A freedom of information request that I received showed that 15,000 people applied for just 75 homes in Cork city in a seven-week period. That is an average of 200 families for every home that came on choice-based letting, CBL. In just one allocation, seven two-bedroom properties received 945 applications. The Tánaiste talks about the Government turning a corner but for the 938 families that were devastated when they did not get a home, that does not sound like anything. I will offer two other examples. There are ten houses in Carrignavar that Cork County Council wants to buy but Irish Water will not connect them. There are 24 homes in Knocknaheeny that have been under construction for five years. A total of 544 families got notices to quit in Cork in the first three months of this year. Despite this, the Tánaiste is telling us that we are turning a corner. What is the Government going to do for the people of Cork who are crying out for homes?

The Deputy must know that the Government has invested hugely in Knocknaheeny in terms of the regeneration programme, house building and education and it will continue to do so. Likewise, house building in Cork is strong. CBL is the methodology by which people want to choose a particular house in a given location. We have dramatically increased social house building and the Deputy should acknowledge this. In fairness to Deputy Eoin Ó Broin, notwithstanding his propaganda and polemic on "Morning Ireland" this morning, he did acknowledge that there had been a significant improvement in house building in the past two to three years. That has happened in Cork as well, but we need to build more housing and we need fewer objections.

It was 15,000 people, Tánaiste.

Today the Residential Tenancies Board index for the last quarter of 2023 has brought yet more grim news for those locked out of home ownership. It shows that new tenants are paying hundreds of euro more in rent than existing renters. This report is just another symptom of poor political choices on housing made by the Government. The decision not to pass the Labour Party's renters' rights Bill is one such decision. The lack of action on enforcing laws against rogue landlords is another. The unjustifiable delay in raising the home building targets is another poor decision, because we all know that supply is the answer. The Tánaiste said this himself earlier. The Labour councillor Marie Moloney spoke out this week about the fact that there are two people in their 90s and a dozen people in their 80s on the housing list in Killarney alone. This is the real human consequence of a failed housing policy. I will ask the Tánaiste three questions. Will the Government introduce stronger protections for renters? We have a Bill in place for that. Will the Government beef up enforcement for landlords who break rent pressure zone laws? Will the Government expedite publication of the revised housing targets?

You can only ask one question in this slot.

They are related.

I have already answered. There are enforcements. The RTB is taking action and has sanctioned landlords in respect of breaches. Some 77% of the breaches were in respect of the rent pressure zones. Supply is the key. People can pluck figures out of anywhere but real targets have to take in a number of factors. We know that this year we should be a position to build 33,000 or 34,000 houses. It could be in that range, which will exceed the target. One cannot simply say a year in advance that we will have 50,000 next year and wave a magic wand,-----

But ambition is needed.

-----which most political parties seem to be adept at doing right now. We need to be real and be honest with people. Yes, we need to increase supply but unfortunately, I have seen very little policy on increasing supply from anybody in the Opposition.