Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Alas, there are roads in Mayo that have been waiting for 30 years. Renters in Mayo are deeply concerned about the rising cost of rents and the continued increase in homelessness in the county. The county of Michael Davitt, the founder of the Land League in 1879, is now one in which so many families are petrified of not having a home to call their own. However, the Taoiseach and his Government see no cause to implement a no-fault eviction ban. The great, improper declaration that 40,000 new homes would be built last year was very cruel and deliberate. Now, we have an increasing number of older people worried sick about being made homeless. Too many people with disabilities are living in precarious conditions. This week, I spoke to a disabled woman who was trying to work out how she could cut back on groceries just to able to afford her exorbitant rent. How can this be acceptable in one of the richest countries in the world? Is it acceptable to the Taoiseach? Is he really of the opinion that renters need to pay higher rents to guarantee the profits of institutional landlords? When will the Taoiseach declare a housing emergency?

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