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

Of all the terrible housing decisions that this Government and previous Governments have made over the past decade, I truly believe that this one will be judged the harshest because the Minister agrees and admits that thousands of people who are now served with notices to quit are absolutely terrified that over the next period they will end up homeless.

The Minister even admits that we will see an increase in homelessness yet at the exact same time he also admits that there is very little emergency accommodation across this State. I can see it in Galway City Council and Galway County Council. I see it with the people coming in through my door every day. They do not know where they are going. They have no confidence that the Government has any idea where they will go.

The Minister cannot make any mistake about this. The Minister knows that people's lives will be thrown into absolute and utter turmoil because of this decision that he and his colleagues in government have created. That means the care-free innocence of childhood is totally shattered because families are worried. Parents are worried and that, obviously, goes onto the children as well.

The Minister tells us time and time again that he is expanding the tenant in situscheme. There is something the Minister needs to make clear to local authorities, such as Galway city and Galway county where people are on the housing assistance payment, HAP. It is not clear, if their landlord is willing to sell, if the local authorities should buy them. The Minister is nodding his head but the local authorities do not know the answer to that. Seeing as though that is something the Minister feels strongly about, he needs to make sure it gets out there and he provides a clear briefing to all the local authorities because that is one of the issues that it is continuously being raised.

The Minister is not listening to us in opposition. The Minister is not listening to housing campaigners. The Minister should listen to those people who are absolutely petrified because of the decision that he has made.

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