Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise two issues. The first has been raised by a colleague of mine in County Clare, namely, Councillor Donna McEttigan. I have also been contacted by the Save Francis Street Alliance regarding a frankly unbelievable situation in which Clare County Council currently plans, having bought six cottages for €850,000, to demolish them and build a temporary car park that will last for approximately four years in the middle of the worst housing crisis in the history of the State. The issue was raised three weeks ago with the Tánaiste and, in fairness, he said that it sounded like a poor plan and that he would contact the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The most disturbing part of the story is that a cross-party motion calling on the council to reverse the decision was blocked from even being discussed. I regret to tell the House that it was blocked by five Fianna Fáil councillors. It is not even allowed on the clár to be discussed. Given the extent of the crisis at the moment, particularly for people needing single accommodation, these are structurally-sound houses that should be refurbished and granted out to people who desperately need that housing. Instead, Clare County Council has on hold a policy of demolishing the houses, thanks, unfortunately to Fianna Fáil councillors. Not all of the Fianna Fáil councillors blocked it; one actually signed a cross-party motion in support of reversing the decision but it has been blocked from even being discussed. I am particularly concerned about that aspect of it. There was a similar issue in Limerick last month, when the Fianna Fáil mayor blocked any discussion of the eviction issue at the council. Surely, we have not gotten to the stage where we cannot even discuss housing at local level. I call for an urgent debate on housing, what is happening at local level and the disconnect between what the Government tells us will happen and what is actually happening.

The second issue I wish to raise is a depressing statement issued by Educate Together at the weekend in which it highlighted the complete lack of progress under this and previous Governments in divesting education. More than 90% of our primary schools are still controlled by the Catholic Church. Educate Together informed us that, on average, it opens one new school a year. This is a result of a lack of political will on behalf of this and previous Governments. The Educate Together chairperson said: "This process, as currently configured, can be described as the wrong people asking the wrong people the wrong questions and was always unlikely to result in positive change." Where is the political will to build a proper, real republic? As I have said previously in this Chamber, I am an old-fashioned republican. I believe in complete separation of church and state, yet the Government seems to have done absolutely nothing in that regard. It is a policy of abject failure. In 2023, how can it be that more than 90% of our national schools are still in the control of the Catholic Church? It is simply not good enough. I also ask for a debate on this issue.