Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes.

I welcome our guests and agree with everything they have said. There is nothing that they have either written or said with which I disagree.

I wish to take up the last point made by Deputy Casey. There is a lot more that we could do. One thing that struck me during the recent election campaign was the number of empty houses that I came across. There are many reasons those houses are empty. Some have trees growing out through the front door and are obviously derelict, but a significant number are occupiable. I do not know why they are empty, but it would not take a lot of money to put them right because they are in newer housing estates. I am not criticising anybody, but local authorities are supposed to have officers in charge of sourcing empty homes. In County Louth approximately 100 homes which were empty were brought back into use for less than €100,000, including all legal fees. We need to drive that agenda with renewed energy. It must be driven in areas where the homelessness problem is most acute, namely, the bigger towns and cities.

Some homes are empty because the owner is in a nursing home. While I absolutely respect the right to integrity of persons vis-a-vistheir property, I do not see why a local authority, in conjunction with the HSE, cannot make appropriate and respectful communication with such owners or their families to see if there is a way of getting the property to make it available for short-term occupation. There is a lot more that we should be doing with empty properties because it is a shame. I know of at least 40 homes in Drogheda that should be occupied tonight, but they are empty because nobody is pushing that agenda locally.

I refer to the issues of town centres, population pressures and over-the-shop accommodation. In Drogheda, for example, 40 or 50 years ago there were 300 to 400 people living in the centre of the town, but now there is nobody living there. The problem is that the accommodation is old and does not necessarily meet today's standards. However, a grants scheme is available. Local authority officers should be going around to find out what is available above shops and whether it is usable. It may be suitable for use by single people or childless couples. I know and understand that in many cases it is not suitable for use by children, but there is a lack of urgency on the ground. The political system wants this to happen and money is available, but it is not happening fast enough.

On the right to a home, I agree that it should be inserted into the Constitution. It is an essential right. I am lucky to be a parent and a grandparent and would hate to think my grandchildren or anybody else would be homeless, or living in the type of accommodation to which the delegates have referred. I was a teacher for many years and worked with disadvantaged children who had educational, social and economic problems. If such children do not have their own door to close and a room to go into and are stuck with their families in one room, they have no quality of life. The crime and what is really wrong is that there are children coming to my office with their parents who will be almost ten years old before they have a home of their own. That is a decade lost to a family and unacceptable.

I am not apportioning blame, but a lot more could and must be done by local authorities and the political system. Extra energy is needed. I hope the contribution of the delegates will be an agent for change. They should not step back from what they are saying because it is hugely important. Their words do count and are having an impact. It is a shame that this is happening in Ireland today. We know the economic reasons for it - the collapse of the economy - and while things have changed, they have not changed fast enough. I laud the speakers and fully support their views