Shoeboxes.

Where is the occupied territories Bill then?

It contributes to it.

I have been deeply shocked by these regulations and these new standards the Minister is introducing. As an academic, I did research for years. One of the starting points of research, of course, is gathering evidence. Policy is supposed to be evidence-based. The evidence that has been presented to justify these decisions does not stack up. The Government has claimed it will lead to savings of €50,000 to €100,000 per unit. We have not seen what the LDA has set out but in the estimates set out by the Department of hou…

Grand. That is all right.

Mr. Lawlor continued: "We welcome meaningful, evidence-based reforms that support the accelerated, coordinated, and sustainable delivery of apartments and homes in communities across the country." The institute goes on to say: In particular, the erosion of unit mix requirements represents a market-led approach to housing that is fundamentally at odds with the significant work undertaken by the Department of Housing to date to create a plan-led system with high quality, long term sustainable outcomes flowing from tr…

I appreciate the Minster's detailed response. He did not answer my questions on the consultation with the institute of planners, the architects or the Irish Wheelchair Association. It is deeply regrettable that they clearly were not consulted and there was not proper engagement with them. If there had been there would be a different outcome to this, so it is deeply regrettable. The Minister referenced people buying these apartments. How many people does he think bought a newly-built apartment in Dublin in the last …

Ah, come on.

The Government's last action before the Dáil rises for the summer is to cook the books on affordable housing delivery and ram through new legislation to reduce apartment standards that will mean generations of Irish people will be forced to pay €3,000 a month rent to investor funds to live in dark shoeboxes. Once again, the Government is sacrificing renters to investor funds and developers, who are clearly the ones making the housing policies. The apartment reductions will result in delayed projects. Ultimately, th…

How can the Taoiseach ensure the cost savings will be passed on to homebuyers and renters and not just line the pockets of developers and investor funds?

They will.

But it is the developers that will come in and-----

The developers-----

Not shoeboxes.

That is not true.

We have put it in the homes for Ireland scheme.

The connections between the housing crisis, homelessness and domestic violence have been shown over and over again. The state of the housing emergency is having direct impacts on women and their children being unable to flee situations of violence. Indeed, front-line domestic violence services repeatedly raise concerns that the housing crisis is forcing victims to either stay with the perpetrator or enter homelessness services because of the lack of appropriate supports. Then, these mothers decide that bringing the…

CSO figures published today show Ireland's national income rose by 4.8% last year and GDP rose by 7.4%. According to these fiscal indicators, Ireland is doing well, but in reality there are two Irelands. There are those who are doing okay, a minority, and there is the majority, who at some level are struggling in one way or another to cover the basic costs of living. In fact, even the concept of the cost of living is deeply disturbing. The basic costs to survive are now unaffordable for most people in this country.…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “The written statement referred to in subsection (2) shall allow for the zoning of land for the particular use of providing affordable housing as defined in Parts 2 and 3 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021.”. My party colleague Deputy Cian O'Callaghan and I put forward this amendment. It is related to the approach of zoning affordable housing. It is done in Vienna to very good effect and we feel this should be introduced as a possi…

I move amendment No. 4: In page 10, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(d) A contractor must publish an annual profit and loss account, an auditor’s report, and a balance sheet in order to qualify to provide dwellings for the purchase of which funds may be made available by the special purpose vehicle.”. The amendment seeks transparency in relation to developers and builders who are going to benefit from an extension of planning permission. We need to see open books for developers and contractors be…