Between 2020 and 2022, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage had a €1 billion underspend in its capital budget. It missed its targets for delivering affordable housing. In his budget speech, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, described housing as the biggest domestic challenge we face today, yet the Government decided it would not make housing the number one priority in its budget. In Dublin North-West, more affordable housing is being built by voluntary housing groups, such as Ó Cualann, than by the Government. While the number of such houses being built are small, it surpasses anything the Government is doing. When will the Government start building housing that is realistically affordable and in sufficient numbers to alleviate the housing crisis in areas I represent, such as Finglas, Ballymun, Santry, Whitehall, Glasnevin and Beaumont?

The budget provided a record allocation of €5.1 billion for housing. That will allow us next year to break all records when it comes to the provision of new public housing - social, cost rental and affordable. It is already clear the 2020s will be a record decade when it comes to public housing. No decade since the foundation of the State saw more social housing being built than will be the case this decade. It is important to point out that approved housing bodies such as Ó Cualann, the Peter McVerry Trust and Clúid get their funding from the Government. As they get almost all their funding from the Government, this is public housing.