Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Fine Gael has been in power now for more than 12 years. In this time we have seen Government make decision after decision that have escalated the housing crisis into a full-blown emergency. Rents are out of control and a whole generation is locked out of home ownership. Homelessness has reached a record level that we could only have imagined.

This is the dire situation seven years after the Minister opposite, when he was the Minister with responsibility for housing, said the Government would end homelessness. It failed because, even with a significant recovery in public finances, the Government refused to provide the necessary investment in housing. Instead of building homes, Fine Gael pushed thousands of people into the private rental market. That is what has brought us to where we are today. The problem then and now is not public finances but the attitude of the Government. The Government is the problem.

The housing insecurity that renters live with every day is highlighted by the colossal increase in the numbers now contacting housing charity Threshold. In lifting the eviction ban without any protections in place, the Government has chosen to make the fear of losing one's home a reality for thousands of renters. These are people who work hard, pay their rent and do everything to build a decent life. They are being robbed of the roof over their heads, not through any fault of their own but by way of a cruel Government decision.

Eviction notices are landing every day and the Government has no plan, no safety net and no intention other than to dig in. Cá bhfuil daoine ceaptha dul? Chuireamar an cheist sin ar an Taoiseach, ar an Tánaiste, agus ar an Aire Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta agus níor thug aon duine freagra inchreidte. An féidir leis an Aire atá i láthair an cheist sin a fhreagairt?

Yesterday I put four stories of those facing eviction to the Taoiseach. We have received countless more. I want the Minister to hear what these people have to say. Eamon writes:

My son, his wife and their three children are to be evicted in June. They have nowhere to go. My son works very hard, but he still can’t afford to buy a house. It’s shocking what’s happening to hard working people in this country.

Margaret says:

My daughter has two kids. She received her eviction notice. She has to be out on the day of her baby’s first birthday. They can’t find another place. What are they going to do?

Colm tells us:

My landlord has already mentioned her nephew needs the house we are in. I am waiting in fear of an eviction notice. The street is only the other place left.

Rebecca says:

We lost the home we rented for thirteen years to a no-fault eviction. It was the most frightening and humiliating experience of our lives. I know exactly how other families are feeling.

I could go on; we could be here until tomorrow. That is the reality of what people are going through. These families, like so many others, have run out of housing options. Rented accommodation cannot be got for love nor money. Emergency accommodation is maxed out in many areas. People wait years for social housing. Where are they meant to go? We have asked the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and none of them has given a credible answer. Can the Minister answer that question today?

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