Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is disappointing that this motion on the private rental sector includes no recognition of the introduction of the rent tax credit, which allows a couple to claim a credit of €1,000 for 2022 and 2023 and €1,500 for 2024 and 2025 in respect of rents paid. Indeed, I see no mention of the credit on the Sinn Féin website. It is disappointing that this scheme for people in the private rental market is not being promoted by that political party. We all know the reasons for that. A number of Members referred to the opinion polls. When that party's showing starts to go down in the polls, we see motions brought forward on housing, which is the top issue of concern to people. With Sinn Féin at a four-year low in the polls, we are again seeing motions on housing but, as I said, no acknowledgment of the significant number of schemes available to people in both the rental market and for those looking to purchase a home.

In my county, a significant number of grants have been delivered, particularly in rural areas, under the Croí Cónaithe scheme, with either €50,000 or €70,000 available for people to renovate second-hand derelict or vacant homes. In fact, the local authorities are having to find more staff to administer the significant number of applications coming into them from people looking to do up their homes.We have a party that is against the schemes put in place by Government to allow people to buy and own their homes, with our help-to-buy and first home schemes. They are even against the waiver of developing levies, which is there to stimulate the housing market. They want homes, but they are opposed to every scheme or policy that has been put in place and is delivering homes. The facts are there in every county. The facts were mentioned earlier about the proposal and delivery under Fine Gael. We get criticised, even by some of the parties in government with us, which that tend to exonerate themselves from blame for the lack of housing. However, in its manifesto for the 2016 election, for the period from 2016 to 2021, Sinn Féin proposed that approximately 36,500 homes would be developed during that period. During the four-year period up to the 2020 general election, we exceeded that target. We have heard anecdotally about building houses in Dublin for €300,000. People in Dublin were running scared when they heard this proposal put forward. Someone would not build a house in County Longford, which has the lowest market value and probably the lowest site costs in the country, for €300,000 at the moment. The policies being put forward by Sinn Féín are pure madness. The sooner that people, in particular the younger generation, get the facts the better. The spin machine is spinning. Once Sinn Féin goes down in the polls, its members crank it up again and come out with a manifesto and proposals that are not workable and will not deliver houses for the young people of this country.