghan and across Ireland. Either we have another Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael Government and more of the crisis after crisis affecting families, workers and communities or we have a new departure, one that involves Sinn Féin's policies making a real change and, crucially, allowing people to purchase or build affordable homes in the communities they grew up in.

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