Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today I wish to raise the issue of housing and the most recent homelessness figures for this city. I have raised this topic almost every week since becoming a Member of Seanad Éireann. I am particularly keen to raise the European Commission's report on the assessment of member states' progress on economic and social priorities, which is highly critical of the Irish Government's policy on housing. The Commission's report points out that there has been a 23.4% increase in private rents since 2015, the highest in the EU. It also notes that there are 72,000 people on the social housing waiting list but that there are only planned developments of 10,000 houses in 2019. This report comes from the European Commission and it will be very hard for the Government to refute its findings. The report also notes that 17,000 people are supported by HAP and that this is exacerbating problems in the private rental market. The report emphasises the enormity of the gap between supply and demand and comes in the wake of a report published yesterday which showed that there are currently 9,987 homeless people in this State. The Government's policy has been to blame Fianna Fáil but Fine Gael has been in government since 2011 and has done nothing to resolve this problem. We have seen a very small increase in housing supply but nothing like what is needed to address the issue of homelessness and a lack of housing in this country.

The second issue I wish to raise relates to the roll-out of broadband. In 2012 the Government announced its broadband policy, which formed part of the Fine Gael election manifesto in 2011 and again in 2016. I was flabbergasted yesterday to hear the Taoiseach say that he was surprised that the roll-out of rural broadband was going to cost multiples of the original estimate. We all know that the roll-out of broadband, especially over the last mile, is very costly because it involves, among other things, digging up roads. The Taoiseach and the Department must have known that this was going to cost an enormous amount of money. Many people voted for Fine Gael because of its commitment to the roll-out of rural broadband in 2011 and in 2016 but they have been let down. Small businesses and families throughout the country have been let down badly. They were promised that broadband would be rolled out nationwide but that has not happened. There is only one firm left in the market for the national broadband contract, a finance firm based in the US. This is not a telecommunications engineering company but a speculative financial firm. It is a disgrace that it has come to this and the Government must admit that it got it wrong and does not know what it is doing. It must put a proper broadband policy in place because it is a disgrace that houses and businesses throughout the country still do not have the broadband service they were promised back in 2011.

The final issue I wish to raise relates to the cost of electricity and gas which is due to increase by 4%. Electric Ireland has said that this is due to increases in wholesale costs. We must consider those who are vulnerable in this State, especially the elderly who have not seen an equivalent increase in their pensions. We must ensure that they are not left behind. We will be out campaigning for the forthcoming local and European elections soon and will meet elderly people who go to bed early in order to save on heating. They are living in a way that others do not live. They are not benefitting from the economic upturn but we must not forget them. Special provision must be made to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are not negatively affected by the recently announced increases in the price of gas and electricity.