Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill brought forward by the Social Democrats. Sadly, sex for rent appears to be on the doorstep of both urban and rural communities throughout Ireland although, thankfully, it is not very widespread at the moment. I was shocked to read a story of such a case in Limerick, which I thank the Limerick Postfor exposing. This is probably the darkest side of homelessness, where people are desperate to secure housing at almost any cost.

We can see the housing crisis that we have. We can see people who are in a family situation where there is violence. We can see families who want to try to move out and who are looking to escape from violence within the home and violent behaviour. We can see what we can do as a country. When Ukraine was looking for our help, we were able to get certain accommodation and the Irish people were able to welcome people from Ukraine into their houses to help them in a situation of need, and rightly so. We can also see premises around this country that have been closed up for years upon years - convents and different places that are out of use – and which are now being put into use to house families from Ukraine. Again, I agree with this. It is right.

What I have to ask is what the Government has done for years upon years in regard to looking for places to house vulnerable people who have been put in a situation of sex for rent. That is a failure of Government policy; it is a failure of the Government. We can do it when people ask us in a Ukraine-type situation but when it comes to Irish people who have been asking for years, the Government says there is nothing it can do. We can do things. We can move mountains in this country when we are called upon and when there is a need from other countries, but when Irish people ask, the Government says, sorry, there is no funding for vulnerable families. Things can be done in this country to help people but the Government is again failing to act to protect those like the people in Ukraine and people in Ireland who are in violent situations and who are caught in a situation of sex for rent. To me, that is a failure of the Government.

I welcome the Bill. I will be supporting it. Well done to the Social Democrats.

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