This morning it is being reported that the Cabinet could not agree the summer economic statement yesterday, due to disagreements in government about funding for housing in advance of budget 2022. While this is very alarming news to those of us who want to see a massive increase in the construction of family homes, it is not surprising given the track record of the Government over ten years, including Fianna Fáil's track record in propping up Fine Gael under the so-called confidence-and-supply deal, during which Fianna Fáil claimed it had secured a housing budget year after year. It did not. What it did was acquiesce to Fine Gael housing policy at every turn and it is still at it; continuing with Fine Gael's failed models of housing delivery, including long-term leasing, which represents nothing but bad value for the taxpayer.

In May, it was reported that there was another disagreement at Cabinet. On that occasion, the Fine Gael leader, Deputy Varadkar, pushed back when the Taoiseach suggested the Government should make housing its number one priority. Now, it seems that his Fine Gael colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, is not content with signing off on an increase in the funding to be allocated for housing. This is incredible. The level of current funding is woefully inadequate. Anyone with an ounce of wit or any sense of the depths of the housing crisis knows that. The Taoiseach should not just take my word for it. Last month, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, called on the Government to double capital investment in public housing; to provide €4 billion annually to deliver 18,000 public houses and homes that workers and families can afford on public land. We in Sinn Féin have been telling the Government this for years. That is the scale of what is required to tackle the crisis.

When in opposition, Fianna Fáil signed up to the 2018 Dáil motion from the Raise the Roof campaign. Does the Taoiseach remember that? The motion also called for a doubling of investment in public housing. During the general election in 2020 Fianna Fáil campaigned on a commitment to deliver 20,000 social and affordable homes every year for five years but once it joined Fine Gael in government, it very quickly abandoned those promises and once again fell under the shadow of Fine Gael's failed housing policies.

Budget 2021 saw the same inadequate level of investment in social and affordable housing as all of the budgets before it. This year, things must change. The Government must finally listen to the advice of Sinn Féin, the ESRI and more recently the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. The number of voices calling on the Government to do the right thing in housing grows ever wider and louder. My question is simple. Will the Taoiseach now commit to doubling capital investment in social and affordable homes to deliver at least 20,000 homes that workers and families desperately need and rightly deserve? Could he confirm that this will form part of the summer economic statement or is it a fact that his partners in government are pushing this back and preventing it from happening?

The Deputy's alleged facts are again wrong. There is no disagreement on the prioritisation of housing by this Government. In fact, over the past month or so we have seen a manifestation of the commitment by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to radically change the approaches to housing in terms of social housing, affordable housing, cost rental, getting voids back in use much more quickly, and in a whole range of supports for people to enable them to buy their own houses. The key issue will be supply.

The summer economic statement will outline the broad fiscal framework. The national development plan will outline the very significant capital investment the Government is going to undertake. The Housing for All strategy that the Minister will publish will equally outline a step change in terms of the construction of housing, social and affordable and right across the board, in terms of what is required. We all know that we need to build more houses. That is the key point.

The Deputy has asked me to listen to Sinn Féin. With the greatest respect, I have heard her party pontificate about housing on an ongoing basis, but it comes up with very few, if any, solutions. This is a political game for Sinn Féin. Its politics are fraudulent in terms of what it is doing here. It wants to exploit housing for electoral gain and no other reason. It does not ever come forward with substantive, clear solutions but it opposes a lot and it speaks out against a lot of initiatives that are taken. I do not know whether the Deputy wants me to listen to her and her party when they continue to oppose houses up and down the country. Is that the advice she wants me to take? Does she want me to stop the thousands of houses Sinn Féin has opposed and voted against in Dublin, for example? Is that the advice she wants me to take from her party? Is Sinn Féin really sincere about wanting more houses built, when it has stopped social and affordable houses in Tallaght, Clondalkin, Donabate and Swords? Is that the advice she wants me to take from Sinn Féin?

Some 22,000 people benefited from the help-to-buy scheme. Sinn Féin opposed the scheme. The Minister came forward recently with affordable housing initiatives, which Sinn Féin railed against. I noticed that despite railing against them, Sinn Féin quietly voted for them. That is interesting. It illustrates the degree to which this is a political game for Sinn Féin. There is a lack of sincerity at the heart of what Sinn Féin is about when it comes to the housing problem. The party says one thing in here and it does something alternative when it counts on the ground in terms of various projects because it is afraid of losing local electoral support.

The Housing for All strategy will represent the largest investment in social housing in the history of the State over a sustained period. It will also represent significant State intervention to provide affordable homes on State land for people who need to be able to access such houses. It will also outline supports for people who are in the market to buy houses, in particular, younger people. The Minister has already moved to take action on rent. In rent pressure zones, rents will not be allowed to increase beyond inflation in the future.

There has been a 48% reduction in homelessness among families in the past 12 months. That is good progress but it is not enough. We want to do more, and we must do more to deal with homelessness and in giving people access to all types of housing. The cost rental initiative is a very good one. That will make progress and it will expand in the future also. The legislation that has come through the House in the past six weeks in terms of the Land Development Agency and other matters, that Sinn Féin railed against, will make a difference-----

I thank the Taoiseach. The time is up.

-----to house construction in this country.

No amount of personalised invective, ducking and diving or failing to answer questions can disguise the fact that this Administration, under the leadership of the Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, is failing miserably, most especially in terms of housing. The Taoiseach's response and the manner in which he bristles at the notion of being held to account as the Head of Government are nothing short of extraordinary.

Let me repeat my question. Will the summer economic statement contain the resources we require to tackle the issue of affordable and social housing, which people desperately need? The programme for Government commits the Government to examining the issue of defective housing. This was to be done within its first 12 months and was in response to a report by my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, entitled "Safe as Houses?", through the housing committee. This will require resourcing, as will the commitment to the people of Donegal, Mayo and beyond in respect of the mica scandal and the need for 100% redress. The media suggests-----

I thank the Deputy, but time is up.

-----that the working group in respect of defects is behind schedule. It was also suggested that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was trying to limit redress options. Is that true?

Please, the time for questions from the Deputy has elapsed.

Will we have the resources that we desperately need to tackle the housing crisis?

The issue in terms of tackling the housing crisis will not be one of resources. It will be one of delivery and getting projects built - getting them built in Tallaght, getting them built in Clondalkin, getting them built in Galway, Cork and around the country. That means that parties such as the Deputy's no longer have the luxury of opposing significant housing projects when it suits them to do so for votes on the ground. She has never responded to the points I have made to her in that regard. I have listed them all out: 975 homes being built in Clondalkin, but Sinn Féin opposed them; and 500 homes in Tallaght, 278 in Swords and 1,200 in Donabate. The Deputy has never explained to me how she thinks opposing those projects advanced the need to increase supply. We do not have enough supply.

A Cheann Comhairle, these are actually questions to the Head of Government.

The resources will be there-----

If you want to swap seats with me-----

Deputy, please.

I am saying this collectively. The Government will-----

-----I am more than happy to do that-----

I would say to the Deputy-----

-----but I would prefer that you answer the questions that I have put to you.

The Taoiseach without interruption.

-----that she should be under no illusion, and I would-----

No, a Cheann Comhairle. We have had-----

Deputy, please.

Sorry, a Cheann Comhairle. With respect-----

With respect, I have the floor, Deputy.

-----we have had session after session-----

A Cheann Comhairle-----

-----in which the Head of Government will not answer questions.

-----I lead a Government that will invest more in social housing than any other in history. I lead the Government that will get the State and local authorities building homes again despite Sinn Féin's objections-----

Time is up now, please.

-----and I lead the Government that will face Sinn Féin down-----

Answer the questions that are put to you.

Please, Deputy.

-----and everybody else who tries just to object for their own electoral advantage.

Yes, that is right, Micheál. Well done. Good man.

Could I ask Members please to stick to the time allowed? I do not make up the rules around this. The House has that responsibility.

I appreciate that and my dispute is not with the Ceann Comhairle or anyone else on the Opposition benches-----

This is out of order.

-----but we have a Taoiseach who-----

I ask the Deputy to resume-----

I am sorry, but what is going on here is out of order.

-----flatly refuses to answer questions-----

Resume your seat, Deputy, please.

-----and reacts in that hysterical manner when he is held to account. It is truly shocking.

Please, resume your seat. I call Deputy Catherine Murphy on behalf of the Social Democrats.