Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask about the Housing Commission report. As my colleague said earlier, Dr. Aoibhinn Walsh, a leading paediatrician, is seeing children growing up in emergency accommodation presenting with rickets, skin conditions, including scabies, anaemia, faltering growth and extreme tooth decay. This is incredibly serious.

The landmark report from the Housing Commission provides a number of recommendations to tackle the housing crisis. However, the Minister for housing has claimed most of the recommendations are already being implemented. Michelle Norris, appointed to the commission by the Government, has roundly rejected this and stated: "Why would I devote two years of my life [to] coming up with [recommendations that are] already underway." The summer economic statement fails to signal the additional capital spending that will be needed on housing to start implementing the recommendations. Why is the Government sitting on the report and not implementing its recommendations?

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