Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As we look forward to spending Christmas with our families, there are many people who will not have the type of Christmas they wished for. For many, it will be the third year they will have spent Christmas Day in emergency accommodation as a direct result of the Government's policies. We see today from the Central Bank report that banks in this State hold in excess of 3,200 properties. When vulture funds are included, the figure increases to 3,715. The majority of these are family homes held by banks in which this State has a majority shareholding. For example, Permanent TSB told us last June that it had 2,000 properties. In anybody's books, it is an absolute scandal and a travesty that State-owned banks have so many empty properties when so many children and adults are in emergency accommodation, so many people cannot find rental accommodation and the property market is out of reach for so many individuals. What will the Government do about this? It is not a new phenomenon but one that has gone on year after year and there has been no action from the Government in that regard.

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