Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

I regularly raise the ongoing maintenance issues in Dublin City Council flats and houses. In 2025, it is difficult to understand how the maintenance of council properties is so bad. There is a complete lack of empathy for tenants on the part of Dublin City Council. There are many examples of this, but one is Beech Hill Villas in Donnybrook. In most of the flats in Beech Hill, there are issues with dampness and mould. The only solution the council has provided is to supply bleach and cloths for tenants. That is not acceptable. People are going to have to pay increased rents thanks to the Government parties. One resident who has been in a flat in Beech Hill for over 40 years had a leak which the council said it would not fix because he put in a new sink when he first moved in. The man could not even remember whether that was true, but the council said it was. The man is in his 80s. His wife passed away recently. He is in credit on his rent and is a model tenant. He has been involved in the community and local football all his life. Despite that, the council said it is not its responsibility to fix the leak. That is harsh.

Families in the 54 flats in Beech Hill have a serious issue with water coming on and going off. It is there one minute and gone the next. The council insists that everything is okay, yet the water supply is constantly cut off without any warning. This means that residents cannot put on their washing machines, dishwashers or electric showers. If they are in the middle of using of a wash cycle, for example, and water supply cuts out, the engine on the machine burns out. In fact, two residents have had to get new washing machines because of the problem with the water supply. Uisce Éireann has said that this is not its responsibility. The council has said it has done all it can. Nothing is being done. This has been going on for weeks and residents have had to put up with it. The reality is that there is no accountability for this and neither are there solutions for the residents of Beech Hill who have to put up with it. I ask that Minister come to the House to discuss the maintenance or the lack thereof of council flats and houses.