Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Sympathy, and outrage at the developer, are no longer good enough. The residents' clear view is that their plight is not the overriding priority of Government or of the institutions of the State, be they local or national. There is no sense of that among the residents who feel they have been abandoned by the institutions of the State. It is accepted, of course, that the developer has behaved in a despicable manner. Irrespective of the state of the economy, there is no justification for what he did. The key issue is that someone must take a proactive stance on this matter. After the court cases, the fundamental issue will still remain - how one deals with the Priory Hall situation by rehousing the residents. It will come before the State in some shape or form down the line - be it through welfare, housing or the local authority. There is no way out of doing this for the sake of the residents on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

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