Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have spent €10 million of the people's money on legal fees to try to stop the European Commission giving Ireland €14 billion. That is some legacy; that is something to stand over. I have been clear the priority for spending this money is social and affordable housing and tackling the housing crisis. I support the establishment of a State construction company and Apple tax money being used as seed capital to get that company up and running and to have a laser-like focus on building social and affordable housing. I have made the point before that I can step outside my front door in Blackpool on the north side of Cork city and go for a walk or drive and within two miles be at Apple’s European headquarters in Hollyhill on the north side. If you stand on the hill and look out over the city you will see hospitals that are overcrowded and schools that are underfunded. I am in favour of using these moneys to invest in and improve public infrastructure.

I am not raising a whole shopping list, but there is another issue I wish to raise that needs investment, namely, water infrastructure. For two years now, the people of Cork have been plagued by brown and orange water coming from their taps. It is currently hitting the people of Mount Farran, Blackpool, and surrounding communities, very hard. It is not just down to it, but a factor in this is that more than half of the underground pipes in Cork city are cast iron and up to 100 years old. Uisce Éireann has told me what is needed to replace those pipes is €500 million of investment. It could not be done in the space of one or two years and would have to be planned out over a longer period of time, but while the priority is social and affordable housing and the establishment of a State construction company, public services, including water infrastructure are very important issues on that list.

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