Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister should look behind him and around him at the rows of empty seats. Government Ministers and backbenchers are showing utter contempt for thousands of people who face eviction and homelessness in the next ten days. Are they hiding in their offices or in the Dáil bar? They can hide from the debate tonight but they cannot hide from their constituents tomorrow evening if they vote to lift the eviction ban.

Today there is no emergency accommodation in Louth - no hotel rooms, no bed and breakfast accommodation, nothing. A total of 172 people presented as homeless to Louth County Council last month, even before the eviction ban is lifted. Today there are five properties listed on www.daft.ieto rent in Drogheda, the largest town in Ireland. At a minimum, 96 families in Louth face eviction in ten days time. At a minimum, 120 families in Meath face eviction over the next few weeks. I will give the House some examples of the consequences of the Government's action for families. I am dealing with one family comprising two adults and five children. One child has autism and another suffers from anxiety and depression. The parents are petrified at the real prospect of being homeless in a couple of weeks. Where does this family go? Another family is on Louth County Council's housing list and is in receipt of HAP from the council. The family has been served with an eviction notice. The house is technically in County Meath because a part of Drogheda lies in that county. The landlord is willing to sell the property to a local authority. Louth County Council will not agree to a tenant in situpurchase because the house is in County Meath while Meath County Council will not purchase it because the family is on the housing list in County Louth. Where does this family go? Do they go to the Garda station? I came across another case of homelessness today. There are no emergency beds available anywhere in Louth and the homeless department offered €100 to the individual. There is nothing available. Where does that individual go?

The truth is that the Government has no contingency plans and no immediate solutions. The Government allowed the housing crisis and homelessness to build and build over the past decade and its policies are making the situation worse, not better. This Government's housing policies are inflicting utter misery on families and causing stress for thousands of people. To add insult to injury, the Government has now collectively decided to compound that misery while taking no responsibility for its reckless actions. There is no emergency accommodation, no hotel rooms, no bed and breakfast accommodation and no housing to speak of and yet the Government is bulldozing ahead with lifting the eviction ban. There is one pertinent question that no Government representative has answered. Indeed, all of them have refused to answer it to date. Where do these families go, come April?

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