Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Today I will talk about two different strands of the housing crisis. All of us have been out knocking doors over the past while, and after every canvass in Dublin North-West we remarked among ourselves on how many empty houses there were. We do not mean houses that are clearly abandoned with wood across them and so on, or houses with recently sold or for sale signs on them. However, you can tell they are empty. We are stunned by it. It does not matter which part of the constituency it is - up, down, north, south or any of it. In every part of the constituency, we are knocking on doors, then peering in and can see the houses are just empty. I know we talk a lot about the housing crisis, and the need in that regard, but it is important to say that I am not even sure all of these vacant properties are even being captured at the moment. I could not stand up today and not highlight how stunned all of us were at how many of the doors we were knocking on belonged to houses that are outright empty.

That brings me to my second point, which is about a protest held outside Leinster House yesterday specifically about the housing crisis in Gaeltacht areas. It was held by Conradh na Gaeilge and a number of organisations, including Bánú, which is a campaign group. For those who do not know, Bánú means deserted or depopulated. The literal translation is whitened. It is a group founded last year to advocate for increased housing in Gaeltacht areas for Irish language speakers. The housing crisis is obviously felt across the country. There is nowhere to buy and few places to rent, but I suppose that is felt acutely in Gaeltacht areas. The most recent census shows the proportion of Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas has decreased from 69% in 2011 to 66% in 2022. Advocates have said the lack of places to live is one of the main reasons for that. We need to be concerned about this. Our Irish language is something we want to see grow and thrive, and if people cannot live in the Gaeltacht areas where they can speak their Irish language, that will be really problematic. Is í an ghéarchéim thithíochta an rud is mó atá ag brú daoine amach ón Ghaeltacht. Ní féidir le daoine cead pleanála a fháil nó tithe a cheannach le fanacht ina gceantair féin. Is beag áit atá ar fáil ar cíos go fadtéarmach. The housing crisis is the biggest thing pushing people out of the Gaeltacht. People cannot get planning permission to stay in their own areas, they cannot buy houses and there are few places available for long-term rental. The protesters have three areas they want the Government to look at and I bring them up today. The draft Gaeltacht planning guidelines that have been promised by Government since 2021 need to be published immediately. Údarás na Gaeltachta needs to be given clear functions in law with regard to housing. The Planning and Development Bill 2023, which is at the tip of all our tongues, needs to be strengthened as it relates to Gaeltacht areas. I am not sure if we necessarily need to have a debate about Gaeltacht areas specifically, but the Acting Leader might relay that issue of the housing crisis in Gaeltacht areas to the Minister for housing on behalf of this House.