Dáil debates

Thursday, 14 April 2016

7:35 pm

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, as an deis labhairt sa díospóireacht seo agus as an phribhléid a thabhairt dom aitheasc a thabhairt do Dháil Éireann den chéad uair.

I was elected by the people of Dublin Rathdown to advocate on their behalf and to represent them in the Dáil with energy and commitment and to represent the people of Ireland, both urban and rural, with integrity. First, I would like to pay tribute to all my constituents who I will now represent to the best of my ability. I recognise the contributions of former constituency colleagues who have not returned to Dáil Éireann - Ms Olivia Mitchell, for her excellent long-standing service, former Ministers, Mr. Alan Shatter and Mr. Alex White, and Mr. Peter Mathews - and I wish them well in the future.

I have played my part over the past number of weeks in trying to find solutions to our housing challenges. I have been working extremely hard on the Fine Gael negotiating team trying to put together a government. I am doing what I can to find common ground and policy agreement with other Members of this Dáil. I hope we can provide a government that will last and will have a mandate on housing and a determination to get the job done.

The draft discussion document we have collaborated on contains a commitment within the first 100 days of Government to produce a housing action plan to be overseen by a dedicated Cabinet Minister, which I very much welcome.

If we are to find a real, lasting solution, we need a single Department to pull all the strands together. We inherited a housing system that was broken. Where we had enormous supply and a totally unsustainable model, we were left with minimal resources and pent-up demand due to the boom-and-bust policies of the past. Since 2011, with increased growth and falling unemployment, the urgency for housing, particularly in Dublin, continues to increase. What can be done to address the growing need for new homes? The consensus of this Dáil is that a plan to tackle housing must increase supply, particularly in urban areas, tackle homelessness and provide greater protection for renters.

We all know our home is vital to our well-being. It offers us our own space to claim as ours alone, in which to relax and reflect. Nothing is more destructive than the loss of one's home. The fear of this causes much anguish and translates into loss of identity and self-esteem. As a family lawyer and mediator at the coalface, I daily see the importance of the family home for my clients who are going through separations and divorces. After concern for their children, their home is the most pressing issue and the welfare of children is always inextricably linked to pressures about the family home. I have always tried to bring finality to people who are going through the most challenging period of their lives and to deal with people professionally and compassionately.

Everybody in this House wants to effect change. As a working mother of two children who is paying a mortgage, I acutely understand people's needs and worries. I listened very carefully to the concerns of the people who elected me about wanting a future in which their children could work, save and buy a home. I listened to questions about property tax and what it would cost them in 2019. I am relieved the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, could freeze the property tax for a further three years until this date. The other recommendations of the Thornhill report will also, I hope, be re-examined shortly. I want a Government that will expand the tenancy sustainment protocol being received by 6,000 households which struggle to pay rent. I want a Government that will accelerate the delivery of the committed €3.8 billion in funding for targeted delivery of 35,000 social housing units.

For my constituents, affordable housing for their children and the closure of Stepaside Garda station, which I always opposed, are of grave importance. I will work to implement housing strategies and review the dispersal of Garda stations in urban and rural areas. As well as housing and the property tax, child care, the self-employed and tackling crime are worries for my constituents and I intend to focus on those issues during the coming Dáil. Housing is one of the many complex areas on which I have a mandate. I also hope that the eighth amendment can be re-examined in a mature manner, taking into account the complexity of people's lives, in particular women's lives. I support the repeal of the eighth amendment.

I am very proud to stand in the House with its great traditions. It is 100 years since the 1916 Rising. We all owe it to our forefathers and foremothers, who sacrificed so much, to serve the people with integrity. Our country is not perfect. Our system is not perfect. We should always be trying to improve it. As we look around the world, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have our country and these democratic institutions to represent us. The centenary celebrations of the 1916 Rising give us all an opportunity to reflect on the type of nation we want. I want to be part of a country that is prepared to be creative with its future. The Proclamation set out a vision of a new society of Irish men and Irish women. I am the 98th female Deputy elected to the House and it has been only 98 years since women first got the vote. A more equally representative Dáil that will debate housing and other issues is better not only for women but for every member of society.

I am proud to be part of a Fine Gael party which is progressive, which introduced marriage equality and divorce, and which will re-examine the role of women in our society. I hope the Thirty-second Dáil will be productive and innovative on housing and I am honoured and humbled to do what I can for this country.

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