Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not sure if the Minister of State will remember but last May I asked him for an increase in funding for full-time vacant home officers in every local authority. At that time, he said that it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in local authority staffing. However, in November, the Department said that every local authority should have a full-time vacant homes officer. In other words, it took six months for the Minister of State to make up his mind on what I said last May. I appreciate him listening to me but he only increased the funding from €50,000 to €60,000. I suppose this speaks to how Sinn Féin brings forward solutions only for it to take months for the Government to listen. It sometimes takes years for it to listen to poor Deputy Ó Broin. However, when it does listen to us, that shows that we have the solutions. Here we are now.

The Minister of State accused me of speaking out of both sides of my mouth. Then he went away and implemented the policy that we asked him to. What I am saying now is that we are looking for full-time vacant home officers and full-time derelict home officers. We are seeking to end the scourge of dereliction because it is destroying communities like the one I represent right across the country. Does the Minister of State realise how difficult it is when people who do not have homes are passing empty homes?

See this speech in context