Mr. Neil Maloney:

I agree. Unfortunately, we do not have the rights that private tenants have. They can go off to the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. They can go to the various outlets and engage with these people. We do not have that option. There is no accountability with Dublin City Council in that regard. Given the social charter and people's human rights, we should not be living in these conditions. Pearse House was built to alleviate the slums of Dublin. My family lived in it and came from what is Markievicz House now and was the Asylum Yard then. They moved in with great hope and expectation. They did not mind that there was overcrowding. They were of the view that it was better than where they had been. People's expectations have moved on.

Senator Andrews is right about the way the bathrooms are and stuff like that. That is one concern that I have raised about any potential redevelopment or deep retrofit that happens, in that they need to be made bigger. There has to be more sustainability in the design as well. If these bathrooms are being turned into a wet room, then grab bars can be put in for older people and they can be easily converted. It is about future-proofing them.

Regarding maintenance, there is a reactive aspect and a commitment there from them to address it. I have been speaking to people from Dolphin House. They have said that the new houses were built but the same maintenance happens. They are having more problems than what the older homes have. We are not learning a lesson from it. We are repeating the same things and looking for different answers.

I agree with Deputy Hayes. We should have a place to go to highlight these issues and to have forum where we can argue our rights as tenants and see an outcome from that just as in the private sector.