Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and thank him for the debate we are having. I commend the committee of which Senator Boyhan is a member for the work that it has done. As a former Chair of a committee, I think the debates we are having here, and which should also be held in the other House, are of extreme importance given the matters on which joint committees work. The previous Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Seán Barrett, made a proposal to have debates in the Houses on reports produced by the committees. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission and the Business Committee should expedite that proposal because it is important to have debates on the work of committees.

I commend the Minister for this work and his proactivity. Undoubtedly the report which we are debating tonight and the issue of the housing sector are matters in which we are very much immersed, because we all live in communities in which we recognise the importance of social housing, private housing, rentals and short-term letting. We all desire the delivery of more affordable housing and we are working towards it. That is what Rebuilding Ireland is about. Contrary to what Deputy Swanick said, the Taoiseach is very much aware of, and is very committed to, the issue of housing and has prioritised it in his tenure as leader of the Government. I ask the Senator to read Rebuilding Ireland and to look at Building a Republic of Opportunity and the Taoiseach's speech last Friday night in order to see his commitment to the issue.

We can have ideological differences about the procurement and provision of housing. I agree with the Minister on homesharing. I welcome his nuanced approach to the issue and what he said, which Senator Boyhan pointed out, about having an evidence-based approach. It is what we need and the committee's report has said as much. If those of us who are old enough to have been students in the 1970s and 1980s cast our minds back, many families in Bishopstown, where I live, had students in their houses. This was called "digs". They paid to have a room, meals were provided and the family had the positive experience of having a student in the house. As the Minister said in his speech, it also allowed the family to raise extra money. We need to further explore the Minister's points in respect of his primary goals in the areas of the market, the facilitation of householders who are renting, and the quality of accommodation, along with mitigating costs.

If I might digress for a minute I will return the Minister's final point in his speech, about the ESRI and daft.iereports. I commend Government and Cork City Council. Some €155 million will be expended by Cork City Council, with Government, on the provision of 634 units, which underlies the importance of housing for this Government and for the Fine Gael Party. That money is for the construction of social housing in Cork city. It belittles the usual mantra which will hear from some in this Chamber regarding Fine Gael and its social housing policy. Senator Ó Clochartaigh may well look at me with amusement. We will be delivering €155 million over a list of projects across northside-----