Despite the enormity of what is happening in the Gulf region, there are issues at home which need to be addressed. Is the Taoiseach aware that, despite the economic slowdown, there has been no relief in the housing market and that property developers continue to fleece prospective house owners and young couples in particular? Is he aware that last week a property developer gazumped house prices from €198,000 to €214,000 over a three day period? How does the Taoiseach suggest young prospective house owners can ever hope to achieve the goal of home ownership? What steps do he and his Government propose to take to address this scandal, which has been continually highlighted and condemned? No serious action has been taken to put an end to gazumping?

Is the Taoiseach aware of Threshold's assertion that, even if current housing output targets are achieved by local authorities in the current year, they will still only just reach a level to reduce overall lists by some 1,400 per annum because of the increasing number of people coming onto the list out of necessity? This means that it will take some 30 years before those currently on lists will be addressed. This condemns many tens of thousands of men, women and children to unsuitable and unsatisfactory living conditions and, in the most severe cases, to living on our streets. Given these facts, what does the Taoiseach say to the countless number of people living in terrible living conditions, those who have to contend with outrageous rent demands and those facing massive mortgage demands which, even with double incomes, they cannot meet? This is all a result of the Government's failed policies on housing since 1997.

Housing supply is the key to holding prices down and helping people to become home-owners, which is the Government's stated policy. A record level of housing was delivered by the previous Government and, hopefully, this year some 55,000 houses will be provided, 12,000 of which are social and affordable housing. I know the Deputy agrees and that he merely forgot to say that was a record in the history of the State, but I am sure he will say so in his reply.

If we continue to maintain the level of housing supply, including affordable housing, from the changes that have been made in Part V of the Housing Development Bill and if we continue to develop the successful voluntary housing sector, it will be a great help. The voluntary housing agencies started small but a number of them are now providing quality housing to the less well-off and marginalised people, which has been a help. I agree with the further development of the voluntary housing sector to which the Deputy referred.

We should continue to increase supply. Land is another major issue because it is it rather than house prices which are causing costs to escalate due to the enormous speculation in the area. This is being looked at by the constitutional committee and we are also examining the Kenny report to address aspects of the situation.

The Government will introduce a private residential tenancy board, which is already working on an interim basis, for the private rented sector. The Private Rented Sector Tenancy Bill will be before the House in this session which will be important for controlling rent and improving and maintaining standards and facilities for people in rented accommodation.

Record numbers of houses are being built in the private sector, including affordable housing. Local authority lists have been maintained at a good level and there are record numbers of units in the voluntary housing sector. If we can continue to maintain that situation over a number of years, we will make a major impact on housing lists.

I am afraid it is not I who forgot, but rather the Taoiseach who has forgotten his Cabinet's facilitation of property developers by reneging on its responsibility to provide a percentage of affordable housing in developments. The Government facilitated this in legislation, passed since the resumption of this year's work in the House. He has also forgotten to respond to my question on gazumping and the disgraceful situation in Tallaght last week, where house prices rose by €15,000 or €16,000 over a three day period, placing beyond reach homes for which many young people, who are now left sitting high and dry, had organised finance.

The Taoiseach has also forgotten figures, released by his own Department, which show a 23.5% increase in the number of families on the housing waiting lists between 1999 and 2002, yet disgracefully, there has been a drop of €57 million in the allocation to the Department of the Environment and Local Government for the provision of social housing. How does the Taoiseach square all of that with the nonsense with which he responded to my question? He has answered neither my question nor the needs of the people who demand this Government takes action.

Hear, hear.

We have taken action.

The Deputy obviously does not want to hear that 55,000 houses have been built or that the figure is a record. He does not want to hear that in the voluntary housing sector—

The Taoiseach's own Department—

The Taoiseach, without interruption.

Let the Taoiseach speak.

The Deputy can listen now since he has wasted his minute. The voluntary housing sector is providing thousands more units than before. We have comprehensive strategies to deal with the homeless. Local authority figures, even where they are not records, are living up to high standards. We are to introduce a private rented sector Bill, which has never been done before—

What is the Taoiseach going to do about it?

People have paid lip-service to such a Bill for years, but the Government is implementing it. The 20% provision under Part V has not changed. The Deputy should have read the Act. It still applies. We made the Act workable so houses can be built. We could talk about what should be done and do nothing. We are now providing good quality housing speedily and at record levels—

Where are they?

—and if we can increase supply, prices will ultimately come back under control.

In your own mind.

That is what the Government is doing. It is providing good serviced land initiatives, has amended the planning law, put extra resources into the planning system and given high resources to the local authority system. All that is working.