Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a very serious issue, and I repeat that an issue that is serious deserves a serious response. When I was elected leader of my party and then Taoiseach less than a year ago, I made it very clear that we all needed to work together to fix housing for once and for all. At the start of this new Dáil, we should not seek to divide on this matter. We should actually seek to come into these Houses with constructive ideas as to how we can do more together to ensure the aspiration of people wanting to own their own homes is realised for more and more people, that we get people out of the box rooms in their mums' and dads' homes and we give them the ability to own their own home. That is what we have to do.

Just over 7,000 homes were being built after the financial crash. Working together with colleagues in the previous Government, we increased this to more than 30,000 per year. Let us be very clear. The Deputy is correct.

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