Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We were not the people in charge when the banking crisis collapsed the nation. The people who are sitting on the other side of the House must take responsibility for the car crash-state in which they left this country. Now we are trying to put the wheels back on and to move the country forward. We are trying to get the construction industry, banking sector and the entire country moving again. The construction industry needs to provide 20,000 units and at the moment we are only providing a fraction of that. We must realise where we are. Rent certainty is a key issue and not only for Dublin. Problems are not always just Dublin-based. The issue affects Cork also. We must not forget the other areas. The Minister said he is starting with those two cities but he will look at areas outside of them in January. He said he will focus on local authority wards because those areas are smaller demographic areas. He has thought through the legislation very well but it is now up to all the parties - the Labour Party, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin - to put politics behind them and to deliver something for the people. I have no problem being here up to Christmas Day if we need to be to do that, but we should not say the legislation is rushed. We will give it as much time as is wanted because the legislation is needed and it must be delivered.