Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed)
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-22
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Rory Hearne (SD), Dublin North-West

I made it very clear and the Minister knows that we have alternatives. We set out a State fund that would actually increase funding for, not vulture funds but public affordable housing. The Government is completely out of touch and the Minister is too, to be honest. He has been captured. He has gone into the Ministry for housing and been captured by the investor funds. This is how clear it is that he has been captured. His Department is taking part in an event that is being billed as a global meeting point for global investors. The Department is setting up an "Irish Pavilion" for executives from international investment houses alongside Ministers. The Minister is working with the institutional investors to bring more funding in here that will be used to build more build-to-rent units that people cannot afford, bring more vulture funds to buy up properties and apartment blocks.
This housing approach has not worked. It is not going to work. It is absolutely disgraceful that the Government is introducing a measure that it knows will lead to higher rents. Will the Minister answer the following question: does he accept that these measures are going lead to higher rents? He is so disconnected from people. There is going to be significant public backlash to this because people will see what the reality is. It is a decision for investors funds and that is why the Government is allowing rents to rise.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:32+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-22