Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too support the amendment. There is a little bit of misinformation about Apollo House and I regret that it is being politicised. The developer who had control of it at one stage is not sitting on it. He does not have a say in what happens to it. The history behind what is happening in Apollo House has yet to be told. I approve of the fact that it has been taken over. While it has been done in an irregular manner, this is how things happen sometimes, and the Minister should facilitate the unit being made fit for purpose so these people can stay off the streets and out of the cold and rain over the Christmas period. They should be left in it, after it has been made fit for purpose, until suitable accommodation has been found for them. Although it might seem a bit strange to the Minister, I think it would be a good position for him to take on the matter.

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd spoke about the empty units. It would be interesting if the Deputy saw the figures on the empty units in Dublin. A huge number of them are in the possession of different financial sectors. The Deputy was complaining about the local authorities as against NAMA offering them units. If there is a battle between the merits of how NAMA behaves and how our local authorities are behaving, NAMA will not win. The Deputy referred to the fact that the Government is introducing rent certainty. I agree with him. It is the certainty that it will cost too much for too many people to keep a roof over their heads. PPPs are a licence for investment funds to print money. No well organised state would ever use them.

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