Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and I could say that I am very encouraged by that answer but I am not. I repeat that it is six years ago since the European court ruled against this State for the way in which local authority tenants are treated and the conditions in which they have to live, specifically around damp and mould, sewage and other problems.

When one goes into one of these estates, the problems run deeper. There is rat infestation and playgrounds are not updated and are slippy and dangerous for children. In the case of Emmet Buildings, there is no proper emergency access for ambulances or fire brigades. There is a huge amount of absolute negligence.

The fact that Ireland was found to be guilty on the damp and mould issue is the issue I want to focus on here. I have asked the Minister of State a question which he has not addressed. Can we ensure that at least under climate action, funding is made available to upgrade all of the windows in these houses? One does not have to de-tenant the place to do that or to enter into a big urban regeneration project that lasts for a decade. One just gets the stock and puts in double- or triple-glazed windows in every single flat. This would make a huge difference to the quality of life and the level of mould and damp. To state the obvious, it would help to improve people's income in a cost-of-living crisis where they are paying a fortune to keep their flats warm. That is one specific question I would ask the Minister of State to address, namely, to try to get climate funding to deal with this issue of the windows and to ensure that proper ventilation is installed in every apartment.

Beyond that, if the Minister of State is meeting Dublin City Council, it also has to deal with rat infestation in many of these blocks. Some of this happens because buildings are being erected all around them, but this issue is not being dealt with. There are no responses that are worth a damn. People, very decent families and communities, are living with this day in, day out, children are missing school and health levels are very low.

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