I thank the Sinn Féin Deputies for initiating the motion and I thank colleagues for their contributions to this very important debate. I acknowledge that I could not be here earlier but I was meeting Oliver Bond House residents at the Custom House, which had been arranged before this Private Members' debate. Of course I will get the transcript and read back over everything to have full knowledge of everything that has been said. I have previously acknowledged to the House that housing is the defining social and economic challenge of our time, which affects almost every family throughout the country. It has been my absolute focus since I became Minister for housing to address this crisis. It is the single greatest issue facing so many families and working people who aspire to a secure home of their own, be it to own or to rent or a social home. I recognise the strain that can be caused by the scarcity of rental accommodation and the rent pressures that accompany this. It is for this reason that the Government is laser-focused on increasing the supply of all types of homes, including social homes, rental homes and homes to purchase. Only a sustained increase in the supply of homes of all tenures can solve this problem. However, in the meantime we have to do everything we can while supply is being driven to ensure those who find themselves in a very difficult situation, whether it is paying high rent, not being able to find somewhere to rent, facing a notice to quit or finding themselves in a homeless situation, that we can help them as much as possible. I reassert the Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges in the housing sector. The Government's goal remains a housing system that meets the needs of everybody on the housing spectrum, whether it is with regard to a social house, affordable purchase, cost-rental, to be able to rent or to be able to purchase their own home with or without Government support. No one in government underestimates the scale of the housing challenge. We must ensure that we enhance supply as much as possible. Supply is a means to an end so that people have the home they need in their own local community. An eviction ban and a rent freeze would have a significant impact in deterring medium- and longer-term supply of rental accommodation. It would act as a disincentive to landlords who are considering entering the rental market and as a spur for existing landlords to leave. As previously stated, the latest data published by the RTB shows continued resilience in the Irish rental sector with ongoing growth in tenancies and the number of landlords. We need a supply of homes of all types and tenures in every place. We are working tirelessly to address these challenges and to implement policies that make a positive difference. While there is still much to do, the motion initiated by Sinn Féin Deputies does not fairly represent the efforts or progress made to date. It is important that I reiterate the real progress we have made in recent years, including that relating to social and affordable housing delivery, and to set out the key changes introduced and our plans ahead to scale up the supply of homes across all tenures. The record level of investment for the delivery of housing continues into 2026 with €5.2 billion in Exchequer capital funding complemented by investment through the LDA and lending from the Housing Finance Agency, bringing the total capital funding for housing in 2026 to over €9 billion. This record level of funding is supporting the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental homes. The 2026 capital funding will be supplemented by over €2 billion in current funding to address housing needs. Between July 2020 and the end of 2025, 58,816 social homes were added to the social housing stock and more than 15,271 homes were brought back into use under the voids programme. Local authorities are delivering affordable homes, with funding approved of almost €691 million from the Affordable Housing Fund to support the delivery of over 7,650 affordable purchase and cost-rental homes by 25 local authorities. Over the past five years, almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered. This is significant progress and that needs to be recognised, but we have an awful lot more to do. The Government has implemented a range of measures in recent years to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social and affordable housing and private rental. The recently enacted Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 introduced a new national rent control for the first time across all tenancies, which limits rent increases to inflation as measured by the consumer price index up to a maximum of 2%. These changes were introduced to promote greater investment in the rental market and to increase the supply of rental properties, but also to give greater protection to tenants. Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments. The reforms aim to encourage investment and development. It will take time for a new supply to materialise, given the nature of investment decisions and large-scale residential development. Affordability is also at the heart of Government's housing policy as embodied within our housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, with the Government targeting delivery of over 300,000 homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable supports. The plan reinforces the range of existing measures implemented by the Government to tackle the issues of supply and affordability, thereby supporting the increased provision of new homes to purchase and to rent. Record levels of social and affordable housing delivery have been achieved in recent years. In 2025, a total of 9,089 new-build social homes were constructed. This is the highest delivery on record since the foundation of the State and is an increase of 1,256, or 16%, compared with 2024. Over 42,000 new-build social homes were delivered between 2022 and 2025. I am also providing substantial funding to local authorities, the Land Development Agency and approved housing bodies to support increased delivery. The national development plan has committed record levels of funding for new social and affordable homes. A record level of investment is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2026. Since the launch of cost rental in 2021, approximately €2.25 billion in Exchequer funding has been approved for cost-rental projects. Beyond my Department, significant funding is also being provided from the State's Housing Finance Agency. The lowering of VAT on new apartments to 9% in budget 2026 will also assist in delivering new homes into the cost-rental sector at lower costs, meaning lower rents. Of course, we know the people suffering most are those who have found themselves in homelessness as a result of not being able to get homes to live in, or as a result of facing that notice to quit and being evicted. We have record levels of preventions, but where someone does become homeless we want to make sure they exit it as quickly as possible and, while they are homeless, they are provided with the supports they need. They need more supports than just of a roof over their heads. We know about the distressing impacts of homelessness; for example, it impacts on people's social lives and on their mental health. One person homeless is one too many. The numbers we have in homelessness are unacceptable to me. Housing delivery at the scale and pace we require is not something the Government can achieve alone. Nor is it something that any one sector, agency or profession can deliver in isolation. It depends on partnership between central and local government; between the public and private sectors; and between planners, developers, infrastructure providers, financers and communities themselves so we can deliver the homes we need right across this country. Achieving the delivery of 300,000 new homes under Delivering Homes, Building Communities requires an estimated €20 billion of development finance per year. As we all recognise, that level of investment is being sought in a highly competitive international market. While the Government is providing record funding, we cannot provide every piece of funding required to deliver every home. We have to deliver schools, hospitals and roads. We have to create that investment as well in other parts of the public sector that need that support for our local communities. One of the key challenges identified is apartment viability. As part of Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government has introduced a suite of complementary measures, including the introduction of a 9% VAT rate on the sale of apartments that could reduce the delivery cost of those apartments. A fourth call for expressions of interest under the Croí Cónaithe cities scheme, which provides affordable purchase apartments, was issued in July of last year and the scheme is helping to activate the thousands of planning permissions for apartments in our cities. The Housing Activation Office was established last year to accelerate home building by unblocking infrastructure delays and by co-ordinating investment in servicing zoned land. This office supports public infrastructure planning and investment for the delivery of new sustainable communities and transport-orientated development. The office, which is headed by a new deputy secretary general for housing activation, has undertaken both formal and informal engagement with various stakeholders, local authorities, agencies and the private sector to ensure we are all co-ordinated in maximising the delivery of homes across this country. I apologise for not being here earlier, but it was due to a pre-existing engagement with those residents from Oliver Bond House.

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