Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

While it is not the fault of the Minister of State, the lines from the Department do not answer the question. They are telling me things I already know. It is an insult to somebody who is passionate about this and fought for it in the programme for Government to have a civil servant tell me stuff I already know. I know about the Croí Cónaithe scheme and the CPO grant, which resulted in two houses being bought in County Clare. The reply is not good enough in a housing crisis.

I specifically asked what was being done to help people. The regulations should be simplified so that people can live above a shop. There is talk of wanting to bring commercial vacancies down. The best way to do that is to make it easier to live above a shop. The answer I have been given is a waste of time. The Department did not answer my question, which could not be more specific. Specifically, what are we doing about being able to live above a shop so that it is commercially viable to have a place downstairs and to live upstairs? Whether the building is owned or rented, if there is dual purpose accommodation we can help sort thousands of buildings all over this country and bring life back into towns. The answer provided is an insult. I already know all the information it tells me.