Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

First of all, I would reject completely the analysis of the Deputy. We have been listening to a lot of empty rhetoric on the side of the Opposition in respect of housing. As I said earlier, housing supply is not where we want it to be but it is significantly way up on where it was five years ago on an annual basis. In the second quarter of this year, there were very high figures - the highest since 2008. Now they need to be, and we need to get to 50,000 houses. The Deputy's savings plan is not going to do that this year, next year or the year after. Let us not pretend it would. There are factories out there in terms of modern methods of construction. I have visited them. Saying they would create a new factory for modular is not going to change the dial. They are out there. Modern methods of construction is now fully integrated into our house-building operations and we are continuing to work on that because it is an important dimension to housing.

The housing action plan will be published, certainly with the next five to six weeks.

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