Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Bliain i ndiaidh bás tragóideach Jonathan Corrie ar thairseach trasna an bhóthair uainn, tá rudaí tar éis dul in olcas. Tá sé soiléir domsa agus don domhan mór go bhfuil géarchéim easpa dídine agus easpa tithíochta insan Stát seo agus nach bhfuil an Rialtas ag déanamh mar ba chóir i leith iad siúd atá ar an liosta feithimh ó thaobh tithíochta de agus an liosta feithimh dóibh siúd atá gan dídean.

A year has passed since the death of Jonathan Corrie focused many minds on the ongoing question of homelessness, but it is a pity that it did not focus for long enough the minds of the Government parties and the Cabinet, in particular. The position in this city and across the country has become much worse since that horrific day last year. More than 800 families have lost their homes since the Minister for statements and no action, that is, the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, announced a supposed raft of measures that were meant to respond to this crisis but which have not done so. More than 100,000 families are now on local authorities housing waiting lists across the State, with the numbers rough sleeping in this city alone doubling in the past year. So much for the Labour Party Minister and his solution. The Minister of State also should remember that the Taoiseach and his supposed conversations with rough sleepers. Were the Minister of State or the Taoiseach genuinely interested in tackling homelessness and the housing crisis, the Government would have declared a national emergency and would not be pandering to the property classes and, in particular, increasing the scandalous subsidising of private landlordism to deliver social housing. Socialism mar dhea, from the Labour Party, but I would not have expected anything less from Fine Gael.

I believe any announcement from the Labour Party, as it strives to stave off oblivion, given that the general election is only days away, is too little too late. The Government had time for action in the past five years, including both the Minister of State and the Labour Party Minister. We have experienced a crisis which the Government will not admit to being a national emergency. People literally are dying on the streets while waiting for the Government to act. The time is up and the time for waffle is over. What is also needed is a referendum to ensure property rights do not prevent the common good, which would allow for rent control and the confiscation of long derelict properties being hoarded by profiteers in this city and elsewhere. The Minister of State has no understanding of the reality for either the homeless or those on housing lists or even at this stage, for those on low pay who are trying to rent privately. The scale of the problem is such that it demands emergency powers.

The Government's rejection of the Sinn Féin Bill is not good enough; it is laughable when compared with its lack of action. Shortcomings in Sinn Féin's Bill could have been addressed on Committee Stage if the Government had any interest in delivering for the tens of thousands of people who need housing in the State. I hope the Government's failures in office will continue to haunt its members for many years to come, just as the situation for those who are homeless in this city haunts them every night as they try to deal with the consequences of the actions of the Government and its predecessor. This problem is not going away and will get worse unless the Government takes the action I propose.

Dublin City Council is only proposing to build 3,347 new homes by 2017. While it sounds great, this is despite having 22,000 on its waiting list and an additional 70 families going homeless in the city every month. The maths dictates that its new homes are only a drop in the ocean compared with what is required.

Of the 3,374 new homes I mentioned, 873 are current stock and not new build, 63 qualify for HAP thereby subsiding private landlords and 245 are supposed to be temporary very expensive modular homes the Government announced. That blatantly leaves a very inadequate new house building programme. It should be remembered that this state of play is mainly because of the failure of this Government - and the previous one - to put money where its gob is.

In my constituency, the local Sinn Féin councillors and I have demanded more social housing to address local needs for years. We have been very imaginative and proactive in our proposals. However, Dublin City Council has been hampered at every turn by this Government's, and the previous one's, lack of investment in building social housing.

The Minister must immediately release the long-promised €8 million for a redevelopment of the Traveller halting site, Labre Park. Work must be allowed commence on the building of the Cornamona senior citizen’s complex to deliver 60 senior citizens' homes which has been promised for more than ten years. While we welcome the move to begin the long-awaited refurbishment of the Canon Troy complex and hope that NABCO manages to build its 72 houses in Cherry Orchard, these must not be treated as photo opportunities but should be recognised as part of the solution.

Quite a number of other things need to be done in my constituency. Another Deputy mentioned the regeneration of Dolphin House and St. Michael’s estate earlier. That will not even replenish the housing stock lost by the demolition of St. Michael's estate, the demolition of St. Teresa's Gardens and the partial demolition in the near future of Dolphin House.

Other complexes have been promised by the local authority but the Government and its predecessor did not fund them. I refer to the senior citizens' complexes at Raleigh Square, Armagh Road and at the Ranch and the complex on Jamestown Road. Whatever happened to the plans for housing in the OPW site on Jamestown Road, which was supposed to have 220 homes? That was shelved because the private developer could not deliver. Why is the local authority not given the money to deliver that?

I pay tribute to those in sleeping bags, those sleeping in cars and the couch surfers around this city. I also pay tribute to those working with the homeless in the city trying to alleviate the hardships they face daily from this crisis and, in particular, to a grassroots organisation which has shone a light for many others and which has sprung up in my area, Ballyfermot Help 4 the Homeless, which participated in yesterday's rally.

Go n-éirí an t-ádh leo siúd ar fad agus mo náire iad siúd atá sa Rialtas nár dhein faic in aon chor chun déileáil leis an gcruachás mór seo.

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