I call on Deputy McDonald.

Over the past number of weeks, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has championed the concept of co-living as a solution to the rental crisis. He has gone so far as to say that people should be excited by his co-living plan. One example of this exciting plan is being developed in Dún Laoghaire by Bartra Capital Property Group, and involves 208 studio dwellings that are around the same size as a parking space. It is proposed that on one floor 42 people would share one kitchen and for this exciting proposal, as the Minister puts it, rent would be in excess of €1,300 per month for what amounts to tenement living.

I am not sure about the Taoiseach, but I do not find that proposal exciting in the slightest. Given the public reaction to the Minister's new project, people in the real world do not find it exciting either; in fact, they have been angered by it. The Minister is so out of touch that he cannot seem to grasp that co-living is not an answer to the housing or rental crises. It is an insult to those seeking a safe and secure roof over their heads. Threshold has described these proposed developments as "21st century bedsits with a glossy makeover", and further said that they should not be viewed as a viable solution to the housing shortage. I agree with that assessment, because co-living has no place in our dysfunctional rental market. It is certainly not a solution.

It is, however, the clearest evidence of the biggest obstacle to tackling the housing crisis and that is the Taoiseach's Government. The most serious issue here is that the Minister thinks this is a good idea. Not only does he support and champion it, he doubles down on his message, and is saying to young people, in effect, that a box room with a fold-up bed and a kitchen shared by 42 people for €1,300 a month is as good as it gets. It is absolutely off the wall and it seems the reality of the Government's plan is bed and breakfasts and hotels for homeless children, two and three generations of families under one roof, ridiculous runaway rents, council housing waiting lists that will never be cleared, and the dream of one day owning their own home being totally shattered for many young people. This is as good as it gets on the Taoiseach's watch. Co-living and a perpetual rental crisis are all the Minister has to offer tens of thousands of people affected by the housing crisis. That is his record, his promise and his mantra. How does the Taoiseach defend this?

Deputy McDonald and myself may disagree on many aspects of housing policy, but I think everyone in this House agrees on one thing. At the core to the solution, though not the only solution, is additional supply and new homes and apartments for people who need them. Last year, 18,000 new homes were built in Ireland, up from 15,000 the year before and 9,000 the year before that. We are not building enough yet but we are definitely going in the right direction, and we see that in the fact that house prices are moderating and even falling in Dublin. This year we anticipate that between 20,000 and 25,000 new homes will be built, approximately. Those include houses and apartments of all types for different people such as social housing for people who have been waiting far too long on the housing lists, private homes for people to buy - because most people in Ireland still want to buy their own homes and I believe in homeownership - and homes to rent because many people need to rent for one reason or another. Of those 25,000 new homes, perhaps 1%, or four or five developments, will be co-living. It is important to put it into proportion. They are not going to replace traditional housing and apartments but it is another option for some people, particularly single people who do not want a house share. These developments are part of a housing mix in cities such as Copenhagen, Berlin, Vienna, which are held up as examples to follow by Sinn Féin and others. They generally consist of en suite studio apartments with a kitchenette, and common areas such as a gym, laundry, or movie room.

The controversy at the moment appears to relate to one particular development in Dún Laoghaire being put forward by Bartra Capital Property Group. This development has not had planning permission granted yet. The Deputy suggested in her question that it is proposed that 42 people would share one kitchen, but that would not be in line with the Government's co-living guidelines.

I anticipate that An Bord Pleanála, when it makes a decision on a planning application, would either refuse or significantly modify any planning permission that is not in line with Government guidelines.

I am simply reiterating the words of the Taoiseach's own Minister, who regards this co-living concept as "exciting". As a Minister he has championed it and recommends it as an exciting prospect. I think he is targeting this bizarre message at young professionals in particular. This is just a glamorised form of tenement living, with a boxroom no larger than the size of a parking space, a fold-down bed and shared common areas and kitchen facilities for €1,300 per month. If this is what the Minister regards as exciting and something to be embraced by the young people of Ireland, then we do not have to deliberate very much to understand what the problem is in terms of resolving the housing and rental crises. The Government and the Minister are so out of touch that they regard an insult such as this proposition as an exciting offer for young people. The Taoiseach has, no doubt, been around the country like the rest of us talking to people and canvassing for political support. He can be in no doubt that there is no support for this proposition. He can be in no doubt that there is a widespread consensus that his plans for tackling the housing crisis have manifestly failed.

I ask the Taoiseach to respond.

The Taoiseach and his Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, have been found out. This cock-and-bull story around co-living simply amplifies the scale of their failure.

Why did the Deputy not object to the guidelines when they were introduced 14 months ago?

There is no provision for Ministers to take Leaders' Questions.

What the Deputy is doing is what she so often does, which is fallacy, engaging in misrepresentation and being totally disingenuous. When the Minister made his comments he was referring to the concept of co-living and the guidelines, which were not opposed by Sinn Féin. What the Deputy is trying to do now is dishonest and disingenuous, by taking those comments and applying them to a particular development in Dún Laoghaire that does not even have planning permission yet. This is a party that has no solutions for housing. All they can do is launch personal attacks on others.

So says the Taoiseach, having just launched a personal attack.

They have no answers for anyone with a housing need.