Long-term housing crisis
Deputy Hearne challenges the Government over forecasts of another 15 years of housing difficulty and asks who is responsible. The Minister says the report presents no-policy-change scenarios, while defending infrastructure reforms, regulatory changes and a viable private housing market.
Yesterday's report from the Department of Finance said that the housing disaster will continue for another 15 years. That seems to be an optimistic forecast based on housing delivery doubling to 60,000 by 2030. We are facing 30 years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil housing failure unless their housing plans radically change or they are removed from office. The lives of generations of people in this country have been destroyed and will be destroyed. They have been betrayed and abandoned because this Government, despite all of its resources, has failed to meet the basic needs and deliver homes to people. Given this damning assessment, maybe it is not surprising the Government has gone looking for scapegoats. In recent weeks, Ministers have pointed the finger at migrants, State agencies, NGOs and EU law. The Government has gone full Farage and this report explains why. Meanwhile, we have the Minister for housing scrambling around-----
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-----trying to put together a housing plan. Does the Minister agree that we face another 15 years of a housing disaster?
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Who is actually to blame for this housing catastrophe?
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We will not be going over time, Deputies. The Minister to respond. Speak within the 60 seconds, please.
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The report sets out over 2,000 scenarios and it is not a projection. The Deputy needs to be factual about what it is and what it is not. It has been made on a no-policy change basis and this is reflected in that. We will take further decisions in terms of delivery of infrastructure and housing right across our economy. That will be the new housing plan and the infrastructure reforms it will underpin. There are issues that we need to be honest about. For example, parts of EU law do not allow us to deliver levels of housing and infrastructure which are required.
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Have you just figured this out now?
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We have been saying that for some time.
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It is why we need to remove some of the regulations that exist in parts of delivery of infrastructure and also in housing. The Deputy's solution on housing is just more State investment-----
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-----and he ignores the market continuously. We need to have a viable housing market that allows small builders and developers to deliver housing right across our economy.
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That is what we are trying to do, with measures the Deputy opposes continuously.