Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

These are the words of a county council tenant:

The overflow in our attic was fitted incorrectly, so eventually it burst and came down through the lights in my bathroom and down through the ceiling into the sitting room and kitchen. There is water damage in the ceilings, both upstairs and downstairs. The extractor fan is hanging by one screw.

These are the words of a city council tenant:

The leaks have damaged a lot of my belongings. Afraid the ceilings are going to cave in as they are all cracked, radiator is all blue, sink is hanging on by a thread, window in front room won't close properly, bad draught on my neck, no shower to wash ourselves.

These are responses I received from people in Galway who completed a housing maintenance survey, which I conducted. It is so clear from speaking to people across Galway that many are living in substandard accommodation. The reality is that this has a serious impact on their health. The results of this survey are alarming because they show, once again, how dysfunctional our housing system is. Nearly 90% of respondents said that they are currently dealing with problems in their homes. As we know, the most common problems are mould, dampness and window issues. Problems with external doors, leaks and heating issues are also extremely common. These problems have a huge impact on the people who live in these houses. Mould has serious implications in terms of breathing, coughs and chest infections. Many parents tell me that they are constantly bringing their children to the GP with recurring chest infections or coughs that they cannot get rid of. They also tell of their clothes stinking of mould, making them unwearable. It is really having an impact on people's physical and mental health. It is the State that is the landlord in this case. What is really concerning is that one third of the people who completed the survey said that no one has come to check their properties. Local authorities have to make housing maintenance an absolute priority for the health and safety of Galwegians who are renting.

We need action to ensure minimum standards in rental accommodation are met, particularly in State-owned accommodation because this is where we can act. We need investment in our housing maintenance teams. We need to look at the State as the employer that it is and bring on apprentices to help in this and meet our needs and the needs of the people of Galway.

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