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

I send my support and solidarity to everyone who has been forced to sleep on the streets in this State because of this Government's continued mishandling of the crisis in accommodation. We believe this is wrong. We know it is a direct result of poor Government policies. These failed policies are now attempting to pit the most vulnerable in our society against each other. There is no excuse for leaving those who are fleeing war to sleep on the street. The Government cannot continue to leave vulnerable people in this situation. These failures are creating divisions. Many among the community in my own constituency have been let down by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. They have seen cuts to youth services, hospitals closed, schools underfunded, poverty creeping up and Garda numbers decimated. They have been subjected to austerity and cutbacks for years. They have been overlooked time and again. These communities feel disempowered and neglected. People are left waiting for years on social housing lists while they pass boarded-up council homes, vacant houses and derelict properties. People in their twenties and thirties are living in their parents' box bedrooms while the Taoiseach suggests that they borrow from the bank of mom and dad. That just goes to show how out of touch he is. The anger and frustration in these communities is made so much worse because they feel so disempowered.

There are those who want to channel this anger for their own selfish, racist ideals and create a narrative of “us versus them”. It is a classic trick. They do not want people to work together. They want division. It is not helped when the Government, Ministers and others talk about so-called spongers and welfare cheats.

That does not go down well. It is not those on social welfare, in need of social housing or seeking international protection who should bear the burden of the State's failed policies. Rather, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, austerity, the bail-out of the banks, cuts to lone parent payments and countless political decisions have allowed the most vulnerable to carry the heaviest weight.

There are 166,000 vacant homes in the State. The penalty the Government is introducing for leaving homes empty in the middle of a housing crisis is 0.3% of the value of the home. That is not a penalty. There are thousands of boarded-up houses and this is the Government's answer. It is an insult to ordinary people. No wonder people are angry. That anger should be pointed at the Government, however. It is allowing people to turn that anger from the speculators, vulture funds, slum landlords and land hoarders. It is allowing the anger to be placed on the wrong people and at the wrong doors. It is refusing to accept responsibility for the crisis in housing that has left us here. It is allowing those with racist agendas to lay the blame at the door of vulnerable people. When a building is changed from commercial to residential use or from dereliction to refurbishment, communities are entitled to engage with the process through consultation. That is a key principle of the planing system. I have repeatedly asked for an update on the plans for Gerald Griffin Street in my constituency. There are those who wish to stir up anger and are spreading rumours that are causing fear in the community. As an elected representative, it is difficult to combat that without information. We need that communication between the Department, those living in the areas in question and those who represent them. We want to combat misinformation but we can only do so if we have the correct information and work together. For far too long, vulnerable people have been pitted against each other. It is time for the Government to stand up, do the right thing and lead from the front.

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