Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for bringing this legislation to the House. I also thank the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for taking the sensible approach of waiving pre-legislative scrutiny to allow this Bill to progress quickly so that funding for housing can be increased to over €13 billion, which is critically important. This Government has made housing a top priority, as did the previous Government. While we can all quote statistics, one statistic that is really important is that, since Fianna Fáil took over in 2020, in partnership and coalition with Fine Gael, more than 140,000 new homes have been built and tens of thousands of vacant and derelict properties have been brought back into use. There might be 120,000 people in Australia claiming Irish heritage but there are more than 30 million in the US making the same claim. I am someone who had to leave this country when we were economically depressed and on our knees, but our country has come a long way since then.

I commend everybody who is working in the construction sector, doing all they can to renovate, regenerate and build new homes for all of our citizens. It is critically important, and for my party it is a top priority. This funding will enable local authorities and AHBs to directly deliver critically needed social and affordable homes to ensure that people can have access to a home. I also commend Dublin City Council for passing three new policy initiatives this week, and it will, in turn, avail of this funding. One such initiative involves the development in Glasnevin, in my own constituency, of over 8,000 new homes at Ballyboggin. The council also has plans to turn vacant, city-centre properties on North Frederick Street and Abbey Street into affordable cost-rental homes for key workers. I commend the Minister of State and departmental officials on bringing forward this legislation and I hope we can pass it swiftly this evening.