Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State clearly knows what I have said to him. Council officials have probably blown the whistle on him if they are saying there will be no social or affordable housing in the areas of Dublin 2, 4 and 6. They are already implementing that policy. The Minister of State mentioned provision in an off-site development nearby. That is not what happened in the South Lotts strategic development zone. The units are being provided in Rialto, a different housing area, more than 3 km away. Therefore, the Minister of State, with respect to any of the answers he has given, has not satisfied my concerns. He has confirmed that the community's fears in this respect are real. The 350 social units on the Poolbeg West site are now in danger. The Minister of State's commitment to the 550 social and affordable units is now questionable.

I have asked the Minister of State for clear answers but he has not given any. He has avoided a straight answer. I will give him a clear warning. If there are changes in the strategic development zones, that may very well undermine all the strategic development zones not only in Dublin but across the country and cause a further worsening of the housing crisis.The Minister of State and the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, are in charge of housing and have a responsibility to deliver on the objectives of the SDZ, but they are not doing so. They have allowed the officials in Dublin City Council to choose not a nearby off-site location but a distant off-site location. This is not acceptable to the communities of Ringsend, Irishtown and Pearse Street and the Government must pull its socks up and start to deliver on the objectives of the SDZ and under Part V which clearly states there can be an off-site allocation but that it must be nearby. That is not happening in the city and it is not the intention of the Department's officials for it to happen in the city. The Government needs to wake up and smell the roses.