I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. I will narrow it down to two fairly general questions that I think he will be able to answer. First, will the scope of the investigation be widened so that all the allegations that are in the public domain will be investigated? What is his view on that? Should it be widened so that all allegations that are in the public domain will be investigated? It currently appears that a significant number of allegations, including those relating to another board member, will not be investig…

I want to ask the Tánaiste about the Government's plan to give €450 million in subsidies to developers to build apartments. Analysis from the Business Post shows that these apartments will be sold at prices that only people on the top 14% of incomes would be able to afford. They will be sold at full market prices; they will not be affordable. Yesterday, I put three questions to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I asked if developers lobbied for this scheme, why there were no cost-benefit anal…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the cost of housing is having a significant impact on people's standard of living; — according to the Central Statistics Office, house prices have increased by 15 per cent in the last year and will soon surpass the Celtic Tiger peak; — rents have doubled in a decade; — rates of home ownership are falling fast; — Ireland has some of the highest rents and house prices in the European Union; and — the Government's decisions, policies and actions have increased these housing cos…

We were told he was dealing with it.

Apologies for that. It is good the Minister has arrived.

That is good. Now if the Minister will stop interrupting while I am speaking, I will thank him.

To put the figure of €144,000 in context, last year an investment fund bought a number of apartments in Limerick city for less than €168,000 each. Despite the large subsidy the Government is giving to developers, these apartments will be sold at full market price. There will be no discount or affordability built in. According to analysis by Killian Woods in the Business Post , only the top 14% of households in terms of income will be able to afford these prices. What does it say about the Government that it is will…

How can the Government justify using public money to underpin this level of profits for developers while removing most of the risk? We have had over the past decade a disaster in terms of housing policies. Rents have doubled, while house prices have become more unaffordable. Prices have risen by 15% in the past year and are about to pass their Celtic tiger peak. Rents and house prices, especially in Dublin, are among the highest in the European Union. Homelessness has skyrocketed, increasing by 22% in the past year…

The Minister has not answered any of the questions I put to him.

He did not answer a single question.

I thank Deputies from different parties and groups who have spoken on the motion. During the debate we witnessed something I had not seen before. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who is not shy for words, was utterly silent when we put three questions to him, questions the public have a right to know the answers to given that he wants to gift €450 million of public money to developers. We asked him if developers and their lobbyists were involved in dreaming up this scheme. There was no answe…

The Minister for Finance said that the local property tax returns show low levels of vacancy across the country. The comments from the Minister do not reflect the reality in communities. In Cork city, Jude Sherry and Frank O'Connor have identified 700 derelict properties located within 2 km of the city centre. Data from the national GeoDirectory show at least 90,000 vacant homes and 22,000 derelict homes. Does the Taoiseach accept that the returns from the local property tax are flawed and do not reflect the amount…

Will the Taoiseach issue a formal apology in the Dáil to people who had their births registered illegally? As he is aware, there is considerable disappointment that the apology that was issued was issued by the Minister in the Seanad and with very little notice. Will the Taoiseach do the right thing and, with proper notice, give this apology on behalf of the State in the Dáil?

My question is about economic evaluation of the Government's housing policy. The Government is planning to give €450 million in subsidies to developers to build apartments. These subsidies will be up to €120,000 and, in some cases, as high as €144,000. Despite this huge public subsidy there will be no discounts in the sale price, no affordability built in and the apartments will be sold at the full market price. For a fraction of this cost the State could buy the land and make it available for affordable housing an…

We voted with the Government on carbon tax.

I will ask the Taoiseach a question on the Stardust inquests. The families who lost loved ones in the Stardust fire have been waiting more than 41 years for truth and justice. They cannot be left waiting any longer. The Taoiseach has acknowledged that given the length of time the inquest will run, the juries will need to be paid. As the Taoiseach will know, neither the Coroners Act 1962 nor the Juries Act 1976 allows for juries at inquests to be paid. The Government gave commitments back in February that this would…

No. The deputy chairman of An Bord Pleanála has stepped aside temporarily. He has admitted to what he says is an inadvertent conflict of interest. There are other allegations of conflict of interest reported in the media and under investigation. Given the centrality of An Bord Pleanála to the planning system and how important it is in the planning process, will the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage come to the Dáil to make a statement on this?

I thank an Teachta Ó Broin for the motion. The Social Democrats will support it. It gives us an opportunity to discuss these issues on affordability and housing. I want to respond to a couple of things the Minister said. He spoke about the need for supply and the problem with people objecting to housing. It is worth noting that the people who voted to dezone land earmarked specifically for 100 social housing homes in South Dublin County Council were not, as far as I know, Green Party councillors or from People Befo…

I commend the huge effort being made to support Ukrainian refugees. They have been displaced by war and forced to leave their homes. A huge amount of work is going on at State level to support them. The response from communities throughout Ireland has been very generous. We have seen communities come together and put the shoulder to the wheel. We have seen community leaders and community activists showing real leadership on this, turning huge goodwill into practical help. It is important to recognise this. There ar…

I agree with the comments to the effect that there is no place for reckless scapegoating and deflection. New rents have increased by 9% over the last 12 months. Homelessness has increased by 22% in the same period. House prices are about to reach record levels, surpassing their Celtic tiger peaks. Analysis by Dr. Lorcan Sirr and Mr. Mel Reynolds shows that the number of new homes available to individual buyers last year fell to just 5,698, the lowest number in several years. Home ownership levels are in freefall un…