Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

In my two minutes, I want to focus on the issue of affordable housing in Meath East for working people to buy and rent. I looked at daft.ie before I came to the Chamber. Four-bedroom second-hand properties are €535,000 to buy, on average, with three-bedrooms €430,000 and two-bedrooms €240,000. There are no properties at all to rent.

Not a single affordable unit has been delivered under this or the previous Government in Ashbourne, the biggest town in my constituency. There was a discussion across party lines among local councillors regarding a council-owned site and the issue of affordable housing, and I looked at the minutes of it, which state:

There was a lot of discussion around affordable housing and the Executive shares the Members concerns regarding the lack of affordable housing in the county generally and, in particular, in the settlements close to Dublin. However, it must be pointed out that changes in government policy will be required to address the situation, and this was highlighted to Minister Browne on his recent visit to the county as well as with direct meetings with the Affordable Housing Section within the DHLGH.

The affordable housing scheme from the Government does not work. The Minister of State's colleagues in Ashbourne, Fianna Fáil colleagues, agree with my party colleagues. Many would call them out as being hypocrites; I do not. I say fair play to them. They are absolutely right. They see it on the ground. The Government schemes are absolutely failing and they need to change.

I ask the Minister of State to fund affordable housing in Ashbourne and deliver affordable housing to rent and buy for working people. There needs to be a change in Government policy. It is clear the schemes do not work. As I said, not a single affordable house has been delivered in Ashbourne, the biggest town in my constituency.

It is totally unacceptable. It locks working families and working people out of homeownership and it has to change.

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