Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)

Has the Minister of State ever stepped back and reviewed the performance of Fianna Fáil in running the Department of housing over the past few years? I refer to a performance review, so to speak, because from the outside looking in, the performance of Fianna Fáil in the Department of housing is looking disastrous and in need of a complete overhaul.

Across Kilkenny, we have dozens of council-owned homes left boarded up simply because the Minister of State's Department only allows an insulting €11,000 to do each home up. As a result, we see many of these homes being left empty for years. In my home county of Kilkenny, there has been a staggering 86% reduction in building commencements compared with the same period in 2024. In the first quarter of 2024, approximately 500 buildings were commenced across the county. This year, it has plummeted to 61. We have watched as rents steadily increased by over 10% this year, and it is showing no let up. The cost of renting is now nearly 60% higher than before the pandemic.

I was delighted to see the KCLR roadshow programme covering the work of the local homeless charity today. We are very fortunate in Carlow-Kilkenny to have the Good Shepherd Centre Kilkenny and Tar Isteach Housing, because without them, God knows what would have happened to the hundreds of families left facing homelessness that these charities are now housing. The Government certainly was not stepping to the fore. Little to no concern is shown for the struggles of renters by this Government. We cannot lose sight that behind all these numbers and statistics are people, families, children and elderly people, left feeling lost and with a sense of hopelessness because of this housing crisis. This is, sadly, the most painful review of the Government's performance in the Department of housing.

See this speech in context