Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is incredible to hear the Taoiseach suggest that when he hears anger from the Opposition on the issue of housing, it is rehearsed anger. If I ever needed any more clarity of the Government's attitude towards housing and how it simply does not get it, it was from the Taoiseach here tonight. I heard the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who is also missing, suggest that Opposition parties are engaging in divisory politics; that it is old versus young; urban versus rural. If this Government has done anything, it is to unite people in urban and rural areas and older and younger people all under the same issue of not being able to access secure and affordable housing. It is impacting the people in our cities and rural areas and it is even impacting people on our offshore islands. It is not just impacting young people. It is seriously impacting older people. I see people coming into my clinic in their 50s, 60s and 70s who cannot access housing. A man who is nearly 70 was paying over €1,000 extra over HAP. He knows that once he retires, he will not be able to afford that any more. There was a week in Galway city when six households were turned away from emergency accommodation. That resulted in six people having to live in their cars and three in tents. Coming up to Christmas, there is no room in the inn for Galway city homeless and there certainly are no wise men in this Government who are going to do anything about it.

See this speech in context