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

I listened to the debate on the motion of confidence in the Government, and Ministers and Deputies from Government parties, one after another, rolled out and talked about the great work the Government is doing to deliver housing and all the start-ups. The fact is that in my 14 years in politics, it has never been as bad as it is now. This is not just Sinn Féin talking; all of the Opposition are saying the same. It is not just us. It is also the Simon Community, the Peter McVerry Trust and the Cork Penny Dinners. Any of the charities that deal with families who are in homeless or emergency accommodation or need supports will say the same. Thirty-eight families and people have come to me because they will be evicted by Christmas. The Government's answer is to tell us about start-ups. People do not care about start-ups; they care about homes. The Minister and the Government are not delivering homes. People are becoming homeless under the Government's watch. The homeless figures are rising.

We spoke during the debate on Covid-19 about how a ban on evictions would work, and it did work. However, the minute the Government got the opportunity to do so, it lifted those restrictions and now we have a situation where more and more people are becoming homeless. At one time, homelessness was for people who might have problems with addiction or with their mental health. Now we have families with one or two people working who cannot put a roof over their heads. How is that possible in a society where people are working in good jobs? It is not just me saying this.

These are the facts. The Government has failed. It is in power more than two years now and we have seen the homeless, housing, social housing and the affordable housing crises get worse. We have seen private purchase and cost rental get worse as well. It is all under the Minister’s watch. The Government has failed, and that is why we are supporting this motion. We need to work together to raise the roof.

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