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

I agree with my colleagues that this eviction ban has to be extended. This is a humanitarian crisis and a national emergency. The senior Minister came into the House a while ago, attacked the Opposition, attacked Deputy Ó Broin, and attacked us all. He answered no questions, ran out the door and left the Minister of State here, as happens every time we have a discussion on housing. It is a medal the Government should be giving to the Minister of State because Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Ministers will not come into the House and answer the real questions.

There are 11,632 people in homelessness, including 3,442 children. Where are the Ministers, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste?

I was out canvassing in the past week in Mayfield, the Glen and Knocknaheeny. There were boarded-up houses in virtually every terrace in these council estates. I listened to the Minister of State waffle on, and I mean him no disrespect, about the Government giving money for 120 units when there are more than 500 units empty. There are 31 local authorities and thousands of houses boarded-up and the Government is not doing anything about it. It is a drop in the ocean and the Minister of State is coming into the House and listing off figures. These are real homeless people we are talking about, people who are terrified. There is five weeks to go, and the Government cannot give people an answer.

A man who came into my constituency office, and I have dozens of families in this position, has three children in college and one doing the leaving certificate and he is to be evicted in April. How are his children going to do their college exams or, more importantly, their leaving certificate, if they do not know they will have a roof over their heads? The Minister of State and this Government will not answer those questions. It is an absolute disgrace and proof, if ever it was needed, that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in for the big money, the vulture funds and the cuckoo funds.

The Minister of State, however, is a member of the Green Party which was supposed to stand up for the ordinary people. The Green Party said when it went into government that it would do that, but it is letting the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, run out the door here. I am asking the Minister of State go to the Green Party and to ask if it will it ban evictions.

Cork City Council unanimously passed a motion this week to have the eviction ban for another year. This included Green Party, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin on a Labour Party motion and we cannot get an answer from the Government.

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