Is the proposal for dealing with No. 19, motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Planning and Development (Urgent Social Housing Supply) Policy Directive 2015, agreed to?

I do not agree with this proposal. This is a proposal to discuss emergency measures in relation to housing, such as the modular housing proposal which is extremely controversial, in five minutes in the Dáil. That is effectively what is being proposed. We have already seen that the Government does not consider that we have a housing emergency but it is incredible to come to the Dáil with such a serious proposal and expect us to debate it within five minutes.

It was in committee.

We have already heard - it is coming out of local authority chambers - that these modular or prefabricated buildings, whatever one wants to call them, will probably cost more than actual houses and the Tánaiste expects to debate it in Dáil Éireann in five minutes. This is adding insult to injury to the thousands of homeless people or people on a housing list who are out there waiting for serious measures to be taken. I propose that we reject this and that we extend that debate.

Does the Deputy want us to leave them on the street?

This is only leaders of groups now.

My party objects to the guillotining of this in 20 minutes. Twenty minutes is a ridiculously short timeframe to debate an important issue. We support the taking of action to deal with this issue but 20 minutes is an insult, with no opportunity for Opposition spokespersons and Deputies to put questions to the Minister.

We need more democracy.

For example, can we have an assurance that the Attorney General has given the legal approval to this in the sense that temporary accommodation, which is undefined in terms of the duration, is fully legally proofed? These are important questions. We do not want this initiative to blow up in the Government's face. It needs to be dealt with in a mature and responsible way and we need to debate legitimate issues relating to this in this House. There is no need for a 20 minute guillotine. It is ridiculous.

I want to raise my party's objections also. I stated on the previous matters that 20 minutes was woefully inadequate. This, equally, is the case here. Twenty minutes is derisory. It does not give the scope for what could properly be called a debate, and on an issue with such urgency and importance for so many at this time, I am at a loss as to why Government would insist on such a short time span.

As Deputies will probably be aware, this was debated at length in the committee.

In response to Deputy Coppinger, the reason the modular housing construction is expensive is because it has such high standards of insulation construction.

I am sorry, Deputy Coppinger may not have bothered to go down and see them.

We did.

They are available to see.

The reason they are expensive-----

Did the Attorney General see them?

Did Deputy Cowen go and see them?

-----is because they are of a very high standard, and a much higher standard of insulation than a lot of traditional build houses.

Pay more for temporary than permanent.

I am now putting the question.

They cost €191,000 each.

Order, please.

These are modular housing.

Deputy, please.

They cost €191,000 in Ballymun.

Deputy Ellis, please.

Some 22 cost €4.2 million. Is the Government living in another world or something?

Is the proposal for dealing with No. 5 to 7, inclusive, without debate agreed to? Agreed.