Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to debate this issue again. I also welcome the Minister of State to the House to report progress on the Rebuilding Ireland programme. As a former Minister of State with responsibility for housing, I know full well the commitment being given by the current Minister, Minister of State and staff in the Department to addressing what we all agree is a housing crisis. There must be a context for all debates and an explanation of how we arrived at this particular scenario. I was particularly worried to hear a Fianna Fáil Senator proposing zoning as the answer. I would argue that excessive zoning throughout this country is what got us into trouble in the first place.That is local authority zoning. That is different.