Since last June, we in the Opposition have been seeking a serious debate on the Housing Commission's proposals and the Government has yet to facilitate that.

I hope it does so soon. It is hard to know where to start with the Taoiseach's rapidly unravelling housing plan. The Taoiseach cannot even convince his Fine Gael colleagues that his new approach is a good one. Yesterday, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, publicly slapped down some of the Taoiseach’s proposals. He recalled all the harm that was done by section 23 incentive schemes, a pointed reminder that Fianna Fáil tax incentives helped to bankrupt the country not so long ago.

Hear, hear.

If the Taoiseach cannot even win over his colleagues in Fine Gael, he is in big trouble. This is the party that transcribed developer lobby documents and turned them into government policy. Fine Gael was also the first to roll out the red carpet for investment funds and it has consistently failed to close tax loopholes exploited by international investors. However, even Fine Gael Ministers are baulking at the suggestion that enriching developers and funds even further is a solution to the housing disaster.

The Taoiseach is actually very close to understanding the problem in housing: he has acknowledged that his plan is not working and he has identified that there needs to be radical change, but doubling down on failed policy is not a change. It is more of the same and people out there cannot afford five more years of failure. Last week, Accord released a survey which found that 84% of people are putting off getting married and having a family due to the housing crisis. This is not just a housing disaster - it is a housing catastrophe. There are people the length and breadth of this country who feel locked out and left behind because the Government and previous governments have failed them.

Every time I raise the housing disaster, the Taoiseach tells me that the Social Democrats have no solutions or are not being constructive. That is just lazy spin. Tomorrow in the Dáil, we will discuss a Social Democrats motion on housing that puts forward real change and real credible solutions. The Taoiseach asked about how to finance housing construction. One of our proposals is to use some of the €160 billion that is on deposit in Irish banks to fund the construction of affordable homes. This has been done successfully for decades in France. Why not do it here? We also want to use EU funding streams to deliver affordable homes. When I said this to the Taoiseach last week, he dismissed it out of hand even though a report commissioned by one of his MEPs goes into great detail about how this can be done. That report was done by Housing Europe, which is the leading expert in how to fund the construction of affordable housing in Europe. The Taoiseach dismissed it out of hand. I do not know if anyone in the Government has even read the report.

I have two questions for the Taoiseach. Has he now dropped his proposals for tax incentives? Will the Government vote for and implement the constructive solutions put forward by the Social Democrats in our motion tomorrow?

As I said earlier, yesterday the Government took a number of key decisions on the national planning framework, which is key - I hope the Deputy agrees – and will lead to more zoning of land which is important given the numbers of houses that we have to build in the coming years. We approved an additional €450 million for 3,400 social, cost rental and affordable homes. In excess of €6 billion has been allocated for housing in State expenditure for 2025. We need about €20 billion to get to 50,000 per annum. That is the scale of the challenge. I respect the views the Deputy has put forward but I respectfully suggest they may not reach that gap in the level of investment we require.

I think the Irish banks should do more and I think the cost of financing house building is an issue. I also say without apology that we must look at mechanisms to bring an increased level of private sector investment into house building. Any attempt to deny that is flying in the face of reality. I have noticed a reluctance on the Deputy’s side to even accept that premise. I get condemned for even suggesting that we should increase the level of private sector investment in housing as if I am committing some sin in saying that and then Deputies jump to all sorts of conclusions. Then I get accused of saying things because I am listening to lobbyists. I have not met half the lobbyists that people on the Opposition benches have met.

And yet the Taoiseach is captured by them.

They might be doing it in the best interests of housing but you cannot say one thing and then have it both ways, as Deputy Ó Broin has been doing serially. I will look at that and I will discuss with the Deputy mechanisms around utilising that €160 billion he spoke about and how we release more private sector capital into housing.

That is what I have been saying since this Government was formed. That is what I have been condemned for, by the Deputy's colleagues and others, but it is a simple truism. The State will not be able to spend the €20 billion to get to the 50,000 houses per annum. Maybe we can go over €6 billion - there will be discussions within Cabinet - but you are not going to get to the levels required. Therefore, we have to be creative.

Yesterday's housing sub-committee also indicated that will be a number of other areas that we are now going to pursue in respect of activating and incentivising private sector development, particularly on brownfield sites. In the previous Government, all of us agreed on sustainable housing development. Key to that was the idea that we would develop brownfield sites. They have not taken off. Prior to that, they had not taken off the previous ten or 15 years. They make sense, given services available, given the rejuvenation of cities, etc. As far as I am concerned, everything has to be considered to enable us to get brownfield sites developed, in particular in the cities.

We have put forward a number of alternatives to tax incentives for private developers to finance the construction of housing and, significantly, the construction of housing that is affordable for people. Am I to take it from the Taoiseach's answer that tax incentives for developers are on the table? Does the Taoiseach accept the view that the section 23 tax incentives that Fianna Fáil brought in led to economic collapse, a banking collapse, a bank bailout, unemployment and emigration and ruined people's lives? Does the Taoiseach accept the damage they did or is he now telling us that the Government intends to reintroduce something similar to those highly damaging section 23 tax reliefs that were championed by Fianna Fáil? The finance Minister and Fine Gael at least seem to have the good sense to realise the damage that was done. Is the Taoiseach saying they are still on the table, that he has not learned his lesson? Is the Taoiseach trying to bring us back to that reckless type of policy?

First of all, I would say that the volume of new homes built in the past five years represents the highest level of delivery since 2008 - almost two decades ago. That is a fact, but it is not enough.

I never mentioned section 23 relief. In the past month, I never mentioned it. I repeat I was in government for the past four and a half years. Decisions were taken. Brownfield sites have not moved to the degree that they should. You can keep your heads in the sand all you like but we are going to have to work-----

Nothing is good-----

-----on how we activate brownfield sites because they make sense. At present, we are being told, they are not viable. At present, the apartment building is not happening, in particular in cities, to the degree that is necessary to give people a chance of either owning an apartment or renting an apartment at an affordable rate. We want to give opportunities to young people-----

I thank the Taoiseach. The time is up.

-----to either rent or to buy at affordable rates. That is our agenda.