Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an rún seo a chur os comhair na Dála agus an deis againn a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht seo. Chuir an Rialtas an scéim seo ar fionraí, agus tá bréag á hinsint ag an Rialtas maidir leis an scéal. Cuirfidh mé mar sin é. Táimid i dtír na mbréag arís ó thaobh cad atá ag tarlú anseo. Tá litir anseo agam ag cur in iúl dom go ndúirt an Roinn go raibh an scéim seo curtha ar fionraí roimh an Nollaig. D'ardaigh mé, cosúil le gach Teachta Dála eile, é anseo arís agus arís. D'ardaigh mé é mar cheist ar sonraíodh uain di, mar Shaincheist Thráthúil agus ar urlár na Dála, agus ní raibh mé in ann aon soiléireacht a fháil. Bhí an Taoiseach ag caint as dhá thaobh a bhéil maidir leis an scéim seo, ag rá nár cuireadh ar fionraí í agus go mbeadh scéim nua i gceist.

I am thankful to Fine Gael, no, I am sorry, to Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. It is interesting that I had a slip of the tongue in relation to Fine Gael because quite a number of Government backbenchers raised questions in relation to this issue over and over. The former Ceann Comhairle was one, such was the uncertainty regarding this scheme. The city council in Galway was informed this scheme was suspended. I raised this issue in every manner I could, including during Questions on Policy or Legislation, as a Topical Issue matter and during questions with other TDs, but absolutely no clarity was given to me concerning the scheme. I was told it was not suspended, yet the city council told me there were 16 units in the middle of a contract about which there was no certainty or about whether they were going to be lost. Some 11 of those units had sitting tenants. I have a letter here, as does every other TD, telling me the council is not answering the landlord in relation to the wish to sell the house under the tenant in situ scheme. There was no reply from the council. Another letter I have concerns a similar situation.

Let me look at the task force in Galway that has been sitting now since 2018 because the situation is so crucial there and such is the emergency. Do you know what the new chairperson of that commission told us back in November? We have had no minutes since then. We get no feeling there is urgency here, except in the words of the chairperson, who said we must massively scale up our delivery of social housing. It is acknowledged by both local authorities that the targets have not been met. It is also acknowledged that targets are not being achieved. When it comes to the tenant in situ scheme, then, on page 3 of the minutes, it is stated that in regard to the scheme, as an official from the Department advised, that it was introduced, as was outlined, in 2023 as a temporary measure and so on, and was then renewed. The minutes go on to state the Department has consistently indicated the limit to the local authorities but the figure concerned has been exceeded, and this scheme should be a scheme of last resort.

I share concerns regarding the scheme and value for money but I place the blame firmly on the shoulders of the Government for not monitoring this scheme and for not having the figures at its fingertips as to whether it is providing value for money. At the moment, it is a necessary scheme. It is like all the schemes brought in by the Government in that they have become necessary. They are, though, all pieces without an overall picture. What the Government has done is it has brought in a scheme. The officials in the council got the work ready. The Government just cut it and then told us it did not. It played absolutely silly games in relation to where the truth lay. Across every party, contributors have raised questions in this regard. How did that happen if what I said is not accurate? How were clear guidelines not given in relation to this matter or news issued of a proper review being carried out, by whom and within what length of time? In the meantime, the Government's new restrictions are appalling. This is what is going to happen. Our homeless services are at full capacity in Galway city. There are no properties available under the HAP scheme. The Simon report has told us about the situation in respect of every quarter of every year for several years now, even when it looks under the discretionary schemes. Homeless services, therefore, are at capacity, no properties are available under HAP and now the Government is doing this with a scheme. Tá sé dochreidte agus ní féidir glacadh leis. Arís, gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an deis a thabhairt dúinn soiléiriú a fháil ar a laghad. An féidir leis an Rialtas a rá liom, i dtaobh na dtithe a bhí i mbaol ó thaobh an scéim a bheith curtha ar fionraí, an bhfuil na tithe sin anois i seilbh na comhairle i nGaillimh? Tá sé ardaithe go mion minic agam agus ba mhaith liom soiléiriú.

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