Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2025-12-09 ============================================================ Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal The decision by this Government to share the video has caused fierce anger. The video suggests that those forced to move back in with their parents should help around the house so they will be viewed as adults. God almighty, how patronising is that? Did anybody in the Government look at this video before it was shared on the official platforms by the Department of housing? Did anybody think about how people would react? Two weeks ago, I stood here on Leader's Questions and I raised the case of a young couple forced to move back into their parents' house. They were forced to do that because they could not afford the rent any longer. That couple are now planning to head to Australia. Last night, I was thinking about them and the hurt they would feel after seeing this video. However, they are not alone. The hard reality is that two thirds of 18- to 34-year-olds are still living with their parents. The number of young people forced to live with their family is increasing at a faster rate than in any other country in Europe. Why? Under the Minister's Government, home ownership has collapsed for an entire generation. We see it all again today in black and white in the report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. A total of 80% cannot afford to rent an average apartment built this year. Is it any wonder so many people do not see a future here? The Government's policies are forcing them to choose between moving back into the box room or leaving Ireland for the opportunity of a better life in Australia or Canada. These are the choices they have to make when they should be here, building a future, starting relationships and starting families. Instead, their lives are being put on hold. If this Government gave a damn about our young people, what it would be doing is bringing action forward to bring home ownership back into reach and get runaway rents under control. What is the Government doing? Instead, it is doing the opposite. It chooses to make things even worse. It is going to push ahead with legislation that will see young people hit with big rent increases come next March. What I want to say to young people out there and those watching today is that we are going to keep fighting for them here. Sinn Féin will keep fighting for them. We will have their back to make things better and ensure they can build a good future and an affordable life here in Ireland. I will ask the Minister the question many young people have asked me in the last number of hours: does he see why young people are offended and hurt by the Government sharing this video? Does he accept that it is wrong for this Government to make young people feel that they are somehow at fault for its housing crisis? --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-09/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00 Sitting date: 2025-12-09