Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. As he knows, we have a number of locations throughout Carlow and Kilkenny and I have no issue or difficulty. I am raising this issue because I share the concerns of the community. It is a fantastic community and there are already a number of Ukrainian families living in the area. It could be argued that the holiday homes there will not be proper, long-term accommodation but the community has rallied around and stepped up to welcome everybody.

The area in question is a rural townland and there is no infrastructure. I know of two other turnkey properties that have been offered in Kilkenny, one in the city and the other in Slieveroe. Those properties would be far more suitable. They are ready to go and it would make more sense to use them.

There is an issue because there is no public transport and there are no schools. It is a 13 km round trip to get to any shops, schools or facilities. There are also serious issues with public wastewater, sewerage and water. Building housing, for both the local authority or an individual, is not an option at the moment. This is an area that needs local authority housing but it is not an option due to those concerns in respect of sewerage and water. I do not see how this would be a suitable location. We are setting people up for failure if they move into the facility in question.

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