Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)

This is a very important motion. We cannot build houses unless we have the necessary infrastructure in place. I have raised a number of times the failure to invest in wastewater infrastructure in a number of towns and villages across my constituency, as well as the slow delivery of projects which has stalled the delivery of housing. I raised it with the Tánaiste last week who said that investment would be forthcoming. However, we have heard these commitments before. We need less talk and more action to get the necessary infrastructure in place.

I also raise the impact of the changes to second-hand acquisitions and the lack of funding for Galway County Council for purchases. The changes to this scheme mean many households who had tenant in situ applications will not have these progressed and they face homelessness as a result. I wrote to the Minister, Deputy Browne, about one such family in my constituency over a month ago asking that he intervene and remove these totally unnecessary restrictions. While I received an acknowledgement from his office, I have not received a response to date. This young family should not be ignored. The husband and wife have two young daughters who attend school locally. They no longer qualify because they were in receipt of social housing support for only the past year and not two years, which is one of the restrictions the Government brought in. This family now faces homelessness as result. I appeal again to the Minister of State to intervene and remove these totally unnecessary restrictions. The family in question is not the only family affected. The underfunding of this scheme is going to result in many more families becoming homeless. Galway County Council has now almost run out of its allocation for 2025, so it will not be in a position to purchase homes and save people from homelessness later this year. This scheme was working. It was preventing families from becoming homeless, so please remove the restrictions and fund it properly.

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