Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The intervention of Baroness Nuala O'Loan this morning on the "No" side of the marriage referendum debate will give encouragement to many people. The fact that a distinguished and credible person like her is willing to take a stand against what has really become a stifling and intolerant consensus is a really welcome development in the debate. What is even more important is her comment on policing at a time when we are talking about it. It is regrettable that we should have had to get such common sense and clarity from outside the jurisdiction. When Baroness O'Loan said that policing everywhere is supposed to provide an impartial and independent service and that the Garda Representative Association acted politically in issuing its recent statement on the referendum, which is not what one wants, and that the end result of a politicised force is that people lose trust in it, it is the kind of clear comment that should have come from the Minister for Justice and Equality rather than the very restrained comment from the Government. I thank Baroness O'Loan for her clarity and the contribution she has made to the debate and I am sure others would agree with me either publicly or privately.

Two weeks ago, I raised the issue of a crisis in the private rental sector, specifically in Galway. Since then, more people have contacted me who have accessed social housing under the provisions of the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, whereby, as everyone knows, local authorities draw up contracts with landlords to provide housing for an agreed term and the local authority pays the rent directly to the landlord. Tenants pay what they can towards the rent and the local authorities top up the payments and so on. This is an excellent way of keeping a roof over the heads of tenants, many of whom have young families. It is an attractive model for prospective landlords as most tenants live in the properties for long periods and there is no loss of income during the period when tenants are moving. The major problem is that there are woefully few properties available under this scheme in Galway, particularly east Galway. When I last raised the issue, I called on the Minister for Social Protection to enter into negotiations with NAMA to see if it could make properties available under RAS. One the previous occasion, the Leader said that the Government is investing €1.5 billion in social housing. In the spring statement, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform emphasised the need to invest in social housing. While we need long-term solutions such as building new houses, we also need crisis management. There is a crisis in the rental sector. A woman from Galway with three young children who contacted me recently told me she received notice to quit the house she is currently renting. The only solution is to move on to the emergency accommodation list. It means the family has to move from house to house until such time as a RAS property becomes available and the family is number 68 on the list. This family is being moved tomorrow. It cannot wait for new social housing to be built. It needs urgent solutions and I would be grateful if we could hear from the Government on this matter.