Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

Would the Minister agree that his Government's record on housing over the first 100 days has been an unmitigated disaster? A total of 15,376 people are in emergency accommodation, housing completions are down by 6.7% and social and affordable targets are down by 18%. These are figures that the Government knew about before the election but has not yet explained why it stayed quiet about them. To top it all off, search parties have to be sent out for the housing Minister because nobody has a clue who he is. Before he even took up his post he announced that he needed a housing tsar. What this is bringing back is the golden circle hangover and headaches of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael from past eras. Brendan McDonagh, the favoured candidate, was to be hired on a salary of €430,000. He is to go back to his other State job on the same salary unless the Government takes action.

It was revealed in The Ditch that Mr. McDonagh had bought a house in Cabra under the name of Brendan McDonagh in September 2014 but had used two aliases on the same property. If someone has a love of the Irish language, he or she normally uses aliases and names in other forums and not just in relation to property. PB McDonncha registered the property and Pádraig McDonncha sought five planning permissions on the property. I am just wondering what due diligence the Government did about the candidate. Why would somebody use two different aliases? Does the Minister know? How would a house in Cabra command a rental of €10,226 per week? It is not the Riviera. There are so many questions that need to be investigated. Is the Minister aware of any other properties Brendan McDonagh may have registered in another name? Is this a case of somebody in the property sector who is gaming the system because he is in the know? Will the Government investigate this now that Mr. McDonagh is moving back to another State job?

Why do we need a so-called housing tsar on a salary that is ten times the average wage of a teacher or nurse who cannot afford a house? It is crystal clear what needs to be done. There are State lands and there is money in the State coffers. In the Minister's constituency, Fingal County Council has a huge land bank at Scribblestown, Elmgreen, Dunsink of 247 acres.

It has asked the Government for €200 million. All the Minister for public expenditure needs to do is write a cheque. He does not need a housing tsar to do that for him. According to a council meeting last October, at which councillors from the Minister's party were present, that site could provide 7,000 houses. It is a strategic land bank for the county of Dublin and for the Minister's constituency of Dublin West, where so many are suffering. Will he fund that land bank? Do we need a tsar for that?

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