Micheál Martin

The Opposition has a habit of making assertions that are not grounded in any facts. I challenge Deputy Bacik-----

It is telling a falsehood, yes. I challenge Deputy Bacik-----

-----to find any statement where I said I would end RPZs and replace them with nothing. That is what she just said. I challenge her to find that statement for me and present it because it is a deliberate distortion of what I said. The Housing Agency began a review of RPZs last year - not me, the Housing Agency. The expiry date is the end of this year. The Housing Commission says the same thing but…

I did not interrupt the Deputy and I did not finish my statement but, again, the heckling starts because the Opposition does not like what it is hearing.

Is it possible to have a serious debate, which the people deserve, on housing without the name calling and attempts to politically undermine and distort what is being said? I do not think it is possible to have such a debate with the Opposition, given the Deputy's contribution just now and her misrepresentation of what I said publicly. I will say again that the last Government moved from a situat…

There are two types of targets. There is what we need-----

Does the Opposition not want this debate?

The people did not buy Deputy Ó Broin's stuff in the election. They just did not buy it.

The Deputy persuaded nobody.

The Deputy persuaded nobody with his codswallop of a set of proposals.

There is what we need, and we need 50,000 houses per year according to the ESRI.

The question then is how we get there. I will say again that the Department of Finance and everybody else says that we need approximately €20 billion in development funding for housing. At the moment, the State is spending €6 billion.

Sorry-----

If the rest of you could start telling us how to fill in the gaps and get to the €20 billion-----

No, you will not do it happily.

All the Opposition does is to say "No" to everything.

I would welcome an engagement with the Deputy on housing-----

-----but please, less of the misrepresentation.

I was talking about what the Deputy said to me.

With the greatest of respect, Deputy, you had an opportunity to go into government but you did not show up.

Yesterday, the housing subcommittee of the Cabinet met. We made some concrete decisions in respect of housing. There will be an additional €450 million of funding to build a further 3,000 affordable and social homes, and cost rental accommodation. We made the decision to establish a strategic housing activation office, as recommended by the Housing Commission, of which the Deputy is fond. That was…

The county development plans will allow us to reach, or give us a fighting chance of reaching, the targets identified by the ESRI.

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 b…

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. …

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…