I want to be associated with your remarks, a Cheann Comhairle, and to welcome the ambassador to the Chamber. It is really good to have the British Ambassador present. I look forward to building relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom in the period ahead, in particular as the Windsor Framework is implemented. On this matter, what Deputy McDonald is trying to do here is to create a false narrative, a false choice, and, as is often the case, a divisive one. It is not about renters versus landlords or balancin…

There are not enough properties available. What we need to do is stem the tide of small landlords leaving the market and increase the number of new landlords coming into the market. That is what the Government wants to do. We are going to do four things to make the situation better.

First, we are going to build more social housing.

Second, we are going to ramp up cost rental.

Third, we are going to buy properties from landlords where the tenant is a social housing tenant and he or she has been served a notice to quit.

Fourth, we are going to develop and build a budget package to help landlords and help renters even more so than has been the case. Let me expand on that a little better. Last year, roughly 8,000 new social homes were built in Ireland. As the Opposition acknowledged yesterday, or at least one person in the Opposition did, that is the highest since 1975, the highest in my lifetime, and we are going to increase it even more this year.

We are going to try to get towards 12,000 additional social homes. That will make a difference. The second thing we are going to do is to ramp up cost rental. It is a new form of tenancy and public housing, developed by the previous Government and being implemented by this one. That will help people who are above the income limits for social housing. We are going to buy up more rental properties where the tenant is a housing assistance payment, HAP, or rental accommodation scheme, RAS, tenant. That means if the lan…

We are also developing a further budget package to help tenants and to help landlords. It is not about one versus the other. As I stated, the Deputy is trying to create a divisive and false narrative that it is landlords versus renters and renters versus landlords.

I have answered the Deputy's question.

I have answered the Deputy's question.

Sinn Féin is back to its old ways again. When we ask them about their finances, we get a deafening silence.

They run and hide.

When I try to answer their questions, which I did try to do, they try to shout me down. What sort of party is that?

I answered the Deputy's question. Perhaps she could not hear the answer because she was too busy shouting me down, or the people behind her were too busy shouting me down. The options include social housing. We are going to build more social housing than ever before. We are ramping up cost rental, which is another option. A third option is we are going to purchase 1,500 homes where the landlord is selling up and there is a social housing tenant in situ . Fourth, we are developing a further budget package to help re…

Let me finish, Deputy. I know you hate the truth. Look to the North, where we have had a Sinn Féin finance minister and a Sinn Féin housing minister.

Do you know how much social housing you built in Northern Ireland last year? Do you know, Deputy?

Under 2,000 in the past year - there was an Assembly - much less per capita than in this State. You say that small landlords are not to blame for the crisis. Fine. What is your proposal? You want to put an extra tax on small landlords.

To make it even worse-----

-----you say you care about first-time buyers. What do you want to do?

You want to take away the help-to-buy scheme. The reason you consistently shout me down when I try to answer your questions is because you cannot handle the answers-----