Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

In summary, I want the Taoiseach to stop screwing it up. That is actually what I want. I want the Taoiseach to take account of the fact and accept the fact that he is presiding over an emergency and a catastrophe. There are record levels of homelessness. This society is now so numbed to your failure that record numbers - there are almost 5,000 children in homeless accommodation - do not really cause a ripple in the public conversation. The Government has normalised its catastrophic failure. An entire generation is locked out of any prospect of homeownership and they cannot afford the rent.

They are voting with their feet. They are in Perth and Toronto. They are not in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, where we need them and their skill, energy and vitality. I asked the Taoiseach to explain comments from his housing Minister. I want him to answer straight. What did the Minister mean in respect of the one modest protection the Government has afforded to renters, in the rent pressure zones? What are his intentions? Is the Government siding again with the vulture funds or will it finally side with tenants?

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