Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Comhghairdeas leat, a Cheann Comhairle. Ní bhfuair mé deis é sin a rá ar an gcéad lá. Guím gach rath ort. An méid sin ráite, ní dóigh liom go mbeidh an tAire sásta leis an méid atá le rá agam, ach feicfimid.

The arrogance of the Minister, Deputy Kelly, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach is incredible in the context of the serious housing crisis in this country. There is growing consensus here today that it is a national emergency. The Minister's arrogance is matched only by the magnitude of his failure to realise the role he played in the creation of the housing crisis, his failure to learn from his mistakes and his failure and that of the Government to apologise. This housing crisis is not inevitable. Yes, there are problems with land banks and credit facilities but the primary problem is that local authorities have not been funded to build one social house. Taking Galway city as a microcosm, there are 72,000 people in Galway city. There are 15,000 people on the waiting list there, some of them since 2002.

On the eve of St. Patrick's Day there were 268 homeless people in the city of the tribes. The reason for this is the failure since 2009 to build one social house. That the Minister's response to this is not that the Government did not do its job but to blame the local authorities and city managers is appalling. Land was purchased and zoned residential but no money was provided by this Government or the previous Government for the construction of one social house. Inevitably, we have a housing crisis in Galway. On top of that the policy of the Government in terms of the housing assistance payment has copperfastened the most fundamental change in housing policy since the foundation of the State. Up to the introduction of this policy people on the waiting list could be assured that once they did their time they would get social housing. This is no longer the case. The housing assistance payment policy copperfastens the private market.

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