Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

To add to that, I doubt if there are many in this House who can imagine what anticipation, hope and joy a family have when they are told, after years of waiting, with many of them in homeless accommodation, that this is their home. Deputy Ó Snodaigh spoke about the homes in Cherry Orchard, which are gorgeous. They are passive housing and have lovely fitted kitchens and so on. They are waiting to be occupied but we then hear that MDY Construction has gone under. We are not sure how it has gone under but I am told by local council officials that there is the involvement of a vulture fund. Will the Minister of State tell us if it is the case that a vulture fund has called in a historical debt from this building company, which is involved in building State-funded affordable and social housing? If that is the case, are we not in a mad situation in this country where vulture funds are literally handed, for little or no money, profitable land and housing? They have gobbled up nearly everything that remained from the crisis through NAMA and they are being given more and more each day. Now, it appears their actions are halting the much-needed building of social and affordable homes.

This is like another Carillion, except that this time it affects people who have been on housing waiting lists for long periods in places like Cherry Orchard, Rialto and Wicklow. How do we justify this?

We need answers and, more importantly, action. While the local authorities are doing their best, as stated by the Department, what does that amount to when 36 families are anxiously waiting to move in and a whole set of residents have been discommoded because there is no capacity to move the mounds of earth surrounding their estates or reopen their park? All of this is happening. Days go by, rumours spread and the community is losing hope. They do not deserve that. With all of his plans for a housing development agency, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, must take action. We also need answers as to what has happened here.

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