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

To follow on from the point made by Deputy Boyd Barrett, the local authority in the area where I live, Cork City Council, does not build extensions for people and its criteria for housing allocation are very tight. I am dealing with a number of families. One man has a notice to quit and the house he is in is not fit for his family. Local authorities should be able to build extensions or convert attics so that families do not go on the transfer list. Cork City Council does not do that. As a result, hundreds of people are living in overcrowded accommodation. An individual who wants a transfer out of overcrowded accommodation, from a two-bedroom to three-bedroom unit, or a three-bedroom to four-bedroom unit, could be waiting for up to ten years. Children then live in overcrowded accommodation at a time they need a proper home.

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