Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

No, several times. It just proves to me that there is no interest. There is a lethargic effort. The Government is supporting the banks and vulture funds. The Taoiseach was before the finance committee today and refused point blank to say the vulture funds would not get business or anything else. The Government is working for the banks or the big house down the road, 100 yards from the front gates of this House. There is some greater power such that the Government is not interested.

4 o’clock

The Government is interested in nothing. It cleared the decks to come back a day early. It cleared the Business Committee for four days to discuss the abortion referendum. The Government is interested in that all right and will sit all night, sit today and set up a Citizens' Assembly and a stuffed racket, unfair Oireachtas committee. However, it has no Citizens' Assembly or committee to deal with the emergency in housing. Its moral compass is in its feet, toes and shoes and the Government should be ashamed. With the ineptitude that is going on, not a house is being built anywhere. It is talk and report after report. I have nothing against the Minister personally but the head of one of the homelessness agencies said this morning that if he does not do something soon, he should just get out. Someone has to call time on this. It is farcical. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government but I seldom attend, as the Acting Chairman, Deputy Durkan knows, because I am fed up of reports and investigations. Why will the Government not go to see the system in Northern Ireland where, if a house becomes vacant, it must have a new tenant within 12 weeks? Here is takes four or five years and longer. We all have vacant units in our constituencies, including the Acting Chairman. They are boarded up everywhere.

There is inertia. It is a farce and a disgusting way to treat our people. They will be waiting for the Government at the next election as well as in the referendum on the eighth amendment. They will see all the time the Government can give to this and the money and the spin. Then, one has the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Coveney, who changes his mind four times a day about what he is doing. He is the second highest man in this country and I have nothing against him, but he changes his mind every time he crosses back and over the River Lee. Then, he says something that is completely unconstitutional. The Government is out of its depth. It does not have a clue and its members do not seem to care, which is worse. Their clinics are full of people too. My clinic at my office in Clonmel has never been as busy as in the past two weeks. I do not know what has gone wrong. I am inundated. Queues of people are homeless and the Government is allowing the banks to make them homeless. They are being kicked out of their houses. We see the sheriffs. At least county registrars are giving some bit of protection to families. We are talking about affordable housing, but the people will never get a house given the cost. The Government has had one failure after another. It can have a Citizens' Assembly and a committee to deal with abortion because it wants to force liberalisation on the people. It will not be forced on the people. They will have their say. On housing, however, it will not do anything. It will not hold a Citizens' Assembly or emergency meeting. It will have no emergency Dáil sittings.

We are here on Holy Thursday evening before the last supper. The Government will get its last supper from the people. They will give the Government nothing. They will get rid of it because it is an abject failure. It is a disgrace. It does not have one idea among all its members, it only has talk, reports and bureaucracy. We cannot get planning permission in the country. I have at least ten couples who want to build in Tipperary but the arrogant planners will not even meet them or me. However, no one says a word because none of them can be held accountable and sacked. However, the Government can be sacked by the people and it will be because it deserves no better. There is some greater power preventing this housing crisis being solved but it is not in this building. It is down the road about 100 yards on the right-hand side. That is who the Government is working for, namely other powers, banks and big business and to hell with ordinary people. It is a disgrace.

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