Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If the Minister wants an example of how out of control the market is and the emergency being created, he should look at Galway city. My question is on emergency accommodation but I will preface it by pointing out that today the students in Galway are protesting because they have been subjected to an 18% increase in their lease for the coming year. As they enter the exam period, they have been told that they have to come up with an extra €1,000 for a nine month lease for next year. That is a symptom of the market.

Another symptom is the cost of homelessness services. At the beginning of May, there were 190 homeless people in Galway. What has been the cost to the State of housing our homeless people in 2015, 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018? I want to bring clarity to the situation in Galway.

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