Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)

Some of what exists on the various campuses dates from a different time in the context of what is expected in terms of accommodation, but also with respect to family arrangements and so on. It is nonetheless the case there is a housing crisis so it is easy to understand why people feel frustrated. We have members of the Defence Forces who are struggling to find accommodation, especially when they are based near urban centres. Certainly in Cork it can be difficult for people, particularly if they are recent enough recruits and maybe on the lower end of the pay scale, to find accommodation near Collins Barracks, Haulbowline or Lynch Camp in Fermoy. Right across the State it is frustrating to see places that are described as residential buildings in this condition. As I said, in Cork 84% of them are uninhabitable. Across the board it is similar enough, with 80 being uninhabitable of 153, which is a little over half.

The Minister has outlined a plan of operation. Has he a sense, maybe, of the timeline? Is it his view it is desirable for some of these buildings to come back into use as accommodation for people to live in? What is his sense of it?

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