Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I am well aware of the good work of the Defence Forces in terms of property in Dublin. I specifically raised the issue, however, of property in Kildare. Why is the hospital in the Curragh Camp, which is in quite good shape but requires a bit of work, not been put to use, for example, as homeless accommodation? Why could the prison in that area, which was the subject of quite considerable investment, not be opened up for homeless accommodation, for example?

The Minister's predecessor, Deputy Shatter, dismissed the idea of making available those habitable units in that area for families who are in dire need of accommodation, rejecting the offer of Deputy Wallace to have a look at them and evaluate the surveys he had done. Will the Minister look at that? If he really believes what he is saying, then he will be proactive in terms of the idea of an interdepartmental team being assembled, comprising the Departments of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Health and so on, to look at the property he has in his portfolio to see how other agencies of the State could benefit from that. As it stands, it is probably a year since we were actively engaged in this discussion with the former Minister. In that year, all that has happened is that the families who are under fear of eviction are still under fear of eviction and none the wiser in that area and other properties are still idle and are in far worse shape now than they were a year ago when we raised this issue and made the offer. If the Minister is serious, I would put it to him that he might initiate one of the-----

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