Alison Comyn (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As is evident from my forehead, it is indeed Ash Wednesday today which, traditionally, in the Catholic faith, was a day of abstinence - probably after the previous day's overindulgence with pancakes - ahead of Lenten time. No matter what faith, it is probably a time to not only give up something but perhaps to reflect and maybe even take up something, like a little bit of kindness. That will be my quick thought for the morning.

I will be raising two issues which will probably resonate with many places right across the country, even though this is local to Louth and Meath. I refer to the housing estates almost caught in a never-ending loop of nobody taking responsibility for things that are happening therein. Bryanstown Wood residents have contacted me about a raw sewage leak which has been happening since last December. It is storm drains, and while it has been investigated by Meath County Council and Uisce Éireann, neither of them can do anything because the estate has not been taken into charge as the developer has gone into liquidation. Unfortunately, they are caught in this never-ending loop where nobody will take responsibility. Meanwhile, it is a huge environmental hazard and a risk not only for the residents but for anybody coming near the housing estate. They have contacted the housing Minister, Deputy James Browne, and I would suggest we have a conversation in this House about who takes responsibility in instances like this.

While I am talking about a housing issue, there is a new social housing estate in Drogheda, County Louth, called Tullybrook Court. That is managed by the housing agency Clúid. Right now, some of the residents have been paying electricity and heating bills ranging from €500 to €2,000 per month because of the heating system that has been put into these properties. They were promised heat pumps but the houses are using electric storage heaters that are costing between €500 and €2,000 per month. They are in a dire situation. This is social housing. Clearly, nobody would be in a position to pay those kinds of monthly bills. I would appeal that, maybe, we could try and intervene and have a conversation with the housing Minister or the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on energy use, because this is not sustainable. For both of those issues, these people are relying on their new housing and on somebody to step in and assist them but right now, in both of these instances, they are going around in a loop with nobody taking responsibility. Unfortunately, it may take us to step in and see who will step up and take responsibility.