Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too am concerned while we all wait with bated breath for action from Government. I am aware of the Minister's bona fides and listened to him on the housing committee. However, I do not know where it all gets lost and choked up when it comes to the drafting of legislation. It is not at all clear to me from this legislation and these amendments that we are going to see the logjams unblocked and the whole bureaucracy around the delivery of affordable and social housing in this country addressed. We could do this back in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and we cannot seem to do it now. We have lost our way in some kind of fog, a dense fog. The Minister does not need a scooter but something to take the blinkers off his eyes and off those in his Department so they will deal with this. The role of the voluntary sector should be acknowledged as well and the Minister should allow them in too. We saw a piece of legislation put into Covid legislation last night to court and have a continuing affair with all these vulture and cuckoo funds. I am not sure this legislation is in any way robust enough or has any clarity on how we deal with this situation or how we tackle it the way it should be tackled.

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