Simon Harris

-----so it can exploit the challenges people face. Of course, the Government is not going to fail because the Government has already delivered. The Deputy talks about my record in government. We delivered over 137,000 new homes during the lifetime of Housing for All.

We will deliver 300,000 homes-----

You will not shout me down.

You will not shout me down. You will not bully me.

You will not shout me down. Let me speak, please.

No, you are shouting me down when it is my time to speak.

The people at home actually want to know what we are going to do and what we are going to do is very clear. We are going to deliver a plan that has a record level of funding, that breaks down silos, that puts a new focus on starter homes, and that sets targets for local authorities. The Deputy tells people there are no targets; that is simply untrue. The target is over 300,000 homes in the lifetim…

When we had an action plan on jobs, we did not set an annual target-----

-----but we exceeded that target, delivered jobs and got our country back to full employment.

We will exceed the housing target as well.

Your plan was rejected-----

-----and you want this plan to fail so you can politically thrive.

First, I want to extend my deepest sympathy to Deputy Sheehan's colleague Deputy George Lawlor on the passing of his mum, Betty. I understand he delivered a very heart-warming tribute to her yesterday and I join Members across the House in extending my sympathy to him and all of his family at this difficult time. I thank Deputy Sheehan for raising these issues. I accept that he does not want the …

Some of them are, and some are better than others. I do not think it is uniform across the country. I have got to be very honest. I have a league table that the Minister for housing has published, which shows some local authorities well exceeding their council targets for social housing, including the county of Wicklow that I represent, and others making a paltry contribution. When national target…

-----is going to court. One of its elected representatives has rushed to the courts to try to block those changes to apartment standards.

I ask Deputy Sheehan respectfully, as his party's spokesperson on housing-----

-----to pick up the phone to his councillor and tell him to stop weaponising the use of the courts to try to delay changes we need to make to apartment standards. There will be students in Limerick who need more apartments and student accommodation to be built and the Labour Party councillor is actively delaying that in my respectful opinion.

I always think phrases such as "donning hard hats" are a bit pejorative. People put on hard hats when they visit building sites because of health and safety. It is the law of the land. Ministers go out and about to meet people who build homes. I am proud to do that and to listen directly to the people who build homes, including at the LDA site I visited with the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, …

Deputies will continue to see the quarterly commencement figures, the completion figures, the planning permission figures and the mortgage drawdown figures, which show there are more first-time buyers now than at any point since 2007. However, just like the approach we took on the action plan for jobs, we will provide an opportunity for a pipeline over the lifetime of the Government and we will be…

We will be judged on the delivery of this plan. It is a good plan and it is only part of the jigsaw. The national development plan is an equally important part in which we took the decision this summer to significantly increase investment. From memory, there will be over €50 billion extra for the enabling infrastructure such as transport, water, wastewater and energy. That will be key. The next in…

The Minister for housing is attending an event. He will look forward to having a debate with the Deputy because he looks forward to hearing how the Social Democrats will build all this stuff.

It is easy to come in here and say they are against everything.

What does the Deputy think I am, his secretary? I do not know where the Minister is going.

I have missed Deputy Gould's interruptions. He was very quiet. I was wondering why he was so quiet.

Perhaps it has been a tough day at the Sinn Féin office.