Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill as other speakers have done on all sides of the House. As a former member of a local authority for 11 or 12 years of my life, the amendment being introduced by the Minister of State has been spoken about for years but nothing has been done about it. The principal activity of local authorities is the provision of housing for those who cannot afford housing themselves and surely it is a responsibility councillors should have in their gift. In many respects it is good they have this and I commend the Minister of State for it and for the introduction of the Bill.

Other speakers have gone into the details of the legislation, including Deputy Donohoe, so I will not do so. The great advantage of technology is that one does not need to be in the Chamber to hear the debate and one can listen in one's office to the contributions being made. I was close to jumping out the window at one stage when I heard Sir Richard Boyd Barrett blame the Minister of State for not building any houses. I do not know how the Minister of State replied but I did not realise she was responsible for the collapse of the Irish economy. If one bases one's economics on a Ladybird book one will have difficulty.

Unlike some who get into a false rage about local authority estates, I was born in one and live in one and I am proud to do so. The last thing I need is a critique from people about what it is like to live in a local authority housing estate. Having said this I know if things were different it would be to the great credit of both parties in the Government if the Minister of State could announce we were commencing a great programme of building local authority houses, but the country is bankrupt. People prostitute the issue of homelessness and the thousands of people on the list, which was discussed eloquently by the previous speaker, but the lists have spiralled out of control and there is a reason for this. I do not think the finger can be pointed at the Minister of State. It is a difficult situation and I look forward to the days when the country gets out of the mess it is in and is in better shape economically. Those of us who support the Government look forward to the day we can take people off the list and provide social housing.

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