Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Politicians need to think outside the box in order to tackle the housing crisis. One great outcome of this initiative, apart from building so many much needed homes, is the cross-party support which was achieved. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has representation from every party and none. The fact that this intense political rivalry could be set aside in order to tackle this crisis is a positive sign. It certainly beats the merry-go-round feel of how this issue is tackled here in the Oireachtas.

We have had a succession of Ministers. We have had Departments chopping and changing. We have had figures leaked or released at times designed to reduce their impact. We have had several sets of figures released late on Friday evenings or on the bank holiday weekends and as a result, it is hard to find consistency within Government.

There are now over 10,000 waiting on social housing lists in Dublin South Central and thousands of other individuals and families who do not qualify for social housing support and are struggling to pay rising private rents and who will never have any form of secure tenure without support.

This is what the Shanganagh plan is about. We have put aside party political rivalry and drawn up a plan that can deliver 540 homes. This plan can deliver quality social and affordable homes in a mixed tenure development based on the continental urban village design model. This is the most appropriate design model for the Shanganagh Castle site.

The longer the Government spends spinning figures and plans, the more it will be left up to individuals, such Councillor O'Brien and his colleagues, to come up with initiatives to tackle this crisis. Maybe it is because councillors - I have been one - are at the coalface, and see every day the devastation that long-term homelessness has on human beings, families and communities, that they are spurred into such unprecedented and non-partisan work. I urge the Minister to examine this proposal and see the benefit of cross-party work on this issue.

Yesterday we were subjected to a five-minute rant in this Chamber by a Minister against Sinn Féin which was completely off point.