A vote for Fianna Fáil is a vote for higher petrol and diesel prices.

I have a simple question. Is the insurance industry taking a hand at the Minister of State and the Government? For the past six years, the Government and Ministers, particularly Ministers in the Minister of State's party, have been telling insurance companies their expectation that they will reduce prices but prices have gone in the other direction for businesses and community groups. Does the Minister of State think the insurance industry is taking a hand at the Government? The insurance industry has taken all of …

Premiums are not coming down.

It is not the pace at which they are coming down; they are not coming down.

Premiums are not coming down.

One of the problems we consistently have is that the Minister of State continues to be almost a spokesperson for the insurance industry. He did it again. When I asked him whether the insurance industry is taking a hand at the Government he said he was not happy with the rate of decreases. Where are the decreases? This is the problem. Does the Minister of State not know what is happening out there, right here and right now? The most recent data from the national claims information database on public liability, which…

-----and said he expected insurance companies to cut the cost, it was 2021.

What difference does it make now when the Minister of State tells them his expectations? Will they just take a hand at him-----

-----in the same way they took a hand at his partners in government and continued to raise prices?

Bhí an traein mall inniu. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste. Faoina Rialtas, tá praghas na dteach ag méadú le bliain anuas. Méadú de 7% a chonaic muid inné. Ar fud an Stáit anois, tá meánphraghas €400,000 ar thithe do dhaoine atá ag iarraidh teach úr a cheannacht. Yesterday, the CSO reported that in the past year house prices have continued to skyrocket, rising by more than 7%. Since the Government took office, the average house price in Carrigaline in the Tánaiste's constituency has increased by almost €100,000. N…

What planet is the Tánaiste living on? He stood there and said the rate of increase of house prices is coming down. He should open his eyes. It is accelerating. It is increasing month-on-month. We have had ten months of house price increases. In the Tánaiste's constituency, house prices are €100,000 higher than when he took office just four years ago. The Tánaiste tries to lecture us in the Opposition. You could not make this up. Home ownership in Ireland is at its lowest level in 50 years under the Government. Fia…

How do we know? The Central Statistics Office is telling us. The Government is locking out an entire generation from home ownership and locking people into sky-high rents. The vulture funds and investors are sweeping up those houses and renting them out at astronomical prices. That is Government policy.

I will ask a simple question again. The Tánaiste can shake his head all he wants. Where are the 50,000 affordable houses that he promised to deliver that would cost less than €250,000? Please answer that question.

Where are the 50,000 houses?

I asked a question-----

The Tánaiste did not respond.

The Tánaiste can attack me-----

The Tánaiste can attack my character-----

-----but I asked one simple question. Where are the 50,000 houses? The Tánaiste can attack my character all he wants; I do not care. Where are the 50,000 homes?

No, I do not.