Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The state of housing in this country is an absolute disgrace. We have been in crisis mode with a severe lack of affordable housing for years now and despite this, the Government still fails to act and take the drastic action that is so desperately needed.

I have been contacted by many constituents in Donegal who are facing dire situations. These are people who are having to choose between paying the rent or paying the bills; people who are being evicted from their homes at short notice with nowhere to go and no alternative rental accommodation available in the county; people whose family homes are crumbling because of defective blocks and who are stuck between living in a crumbling house or becoming homeless; young people who will never be in a position to buy and who are forced to move to another country in order to secure their own home; older people who are trapped in insecure rental accommodation and some of the hundreds of homeless people across the north west who are unable to find any shelter or assistance from this Government.

In January, homelessness in Donegal had risen by 10% while 13,866 people were registered as homeless in Ireland in March, another new record for the Government. Of these, 172 were in the north west. This number does not include those sleeping on our streets or couch surfing. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has on many occasions said that tackling the issue of homelessness is a Government priority. Why then do the numbers only continue to rise? We watch as a record level of homelessness is reached each month with the Government breaking its own homelessness records time and time again.

It is clear that Housing for All is not working. The housing situation has only got worse under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. This Government gives me no hope that the situation will ever get better. The fact that the Minister cannot even meet the incredibly low standard that he sets for his Department is worrying.

It is clear that the problem is an ideological argument. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not see providing housing as a Government responsibility. "The market will provide" is their mantra. This Government has made our country completely unlivable. We need to start to undo the damage of decades of bad Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael housing policy and it is clear that this cannot be done under this Government.

I support this motion’s call for a change of Government and for a far more ambitious housing plan, however, I am sceptical that Sinn Féin fully grasps the level of drastic change that is necessary to achieve such ambitious targets. I am certain about one thing though - change is needed. Over-reliance on subsidies such as the Government’s help to buy and first home schemes only maintains high prices. We need full and proper investment in supplying affordable homes for everyone. The failure of Government housing policy has created a crisis of unprecedented proportions - a crisis that requires drastic change and significant investment, both of which this Government refuses to provide.

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