Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs

European Court of Auditors Annual Report: Discussion

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to home in on a particular issue in reference to the concept of flexibility introduced by Deputy Ó Murchú. I know Deputy Calleary will want to come in on this issue as well as it relates to County Mayo. I acknowledge Mr. Murphy is not the person who designs policy. He is a bookkeeper and all of the rest of it. However, he and his team may be able to help us in terms of signposting. If he is not in a position to provide information on this issue, we would greatly appreciate a follow-up on it. It is to do with houses that are crumbling and falling down in my county and elsewhere. As I said, Deputy Calleary will talk about the situation in County Mayo. This does not come under the category of creativity, enterprise or innovation. A great deal of funding rightly goes to kick-starting businesses as well as the whole area of sustainability, such as changing to green energy and all of that. However, we have an enormous problem with houses falling down slowly.

They are not falling down quickly. We are not dealing with an earthquake scenario, a national disaster that would make every broadsheet and red top say we are dealing with a national tragedy. We have a tragedy in that same vein but it is happening very slowly. We have a scenario of people living in houses that are unsafe and dealing with the mental health side of things. We are dealing with generational issues as well, where young kids have arrived at their teenage years and are still living in these houses. It is placing an enormous burden on so many people. All the members of the committee will be familiar with this issue. I am going to let Deputy Calleary in now, and if Mr. Murphy is not able to signpost this publicly today, it is an issue we would really like to follow up on through our secretariat and perhaps we can be given some sort of signpost on all that.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.