Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today, I wish to raise two issues. The first relates to the cervical smear interim report. I am very disappointed to learn that we are not being presented with a final report at this stage or in the very near future. I wish to ask the Minister whether Dr. Scally was given adequate resources to complete the report on time and if there is a particular reason we will not have a final report in the very near future.

Another issue that has given rise to the need for me to ask a few questions is the €2,000 ex gratiapayment that is being made to allow those women who have experienced delays in their diagnosis to uncover the truth and, as the Minister said, to give them a voice. Many colleagues in here are legal professionals and we know that it takes a High Court action to uncover the truth and to allow for the discovery of documents by way of litigation. We know that in medical negligence cases alone one cannot actually issue proceedings unless one has a medical negligence report commissioned by a doctor. Unfortunately, doctors in Ireland are slow to draft medical negligence reports on their colleagues so quite often we have to go to the UK to seek medical negligence reports. Those reports alone are very expensive and cost in the region of €1,500 to €2,000. One cannot issue proceedings without a report. In addition, one cannot bring a motion for discovery without having issued proceedings. For any of those women to get to the truth and to get a copy of their file from Quest Diagnostics they will need to issue proceedings in the High Court. The outlay alone, not taking into consideration solicitor's fees, will be in or around €1,000. Once proceedings are issued there are costs attached to getting motions, appearances and defences and then one has the court stamp for the discovery motion. The sum of €2,000 simply would not cover the outlay required. Many solicitors are dealing with matters on a pro bonobasis or on a no foal, no fee basis so I am very disappointed that this amount was mentioned.The Government should itself seek the documents from Quest Diagnostics and commission professional negligence reports for each of the women who have had a delayed diagnosis. It is not enough to give them €2,000 each and tell them to go off and do it themselves. This is what the interim report should do. It should be finding out the truth and it is scandalous that it is not doing so.

The second issue I raise relates to housing and homelessness. In March, we saw an increase of 53 people on the Department's figures. While April showed a slight drop, we know that today there are 5,963 adults and 3,689 children in emergency accommodation. We are lucky the recent nights have been warm, because if the weather were cold, we would see the absolute devastation caused by this crisis. As a solicitor practising in conveyancing, I am disturbed and disgusted by the frenzied and ridiculous escalation in house prices and in the rate of houses changing hands in Dublin in the past few weeks. Homes are no longer affordable in this city and are only within the reach of those with huge incomes and inherited wealth.

I started practising in 2011 after the last property crash. Since 2011, I have seen nothing like the frenzy going on now and the huge increases in house prices in the city. It is only getting worse and we are without doubt heading towards another property bubble. Gazumping has started again and house prices are back at boom-time levels. I have raised this issue 100 times in the House, but, ultimately, we know that without supply in the market, we will continue to see ridiculous house prices.

Eileen Gleeson, director of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, has rightly criticised the income bands for housing assistance payments, HAP. Ms Gleeson says that the bands which are currently in force are keeping people in homelessness and must be changed. For example, families who might be willing to leave hotels, hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation to move outside Dublin city are staying put because they fall outside the income bands applying in areas outside Dublin. There is also an issue regarding the rate at which HAP is paid. Anecdotally, we are aware that many households have had to top up their HAP to stay in their chosen residential accommodation. An RTB report published today shows that there will be no abatement in the increase in rent prices. There is serious apathy here and nothing is being done to address the housing market and supply. We are in a deep crisis.