Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Even Threshold, under questioning, accepted that point. We need to have evidence-based policymaking. One of the concerns I have around this debate is that far too often, we have numbers thrown around without sufficient levels of evidence-based policymaking.

Tied in with that is that one of the problems we have in this country is a shortage of hotel accommodation. Paul Kelly of Fáilte Ireland reckons that we are short, even in Dublin city alone, to the order of 5,000 beds. One of the things I find interesting is that some of those who criticise Government housing policy and who object to housing in the city are even more vociferous in their objection to more hotels being allocated in the city. If we have a shortage of hotel accommodation, however, that also has knock-on impacts within the housing sector and it needs to be addressed.

I am tired of hearing that the Government is doing nothing and so on. The ultimate question in this is about supply. I have not heard once from the Opposition a welcome for the fact that we got 30,000 homes built last year, and that, as the Minister said, in the last quarter of last year 6,000 social and affordable homes were provided. They are real homes and families.