The Minister should be here.
Sentiment score: 0.00
It can.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Half a million young people are living with their parents, including two thirds of under-35s. The Government has said today that people can go from the back bedroom to the back garden or alternatively to Boston, Berlin or wherever. Young people in my constituency told me when we were out canvassing that we would not see anyone over 23 in the area and that young Blanchardstown is in Australia. I will be parliamentary here. This Government has just given a massive "F you" to young people on housing. The Government has the brass neck to not have the Minister here and then to send the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, somebody who had to admit that he did not declare his own property interests, is a major landlord and has profited off the housing misery and housing crisis by selling homes to local authorities and not declaring them. It is an absolute insult.
Sentiment score: -0.15
With respect to the Social Democrats, they should not have started the debate with the likes of that.
Sentiment score: 0.71
Deputy Troy can answer after my time.
Sentiment score: 0.00
People who are profiting from the housing crisis are coming in to answer about it. It is unbelievable. Not everyone had a chance to buy a gaff when they were 20, like the Minister of State. He said he was not a person of privilege, but he is. I want to go back to the Government itself. It wants to pivot to the private sector. IRES REIT profits have increased 3% since the statement by the Taoiseach on Monday. Landlords got tax breaks of €160 million. The Government is feeding the beast and landlords are not interested until rents go up even more. I want to finish by speaking about the public sector. It has been said it cannot resolve the housing crisis but of course it can resolve the housing crisis. It has done it before. Please do not kowtow to the idea that the private sector has an interest. We have a major land bank in Dublin West where the council has told us it could build 7,000 homes with schools, facilities and parks. It is sitting idle. What is this Government going to do about other local authorities with similar land banks included in their long-term strategy? Is it going to leave the councils off the hook, or is it going to push them and fund them to see those homes get built? What it has done today is an absolute insult to young people in the private rented sector and to anybody like teachers, nurses and therapists who we cannot get. The whole crisis is affecting every single thing seeping into society and the Government does not care.
Sentiment score: -0.05