Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the establishment of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and hope its work can take place as soon as possible.

I wish to raise two issues, the first of which relates to the maternity services group which was charged with developing a maternity strategy for 2016. It has met only once in the past 18 months. It was set up by the Taoiseach-in-waiting, Deputy Leo Varadkar, in response to baby deaths at Portlaoise hospital and in response to the Savita Halappanavar case. The report on the maternity strategy was meant to be completed last summer.The group met for the first time in April. It highlights the Government's intentions towards women and how they are treated. The delay is due to staff shortages across the HSE because of its own and the Department of Health's failed staffing and employment policies. That is the backdrop to what is going on. This week we heard about a case in which a child attempted to invoke her rights under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act only to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act. It is a frightening thought for any woman who is pregnant and will experience any kind of difficulty during her pregnancy. It is meant to be a joyous time, but her life is at risk, not by her own hands but by those of the State. It is incredible. One would not have read about this in a newspaper in Ireland in the 1950s, but one can today. I condemn this act and ask the Minister to establish an independent inquiry to find out precisely what happened in this case. It is clear that the legislation is flawed and that women deserve a lot better.

I also refer to housing. The elephant in the room is supply. Some 22,000 homes for which there is full planning permission have not been built. It is scandalous. Dr. Tom Healy of the Nevin Economic Research Institute has suggested the idea that the Government finance large-scale rental developments. It is a fantastic idea which would work hand in hand with other suites of measures aimed at reducing the cost of new builds. The Government promised 2,000 rapid build housing units last year and this year. Of these, 22 have been developed. Tonight, in south Dublin city alone, 479 homeless person beds will be occupied and that number does not include the 695 in private hotel accommodation across the city. There was a promise to eradicate this figure by the summer, but that has not happened. Now that the leadership contest in Fine Gael is over, I urge the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to return to work and make meaningful inroads in alleviating the housing crisis.