Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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I apologise but I have to be quick because I have to head into the Chamber as well.

I have a few questions for at Dublin City Council. I am not going to go too much into the caravan loan scheme. It was stated earlier that 18 applications were approved in 2022 and ten in 2023. How many people were not successful? Ms Doyle said there were four in 2023, but I am concerned about the number of people applying for this scheme and the criteria. Do the officials think the criteria are too strict? Why do they think there was a drop in applications in 2023?

My other question is on emergency caravan funding and the criteria for that as well. The officials mentioned fire, flood and storm There are people in my area who have applied for this emergency funding and have not got it, yet their homes are leaking and there are electrical faults.

I will also touch on the delays to maintenance. These seem to a big issue in my area. Has the council a system for assessing these cases? Are there priorities and what is the timeframe? We have people, especially out in Cara Park, who are waiting a number of years for work to done on their homes, so I would like the officials to talk about the maintenance a bit. I am also interested in the development in Cara Park. Has the council got funding for it? When do we expect to be onsite and to see the works completed?

The council's Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019-2024 refers to "... the increased interest of the Traveller Community in accessing standard housing". Has the council undertaken any research into why interest in standard housing has increased? Do the officials think this may be a result of the poor conditions in Traveller-specific accommodation?