Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)

I will echo the points made by other Deputies because the Minister of State, like his ministerial colleagues, has come in here and talked about the need for the Opposition to bring forward solutions. I understand Ministers and Ministers of State need to put forward their narrative, but in truth they realise there is plenty of substance and detail. The Taoiseach loves that word; he loves to talk about "substance". Reams upon reams of potential solutions have come from this side ranging from broad, major schemes about how projects would be funded down to the technical and detailed in terms of boarded-up houses and how their repair might be properly funded. That includes how small and medium builders can be assisted with low credit finance to bring back derelict housing in our towns and cities. Very few of these solutions ever get taken on by the Government and even when they are, it is dragged kicking and screaming. It walks away from them as well. The tenant in situ scheme is the classic example. It is something that should have been done ten years ago but then where councils have gone to reach their targets, the Government has kicked the ladder away from them. I do not know what kind of confidence it is going to give to councils about reaching targets of any kind in future if they know they are going to be left on the hook. That is the reality.

The Taoiseach talks about substance, but there is plenty of substance coming from this side. What I see from the other side are solutions that are not only not working but that are making things worse. We have record homelessness, substantial increases in houses prices, substantial increases in rent and policies that are making things worse. There is a house for sale in Turner's Cross, very near where the Taoiseach is from for €385,000. It will almost certainly go for well in excess of €400,000. Just five years ago that house was €225,000 and five years before that it was €137,000. These houses are skyrocketing in price because of the Government's policies. Not only is the Government adding fuel to fire where the price of housing is concerned, it is removing protections. The fire is lit, the Government is adding petrol to it and it is removing the fireguard and the protections. It makes no sense and there is certainly no substance to it.

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