Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this very important motion. For years, the housing crisis has been the defining crisis in this State. It has left thousands of single people and families, including children, growing up in emergency accommodation. It has seen huge numbers of young people leave our shores to live in Australia, Canada and elsewhere because they feel they will never be able to own a home of their own or start a family here. It has disrupted the lives of so many people across society.

During this entire time, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have completely and utterly failed to get to grips with this crisis. The Government has made the crisis worse with its plans failing year on year. Those in opposition, housing experts and many others have been telling the Government that a radical reset of housing policy is needed. By that, we mean building more affordable homes. In other words, homes that are affordable for ordinary workers. The Government's actions have benefited the developers time and again. They have inflated already high house prices and left renters out in the cold.

My colleague Deputy Ó Broin produced the most comprehensive plan ever from an Opposition party. It sets out precisely how we can ensure that we have enough homes – private, affordable, social and cost rental - but the Government did not want to know. Instead, we have had Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael spokespersons in radio and TV studios gaslighting the public on how many homes were being built. They could not even own up to the fact that they were nowhere near the Government's already low targets.

It appears that somebody in government is listening. I refer to An Tánaiste. Who is he listening to? It is certainly not the Opposition, the housing experts or commentators. Nor is it the Housing Commission, which stated clearly that a “radical strategic reset of housing policy” is what is needed, including a large increase in social and cost-rental units. He is certainly not listening to those in homeless accommodation or those who are languishing on housing waiting lists for years. He is listening to the vulture funds who told him they want rent pressure zones scrapped. It is time the Government had a reset in order to make sure we deliver housing for people who are in crisis.

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