Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)

In Galway city and county, we have already seen the impact of the lack of investment in key and basic infrastructure on the delivery, or lack thereof, of housing. Let us take Galway city east as an example. It is the place I live in and the place where we want to see the development of more homes. We need to see the development of new homes, yet there has not been the required investment in the wastewater treatment plant. There has been a delay in that. We need to see that investment happen in order for housing to be delivered on the east side of the city. If we do not have delivery of housing on the east side of the city, it will have a serious impact.

In the Gaeltacht areas, we have another issue with the lack of serviced sites. In the Gaeltacht region of south Connemara, the county council has no access to serviced sites to be able to deliver housing, whether it be affordable or social housing. As a result, we have seen the impact. We have seen campaign groups forming, for example, BÁNÚ and TINTEÁN, where young people are coming together to say they want to be able to live and raise families in the Gaeltacht but they cannot do so because of the lack of investment in basic and key infrastructure by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments.

Tá sé feicthe agam go díreach céard nach bhfuil déanta ag rialtais de chuid Fhianna Fáil agus Fhine Gael le blianta anuas. Ní raibh an infheistíocht chuí déanta sa mbuninfreastruchtúr ionas gur féidir tithe a thógáil. Má bhreathnaíonn muid ar chathair na Gaillimhe, is féidir linn breathnú ar an easpa córas fuíolluisce in oirthear chathair na Gaillimhe, áit nach féidir tithe a thógáil mar gheall nach bhfuil sé sin ann. Má bhreathnaíonn muid ar an nGaeltacht, tá an rud ceannann céanna ann. Níl suíomhanna ná talamh ag an gcomhairle contae, áit atá na seirbhísí ann, ionas gur féidir leo tithe a thógáil. Is cinnte nach bhfuil siad in ann tithe inacmhainne nó tithe sóisialta a thógáil. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil leithéidí BÁNÚ agus TINTEÁN ann agus ag feachtasaíocht agus ag rá go bhfuil siad ag iarraidh a bheith ina gcónaí sa Ghaeltacht ach níl na suíomhanna sin ag an gcomhairle contae chun é sin a chur i bhfeidhm.

See this speech in context