Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that the Taoiseach has moved from asserting that the declaration of a climate emergency was merely symbolic and that a climate action plan has been published by his colleague the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton. The plan clearly needs further discussion, given the vagueness of actions in a number of areas, not least of which are agriculture and transport. Equally important are further necessary discussions on the required actions to ensure Project Ireland 2040 and the ten-year implementation plan can be climate-proofed against the plan. In that context, I appeal once again to the Taoiseach to look at Galway, a beautiful bilingual city that is ostensibly thriving on so many levels but the success and development of which belie the reality for many people on the ground. Unfortunately, the growth of the city is taking place in the absence of a city architect and master plan that would put the common good to the fore. Growth is also premised on the private market providing accommodation units, as they are called, and the rolling out of more roads and consequent traffic congestion. This is developer-led development which got the city and country into a bad position in the first place. It is most regrettable that we are back to that position in Galway. The Taoiseach's colleague, the Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, agreed with me on two occasions that Galway was experiencing developer-led development. This is not withstanding the repeated use of the words "sustainable development" in the national planning framework and the spirit of the recently published climate action plan. Government policy has now led to cases where we house homeless persons in what was tourist accommodation, including hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation, while tourists are housed in homes through Airbnb. I am most reluctant to use the example of individuals, but I will quickly relate the case of a person for whom I made representations this week. She has three young children and been on a waiting list for 11 years. During that time she has never been offered a house and the only advice given to her was to go to the housing assistance payment place finder service, which she did, but there were no premises available for her in Galway. The Simon Communities of Ireland has repeatedly told us and given us reports telling us that it is locked out of the market. The person in question is one of 4,000 households on a waiting list. Government policy is worsening the crisis with the HAP scheme which is the only game in town.

Parallel with that, last night at city council level the National Development Agency presented a feasibility study of the four-acre Dyke Road site in Galway.

It is quite clear from what I have looked at that the Government, through the LDA, has no interested in using public lands for the benefit of the maximum number of people for the common good.

These problems are not inevitable. The housing crisis and the traffic congestion in Galway have been created. If we are seriously interested in our words meaning something in this Dáil in terms of the climate action plan, the Government needs to focus on Galway. We need a commitment to putting in place a master plan that will put the common good to the fore and, included in that, there must be recognition that the city will expand by 50%. A feasibility study for light rail is needed as a matter of urgency.

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