I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following: “believes that: - access to appropriate and affordable housing is a human right; - Covid-19 has highlighted how many people are denied this right; - the number of people experiencing family homelessness will continue to rise due to the Covid-19 rental protections being lifted; - workers and families are struggling to access affordable housing; - capital investment in social and affordable housing must be doubled; …

If we are to wean the State off its dependency and subsidy of the private sector, then we need to target 20,000 social and affordable homes every year. That is what is needed to address social and affordable housing need.

Yes. That is correct.

I welcome every opportunity to talk about housing. This Fianna Fáil motion follows Sinn Féin's motion, which highlighted the dysfunction of the private rental market. Since then, renters face the prospect of an 8% increase. The Taoiseach gave a commitment in the Dáil on Wednesday to prevent that increase. However, let us be honest, we need to ban rent increases for three years because renters are being fleeced. Sinn Féin has long supported Home for Good and I commend its campaign. This Fianna Fáil motion calls for …

On a point of order, there is a long-standing tradition in this House that if a person is not here, he or she cannot be referred to.

I have sat here all day.

Nobody has sat here as long as I have.

Many of them-----

Many Fianna Fáil Senators come in for five minutes.

I thank all Senators who facilitated the passing of Senator Boylan's Bill on Second Stage last night. The Bill seeks to remove the discriminatory policy of treating housing assistance payment, HAP, as income for people applying for civil legal aid. The Bill forced the hand of the Government and I commend Senator Boylan on introducing it. It will ensure that survivors of domestic abuse will have fair access to civil legal aid. As has been mentioned, the economic recovery plan will be published today. I remind Senato…

I reiterate the point we made last week and Senator Moynihan has made, namely, public private partnerships are inherently bad value for money. Successive Governments have seemed wedded to the policy but in schemes where we are trying to keep costs as low as possible, we need to avoid such partnerships. I will be pushing this amendment.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I commend Senator Lynn Boylan on bringing forward this important Bill. She has been a constant champion for social justice and equality, whether through her lifelong activism, her contribution on behalf of Dubliners in the European Parliament - where she led the negotiations in respect of the Right2Water report - relentlessly campaigning to end the incarceration of Ibrahim Halawa in Egypt, persistently challenging the Irish Government on the lack of media diversity…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I understand that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, has informed the House that he will be here at some point today. I also look forward to that but in the meantime, I welcome the Minister of State and look forward to positive engagement with him. Good ideas come from this side of the House. We have tabled 106 amendments today, which shows the genuine interest that we show in this Bill. I want to add my voice in respect of …

I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, to delete line 4. This amendment relates to the reference in this section to the open market. I addressed this aspect in my earlier contribution, when I spoke about how this proposed affordable housing scheme could be used to help people purchase houses at massively inflated prices. I identified a case earlier involving friends that I spoke to yesterday, who are no longer involved in a bidding process whereby the price of a house rose from €315,000 to €415,000. This is a couple, w…

One of my colleagues stated that Sinn Féin opposed developments on lands in Donabate and Fingal. We fully support the development of homes on the site in Fingal. We do not support sweetheart deals for developers and the sale of public land for private developments that are far beyond the reach of ordinary working people. The Government should fund the council to develop that site.

Sixty per cent.

Again, Donabate was mentioned. A total of 60% of the new homes that will be sold on the site there will be sold at unaffordable prices way above €400,000. That is the deal we are getting in respect of houses built on public land.

That is a bad deal.

It is a good deal for private developers and a bad one for working people. The Minister of State mentioned the LDA. It runs the risk of making matters even more difficult for the working people that we have mentioned to access genuinely affordable homes. I will be pressing amendment No. 3.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 8, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(b) arrangements with co-operatives, community housing trusts and other not for profit bodies.”. Section 6 is about the provision of dwellings by housing authorities. It states: A housing authority may make dwellings available for the purpose of sale to eligible applicants under affordable dwelling purchase arrangements and may, in accordance with the Housing Acts and regulations made under any of those Acts, acquire, build or cau…