Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to highlight the audiovisual room event that was on today around the emergency crisis. Even though we all know there is a crisis, it is just shocking to hear the stories. That is what was really most upsetting. I refer in particular to the choice of who can have a bed, whether it be a 90 year-old woman who is very sick with a bad chest infection or a 45 year-old woman who might have breast cancer. They have to choose which one gets the hospital bed. It really is shocking to think that this is going on in this day and age. There were many more stories like that. It is awful. I have had relatives myself who have had to wait two days to get a hospital bed.

I want to highlight an issue around homelessness and the short notice period that tenants are facing if landlords attempt to evict them. The notice periods for rental properties range from 28 days for tenants in the property less than six months to 56 days for tenants in situfor two to three years. In the current housing crisis, with so few available rental properties, it is obvious that these notice periods are not enough for anyone to get alternative accommodation. It is very worrying. I know that myself. We all have adult children and it is very worrying that they cannot seem to get accommodation these days. Perhaps we can get the Minister in to give us an update on what has been going on and what kind of work has been done, if at all possible. It would put us all in the picture.

Today though, I mostly want to express my sympathy to Ms Joanne Hayes, and indeed the whole Hayes family, for the trauma they suffered. It is being revisited now with the reopening of the case of the killing of the Caherciveen baby. The Hayes family were forced by the gardaí to sign statements. A group of gardaí had already decided that Ms Hayes had killed a baby found on the beach in Caherciveen. It should be remembered that Ms Hayes had told the gardaí where she had placed her stillborn child and this was ignored. I welcome the fact that an investigation into the death of the baby found in Caherciveen is now being reopened because of new DNA evidence. However, this investigation could have been carried out 34 years ago if the gardaí involved had believed Ms Hayes. The methods used by gardaí involved in the case to extract confessions should also be investigated and other cases examined which relied on statements given to these gardaí should be examined. I mostly want to express my sympathy today to Ms Joanne Hayes and her family.