Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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12. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of cost rental homes delivered in Balbriggan in each of the past five years. [53572/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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My question is, as I generally try to make them, fairly straightforward.

For the avoidance of any doubt, the question refers to delivery for the previous five years, specifically to the tenure of the Minister's predecessor. It was the same Government but a different Minister. Plans for the future do not need to be included in this. I just want the figure, which I suspect is quite a round figure, of cost-rental deliveries in the town of Balbriggan.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for her question and the clarification. The Government has scaled up affordable housing delivery rapidly across all tenures since 2022 and continues to accelerate housing supply. Cost rental is a key element of the Government's strategy to improve affordability in the rental sector and to provide secure, long-term homes for moderate income households above the income limits for social housing, who may have difficulty affording rental accommodation in the private market. Overall, 14,500 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All and over 1,900 affordable housing supports have been delivered in Fingal since 2021, including 590 cost-rental homes.

In Balbriggan, affordable purchase homes have been delivered in Hampton Gardens and construction is under way on the LDA's Hampton Demesne development, which will comprise 817 affordable-purchase, cost-rental and social homes. These homes will be available in an array of housing options, including one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and two-, three- and four-bed houses. Housing delivery in Balbriggan is being supported by €25.4 million in urban regeneration and development fund investment to implement eight key projects under the Our Balbriggan rejuvenation plan. With €8.5 million matched funding provided by Fingal County Council, work is well under way on these projects to regenerate the heart of the town, including new public spaces to transform the Quay Street and harbour areas in support of sustainable, compact growth.

Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners, including Fingal County Council, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency and the first home scheme to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2026 and beyond, and to ensure the affordable housing programme responds effectively to the affordable housing needs identified at local level. Under the programme for Government, the Government committed to introducing a new starter home programme across the public, private and AHB sectors, a programme that will promote home ownership and secure long-term rental tenure for young people and fresh start applications. My Department is currently progressing that commitment and it will form part of the next housing plan.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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If the answer is "zero", will the Minister just say it? Is he embarrassed or ashamed? I would be if I was sitting where he is but I do not think the Government knows any shame.

The answer is "zero". As we are here this morning, the average rent in north County Dublin is €2,223. The Minister might tell me who is going to be able to afford that rent because people on an ordinary income simply cannot. Even if they could scrape together all of that money, they would absolutely never be able to save for a deposit on a house because to the Minister's mind, an affordable house is more than €500,000.

If the answer is "zero" for the past five years with regard to cost-rental homes for Balbriggan, one of the fastest growing towns in this State, the Minister should at least have the decency to be honest with me and my constituents and tell them the figure is zero. He can ramble on about the Balbriggan strategy, Quay Street and all of that. We are well aware of that. We know that. I asked the Minister a very specific question and I am seeking a fairly specific answer.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I know the Deputy never wants to hear good news or progress but just wants to-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I want an answer from the Minister.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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-----focus on the negatives.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I want an answer. I am entitled to an answer.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Government consistently acknowledges there is a massive affordability issue in this country. That is why we have brought in significant affordable measures-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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How does the Minister think it happened?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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-----which Sinn Féin opposes again and again. We have an affordability problem and a viability problem in this country. We are addressing both. I was delighted to be in Balbriggan only a few weeks ago turning the sod on 817 affordable-purchase, cost-rental-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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That does not answer my question. Can the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach direct the Minister to answer my question please?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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-----and social homes. They are real homes, there are shovels in the ground, and homes being built in Balbriggan.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I am entitled to-----

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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In a minute, Deputy.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I know the Deputy does not want to hear about that. She wants to pretend those houses do not exist, that we are not doing these things-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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Could the Minister stop that nonsense? I have to face the people in my constituency who are facing homelessness.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister to respond without interruption, please.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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------with URDF funding and that we are not doing other projects in Balbriggan, but that is what we are doing. This happens every time I come in.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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These amateur dramatics on the Minister's part will not build a single house. He knows it.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I know it upsets the Deputy's social media plan when I start to say the positive things that are happening, so she likes to talk over me to ensure there is no possibility of anybody being able to hear anything I am saying that is positive. It is an ongoing tactic from the Opposition benches.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister should suigh síos. His time is up.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It is really disingenuous.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister should check the clock.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My time is up but the reason I am still talking is the Deputy will not give me an opportunity to say anything.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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Check the clock.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy to respond.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister acknowledges that there is an affordability problem. Mother of Jesus. He acknowledges that there is a viability problem. Does he know what the problem is? We have a Government problem. The people in Balbriggan are at the business end of a Government-sponsored problem. The average cost of rent in north County Dublin is €2,223. I asked the Minister a simple question: how many cost-rental homes have been delivered in Balbriggan in the last five years? Not only did I ask the Minister the question, I gave him a week to answer it and to do research. The answer, the Minister and I both know, is "zero". He has delivered zero by way of cost-rental homes for people living in Balbriggan and that is why they are in my constituency office day in, day out, telling me they are facing eviction. Mothers are telling me their kids are going to have to emigrate because they cannot afford to live in north County Dublin and that is on the Minister.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy really gave the game away when she talked about government. Sinn Féin is obsessed with getting into government instead of providing solutions. It has abandoned all attempts now in terms of providing solutions for housing. The public rejected its proposed solutions in the last general election.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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Yes, and supported the people who said they were building 40,000 homes.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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We hear very little about those proposals anymore because it does not want to talk to them-----

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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If the answer is "zero", the Minister could say it and sit down.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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"A home you will never own" simply did not work with the people.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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He could just say "zero".

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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Could the Deputy please have respect now?

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The same tactics.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Here we are again. I am back on my feet, trying to give an answer and once again, the Deputy is trying to talk over me.

Getting into government for government's sake is not going to work. The Deputy has to provide solutions. We are providing solutions. I turned the sod only a few weeks ago on 817 affordable, cost-rental and social homes and more homes will be delivered in Balbriggan as well. Our plan is working, we will deliver homes that are needed, and I am happy to hear any solutions from the Opposition if it wishes to put forward some.