Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Since I was elected 18 months ago, several reports and many ideas have been put forward to deal with the homeless situation. During the summer, the new Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, suggested something be done around the fair deal scheme, where people in nursing homes would give up their homes to put people into them. The word CPO, compulsory purchase order, was put out there as well, and that people's properties would be CPOed.

Will the Government desist from this notion and leave those in nursing homes alone? Everyone in a nursing home has the ambition to get better and go home. If the Government proposes to take their homes from them, it is very same thing as somebody going in and shooting them. It was a horrible thing to suggest. Will the Government leave these people alone and, instead, give money to the local authorities to build houses? There is no other way round this. If the Government is trying to hurt people in those situations, I and many other Deputies will not stand for it.

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