Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today, the Taoiseach and Government have one last chance to stop the backslapping and answer the question asked by people in Mayo and every other county who are being forced to move out of their homes this weekend and in the coming weeks, namely where do they go. Mayo is the county of Michael Davitt. How disgraceful is it that almost 100 years after his death, evictions would feature in the daily life of a county and country he fought so hard for? The Taoiseach and Government have chosen to devastate lives by not extending the eviction ban to allow time to put alternative accommodation in place. They have done what they told them to do, namely, go to council offices. There is no emergency accommodation in Mayo The best people can hope for is vouchers for bed and breakfasts which are already booked out for Easter. Others are trapped paying sky-high rents and living in cramped accommodation, while putting their lives on hold because of the Government's failed housing policies. Families, pensioners and single people are facing homelessness under the Government's poor decisions. All they are asking for is breathing space to allow them to have somewhere to live.

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