Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would appreciate if Labour Members did not interrupt me. I did not interrupt them. The truth must out on this matter. We have again what we had in the time of Bertie Ahern, when we were told to take our own lives rather than whining. We had the exact same language from a Fine Gael Minister of State earlier. I read with horror what he said about our reputation abroad:

Some of this narrative has seeped into international coverage of our housing system, and it is damaging to Ireland's international reputation that our social response to this issue is being portrayed as dysfunctional.

The housing crisis is dysfunctional. The response of this Government and that which preceded it is dysfunctional. Let us make the English language mean something nó an Ghaeilge - is cuma liom. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go mbeimid ionraic sa Dáil seo. Ba cheart dúinn an fhírinne an insint. The Government created a housing crisis with its reliance on the private market, claiming that it would provide. It has utterly failed to do so, however. The Government stood over legislation which enshrined HAP as the only game in town. When I was a member of Galway City Council, we were repeatedly told it was the only game in town. HAP is taxpayers' money going into the landlords' pockets at a capped level. In Galway city, as in other cities, no tenant can get a property at that capped level. To add insult to injury, the tenant or applicant has to get extra money to top up the rent. That used to be regarded as an under-the-counter payment whereas now it is a recognised official payment. HAP applicants are struggling to pay rents way beyond their capacity.

Over the years, I watched this problem grow. When I was a councillor, we appealed to the then Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to come to Galway.

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