Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

When I am out knocking on doors in Dublin South-West and speaking with constituents, housing is undoubtedly the issue that is raised with me most often. Whether it is young people stuck in a rental trap handing over extortionate amounts of their hard-earned income to a landlord and unable to save for a deposit, parents whose child is unable to move out of a childhood bedroom or older people looking to downsize in their community, I do not recall a single instance in which anyone has ever proposed more of the same as a solution to our housing catastrophe. The Taoiseach's comments in recent days will be extremely concerning to these people because not only did the Government seem to be offering more of the same, but it also seems to want to turbocharge the worst elements of its failed policies which have put home ownership even further out of reach for workers and families, caused rents to skyrocket, given us record levels of homelessness and left a generation bereft of hope and looking to emigrate.

Who exactly is the Government listening to when it comes to housing policy? Who is it loyal to? It appears that wealthy developers who view housing as an investment asset rather than a public good have the ear of the Taoiseach over the Government's own Housing Commission. The Housing Commission was clear that a radical reset of housing policy is required if we are to have any hope of fixing the issue. Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that a slew of tax cuts for wealthy developers was what the Housing Commission had in mind. None of this was included in the manifestos of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, nor did it any of it appear in the programme for Government. Coupled with the total misrepresentation of the housing completion figures for last year, voters have been sold a pup.

As my party colleagues outlined, the Labour Party is clear in its position. The State has to take the lead on housing. That is what this motion is about. It is about the State taking a more active role in the delivery of homes. Only the State can ensure the type of joined-up thinking that delivers the level and mix of housing that we need but that also allows communities to develop and flourish. The private sector, developer-led approach has failed on all these counts. The State must take a more active role in the housing market through a beefed-up Land Development Agency so that we can deliver the houses we need and bring this joined-up thinking that enables communities to grow and thrive. We must treat housing as a social good and a right rather than a commodity. That is the solution to this housing crisis, not Fianna Fáil's Bertie-era tax cuts for developers.

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