Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

There is a deadline looming and what we are doing about it is not clear to the community people supporting the residents and the residents because it is next Monday. It is very instructive to look at who these residents are in terms of the employment in which they are engaged. One is a pharmacist assistant, one is a lab worker in UCD, one is a construction worker, one is a carpenter, one is a carer for elderly people, one is a school caretaker and cleaner, one is a kitchen porter, one is a cashier and shop assistant, one is a cleaner with a contract cleaning company, one is a kitchen worker, one is a truck driver, another is a shop assistant and one is a florist. These are people who are working, helping our communities and filling gaps where there are desperate shortages of workers. Their children are in school, they play for local sports clubs and they do not know what is happening next week. The owner of the property does not understand it. The place has fire certification. They are not taking from the private rental market because it is a former commercial building so it will not be used for anything else to help people with the housing crisis. They need help to stay where they want to stay, the community wants them to stay and the owner of the property wants them to stay and where they are contributing to the local community. Can the Minister give them some certainty that they will not have to get out next week?

See this speech in context