Chris Andrews
Labour Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I want to move an amendment to No. 1 on the Order Paper, proposing an orderly winding down of the accommodation recognition payment scheme in a way that is fair and efficient. I note today is the last day of Dáil and Seanad sittings before the summer recess.”
“The Government can point to housing and claim that there are huge successes. There is only success for the wealthy, the well-off, the developers and the landlords. They are all delighted with Government policy.”
“Government will say, "Look at the positives", but there are a huge amount of challenges. You need not look any further than the housing crisis. Of course, the Government will point to an increased number of housing developments. However, those housing developments are for the very well-off.”
“We supported the development of housing on the Glass Bottle site. We worked hard to ensure to get more social housing. Unfortunately, the Government would not do that. Now it seems that the so-called "affordable housing" on the Glass Bottle site will be unaffordable.”
“I move amendment No. 14: In page 7, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Annual report 11. The Minister shall, within the first six months of the year, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report outlining the application of this Act, providing an update on— (a) how many successful actions were brought under section 14…”
“I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ “settlement service” means a service provided in whole or in part within a postal code or relevant occupied territory to which this Act applies;”.”
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“Recent opinion polls have shown that our neutrality and the triple lock are supported by a significant majority of Irish people. It is extremely concerning that the Government seems to be dead set on dismantling the triple lock and neutrality protection on deployment of Irish Defence Forces abroad. The argument that abolishing the triple lock is vital for sovereignty is complete nonsense, in my view. If the Government is really concerned about sovereignty, then the obvious thing it should do is put it to the people and have a referendum on whether the public favour the abolition of the triple lock. Neutrality has been a defining characteristic of our foreign policy, and it has allowed Ireland to punch above its weight significantly on the world stage. Ireland will always be a small country.”
“(4) The Taskforce shall, within 6 months of its establishment, prepare and submit to the Minister an All-Island Air Pollution Co-operation Plan setting out— (a) priority cross border air quality issues, (b) actions to improve interoperability of monitoring and data, (c) proposals for coordinated interventions, and (d) recommended legislative or policy changes. (5) The Minister shall lay the plan before each House of the Oireachtas within 1 month of receipt, together with a statement of intended actions. (6) The Taskforce shall meet at least four times per year and may establish sub groups for border regions or particular pollutants.”.”.”
“(3) The Minister shall invite the participation of relevant counterparts in the North of Ireland, including officials of the Executive in the North of Ireland and such cross border bodies as may be appropriate, for the purposes of— (a) information sharing and harmonisation of monitoring approaches, (b) coordinated public messaging on solid fuel burning and health impacts, (c) alignment of standards and enforcement approaches where feasible, and (d) development of joint initiatives in border regions.”
“I move amendment No. 2: In page 21, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “Amendment of Principal Act - new section 20 . The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following after section 47: “All-Island Air Pollution Co-operation and Taskforce 47A. (1) The Minister shall, within 3 months of the coming into operation ofthis section, establish a taskforce (the ‘Taskforce’) to advance co-operation towards an all island approach to air pollution on the island of Ireland. (2) The Taskforce shall include representatives of: (a) the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; (b) the Environmental Protection Agency; (c) local authorities (including local authorities in the North of Ireland); (d) the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; and (e) equivalent bodies in the North of Ireland.”
“Groups like Neurodiversity Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street, NIRP, and Involve Autism do such fantastic work in picking up the pieces left by Government failure. If it was not for groups like them, neurodiverse children would just be forgotten about, as was the case in the past. The Minister needs to come in here and explain what is being done to ensure the disability payment is not delayed when a child turns 16.”
“At least in the cases of the people and families who have contacted us, it can take one and a half to two years for that application to be processed. These families are clearly holding on by a thread. They are already struggling to access services and activities for their children, and the last thing they need is delayed access to this payment. It really adds to their stress. At every turn, families with neurodiverse children face obstacles. I think that is acknowledged by everyone. This situation contrasts with the big bonuses being dished out to semi-State CEOs by the Government. In the recent budget, people with disabilities were left worse off. Neurodiverse children who turn 16 are being made to wait for the payments they desperately need.”
“Dublin City Council is looking to make Dublin an autism-friendly city. Of course, that is really welcome and important, particularly for our neurodiverse community. I would like to highlight an issue my party colleague Councillor Kourtney Kenny raised at the council meeting when this matter was discussed earlier this week. She has been to the fore in fighting for neurodiverse communities. At the meeting, she highlighted an issue impacting a significant number of families with neurodiverse children. When children are diagnosed with a disability, they receive a payment to help them access services that they will need as part of their health. A significant number of families have contacted Councillor Kenny and me about a delay in the payment when children turn 16.”
“Before I call Senator Maria Byrne, I welcome St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny, guests of Deputy Mac Lochlainn. They are very welcome. I understand they will not have homework for the rest of the week, so that is a positive. I also welcome the two guests of Deputy Sherlock. They will have to do their homework though. They are very welcome.”
“Of course, like many community centres, it struggles with funding. Family resource designation and core funding would be a huge source of relief for them and would enable them to operate. It does amazing work. The people there are warm and friendly. They welcome everybody into the community centre. They work with young and old. The dementia centre there is inspiring for people in the community. There will be a lot of change in Ringsend. There is the glass bottle site. There will be 8,000 to 10,000 new residents with 3,500 new apartments there. It is vital that the Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre get to be designated at a family resource centre. I ask that the Minister consider this when funding becomes available.”
“Last week, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced an increase in core funding for family resource centres. That is an important and welcome initiative. Ten new community centres will come under the funding stream of family resource centres and their core funding will increase. That, too, is welcome and important. We all know how important community centres and family resource centres are across the country. One centre that was not successful in securing this funding and designation as a family resource centre was Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre. The Department acknowledged that the centre had a strong application and would be considered if more funding became available. Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre is an important element of Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount. It is, in effect, a resource centre in all but name.”
“That is unjust. It reflects badly on the European Union and on a fisheries system that consistently sacrifices small coastal nations in favour of large, powerful interests. Ireland cannot accept this outcome. Our fishing communities deserve fairness, protection and leadership. It is time this State delivered that.”
“Protecting inshore fishing is not only economically sensible; it is about protecting culture, heritage and the social fabric of coastal and island communities. I want to briefly address the issue of inland fisheries. Ireland’s rivers and lakes are a vital public asset, supporting biodiversity, tourism and rural livelihoods, yet they are in serious decline. Wild salmon and sea trout stocks are falling, water quality remains poor, fish migration is obstructed and climate pressures are mounting. This reflects a lack of co-ordination across Departments and agencies. We need a comprehensive inland fisheries policy incorporating clear targets for water quality, habitat restoration and stock recovery and developed in partnership with stakeholders and anglers. Once again, as with Brexit, Ireland has been left carrying a burden created by others.”
“Inshore fishermen in particular are under relentless pressure due to rising costs, climate-driven loss of fishing days, volatile markets and repeated quota cuts. It is now beyond dispute that a basic income stabilisation payment is required to keep this sector alive. Sinn Féin supports the proposal from the National Inshore Fishermen's Association for an inshore fisheries income stabilisation and climate compensation scheme, similar in principle to the basic income support rightly provided to artists. We welcome the Minister of State's assurance that this proposal will be considered by the Michael Berkery-led task force. That task force must be established as a matter of urgency, with clear terms of reference agreed with the seafood sector and adequate funding on the table. Fishermen cannot wait months while livelihoods collapse.”
“It is deeply concerning that one large seafood corporation based in the Netherlands appears to have more influence in Europe in respect of quota allocation than the Irish State. That is not acceptable. We need answers. While I acknowledge the efforts made by the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, at Council level, this cannot be the end of the road. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste must urgently intervene. Ireland cannot continue with meek resistance while our industry is hollowed out. What is required is a radical reset in how the State approaches fisheries at the European level. Business as usual has failed. The days of quiet acceptance must end. Alongside that fight in Europe, immediate action is required at home.”
“They were designed to protect highly dependent fishing nations like Ireland from extreme quota cuts. They are an insurance policy that guarantee a minimum level of fish to catch in our own waters. However, for the first time in almost 50 years, they were blocked and were prevented from even being put to a vote by France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. Let us be clear. This was not a technical adjustment. It was a political choice. The refusal to honour the Hague preferences fundamentally undermines the viability of Ireland's coastal communities. As one industry representative asked in plain terms, if this protection cannot be honoured, why should Ireland continue to offer such generous access to its waters?”
“Ireland is paying the price for chronic overfishing by third countries while EU-based corporations, some allegedly investing heavily in the same fleets, continue to wield extraordinary influence at European level. At the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs this week, Sinn Féin has been seeking clear answers from the Minister of State. How was this outcome allowed to occur? What immediate life support will be provided to the Irish fleet and the processing sector? What alternative courses does the Government now intend to pursue? Critically, we need to know whether the Government will allow the last remaining safeguard for Ireland under the CFP, namely the Hague preferences, to be stripped away without a legal fight. These preferences date back to 1976.”
“Factories that once operated for three to five months may be reduced to two or three weeks of work. Every segment of the fleet – whitefish and pelagic, offshore and inshore - will be affected. Job losses are inevitable. This is the darkest hour ever for Ireland's fishing industry. Ireland fished responsibly while others did not. Non-EU states ignored science, inflated their catches and created this crisis, yet Ireland is carrying the heaviest proportional losses. That is fundamentally unjust. The European Union has failed Ireland's fishing industry repeatedly. This latest decision exposes just how unfair the Common Fisheries Policy has become.”
“The outcome of the December EU Fisheries Council represents nothing short of a catastrophe for Ireland's fishing industry and for the coastal communities that depend on it. This deal is a betrayal of fishermen, processors, families and entire ports whose livelihoods are now hanging by a thread. According to the Seafood Ireland Alliance, Ireland will have 57,000 tonnes less of a quota to fish in 2026. This will deliver a direct hit of €94 million to the industry. When wider economic impacts are considered, the damage could reach €200 million next year alone. This is not abstract; it means real jobs - 2,300 of which will be immediately at risk in places like Killybegs, Castletownbere, Howth and countless smaller harbours and villages around our coast. We are facing a situation where vessels may be able to fish for ten to 12 days a year.”
“For the Government, it is really clear that we need to have a special animal welfare unit to investigate these sorts of incidents and the ongoing abuse of animals. There have to be consequences for people who show this sort of brutality to horses and animals and dogs and cats. There are and have been no, or very minimal, consequences, and it is just not good enough. Ongoing lawlessness is impacting so many communities, and Government needs to act. I ask that the Minister for agriculture or Minister for justice come into the Chamber to ensure we have a debate around lawlessness and the abuse of animals and what needs to be done. It is clear more needs to be done, and it needs to be done as a matter of urgency.”
“My Lovely Horse Rescue and a kind vet from Highfield Veterinary brought her for treatment to University College Dublin, UCD, but the horse and foal were sadly put to sleep. We always hear about how urban horse owners love their horses. Now is the time for them to prove it. They know who brutalised and killed this poor horse. If this animal abuser was okay to brutalise the horse and foal in public, imagine the suffering and pain that poor horse was dealt in private. How many more horses are treated like this by urban and rural horse owners? Those who know who it was need to put their money where their mouths are and expose the abusers of this horse and foal. I ask that anyone with dashcam footage please make it available to the Garda.”
“I welcome the delegation and wish them well in their new group. Two days ago, on bank holiday Monday just gone, there was a sulky race of up to six sulkies on Dollymount Strand. A young horse carrying a foal was part of the race. On its way back towards Ballyfermot on the N4, the horse collapsed from exhaustion. The poor horse was given the name "Anne" by the amazing staff and volunteers in My Lovely Horse Rescue. The poor horse had severe and deep wounds and was seen skidding along the ground for 30 m to 40 m. Anne, the horse, was seen being whipped and kicked to get back up. She did not get back up because she could not physically get back up. Her cowardly abusers fled the scene and left the poor horse to die.”
“This aggression is driven solely by the far-right American Government's hatred of Cuba and Trump's attempt to destroy the last remnants of the rules-based international order. The Irish Government and the EU have been far too weak in criticising the US attacks in Venezuela and it would be a disgrace if they allowed the Trump regime to walk all over them again when it comes to Cuba. If we believe in national sovereignty and human rights, US aggression against Cuba or any other country has to be opposed at every turn. I urge the Irish Government to not sit quietly by while Trump threatens the independence of Cuba, because I believe Cuba and the Cuban people will win at the end of the day.”
“This blockade constitutes a huge obstacle to the country's economic and social development, and the constant threats against Cuba are a clear violation of its sovereignty. This past year, the United States Government continued to strengthen its extremely aggressive policy towards Cuba. The Trump Administration published a presidential memorandum on 30 June 2025 that further strengthened the economic, commercial and financial siege against Cuba. Since the illegal and criminal US military actions in Venezuela, the US has ramped up its aggression towards Cuba, threatening regime change and extreme economic sanctions. There is a very real risk that Cuba is next on the list for Trump and Marco Rubio.”
“For more than 60 years, the Cuban people have been the victims of an unjust and malicious economic blockade by the United States, which intends to punish Cuba for not bowing down to the US Government. This blockade has been thoroughly condemned by the UN General Assembly, which essentially votes every year to mandate the United States to end its blockade. It is just another example of the dismantling of international law and institutions. More than three decades after the first resolution of the United Nations General Assembly against the embargo, the United States Government persists in ignoring the virtually unanimous demand of the international community to end, without conditions, its unilateral and criminal policy again Cuba.”
“It is unacceptable that people living in flat complexes are neglected and forgotten about. Ultimately it comes down to the Government not pushing the local authorities as much as it should. None of us would want to live in these conditions and we would not accept them. I do not know how there is not rioting and revolution among people living in the flats. What they have to put up with is completely unacceptable. I accept that the Bill will not have any impact on them but something has to be done for residents in flat complexes because the local authorities are not doing anything.”
“Even today, residents in Gallery Quay have a situation where the windows are swollen and do not fit the frame. There are pools of water and there are gusts of wind coming in. They do not see any of this. I know the Minister of State is particularly hard-working and committed. The difficulty is that the local authority is not talking to residents and does not have a plan in place for residents living in flat complexes. We are within a five-minute walk of any of those flat complexes. They are expected to live in conditions with dampness, mould, rot, rats and constant leaks. It is appalling. They have nothing to look forward to because if the door is damaged, they will come out and plane it and put a rubber strip on it but within a week or two it is back.”
“The Department and the local authority are probably engaging with each other. However, they are not engaging with the residents who live in these flat complexes. Within minutes of here, we could walk to St. Andrew's Court, Leo Fitzgerald House, Macken Street, Macken Villas, Conway Court, Pearse House, Markiewicz House, Glovers Court, York Street or Mercer Street Upper. That encompasses thousands of residents and thousands of families living in conditions where there is no airtightness. The local authority does not seem to have any intention of heating, retrofitting or insulating flats or apartments for residents. In fact, Gallery Quay was only built 15 or 20 years ago. Residents had to be moved out at one stage because the construction was so poor.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I referenced rural communities, but I would like to highlight another aspect of the Bill that he might clarify. Residents living in flat complexes like Pearse House or Markiewicz House cannot retrofit or insulate their flats. The local authority has to do it for them, but that is just not going to happen in the next 20 years. They are living in conditions where the windows are rattling, the doors are thin and sometimes cannot be closed and when they swell up they cannot be opened. Honestly, the doors have wind and cold coming through them. Those people's bills are going up as they try to heat a flat that is extremely poorly insulated. Is the Minister of State saying this Bill will not look after them at all? Can he give some assurance on that?”
“Households should not be punished because they cannot afford access to alternatives and older people should not fear enforcement because they live in homes that the State itself has failed to retrofit. Rural communities should not be asked to carry a burden created by decades of underinvestment. A just transition must be planned, funded and inclusive, or it is not just. These amendments would have provided the balance that this legislation needs.”
“This is what a just transition looks like - not punishment first and support later, but support first and transition later. We must acknowledge that air pollution does not recognise borders. This is why Sinn Féin supports the establishment of an all-island task force on air pollution. Co-ordination, data sharing and joint standards make sense environmentally, economically and socially, particularly for Border regions that already experience regulatory inconsistency. We cannot keep passing legislation while failing to properly resource local authorities. Enforcement without staffing, expertise and funding is meaningless and undermines public confidence in environmental law. Sinn Féin believes in clean air, but we also believe in fairness, dignity and common sense.”
“We are proposing a dedicated, ring-fenced retrofitting and clean heat scheme specifically for solid fuel homes because right now these homes are effectively locked out of transition. They are told to change but denied the means to do so. Our scheme would prioritise households in fuel poverty and vulnerable households, be tiered by income with fully funded measures for low-income households, and support insulation and heating upgrades, chimney safety, stove replacements and, where possible, cleaner connections. It would also include non-digital access, local advice and delivery mechanisms that actually worked in areas with limited number of contractors. Critically, it would be reported on annually to ensure transparency, accountability and delivery county by county.”
“It provides a defence where a household is accused of an offence related to solid fuel use, but they do not have reasonable access to supports. Let me be clear, in that Sinn Féin does not support blanket exemptions forever. What we oppose is a punitive approach that criminalises people for being less well-off. The amendment would recognise the reality that people cannot retrofit homes overnight, that contractors are not available in every county, that waiting lists are long and that grants often require significant upfront costs. It would ensure that enforcement focused where it belonged, namely, on commercial premises, large-scale polluters and suppliers, not on older people trying to heat one room in the middle of winter.”
“Crucially, these fuels are restricted or prohibited. These amendments would have required hardship exemptions for households in fuel poverty and vulnerable households, time-limited transitional arrangements for solid fuel homes and clear, simple and non-digital application processes. This matters deeply. Too often, we design schemes that assume broadband access, digital literacy, spare cash up front and contractor availability, assumptions that simply do not hold in many rural and older households. The previously introduced bans have already shown us what happens when safeguards are not strong enough. Elderly people in rural areas, many living alone and on fixed incomes, were left fearful of fines, confused by rules and with no viable alternative heating option. This is not climate action; this is policy failure.”
“Tens of thousands of homes across rural Ireland are not connected to the gas network. They do not have affordable alternatives and cannot simply switch at the stroke of a pen. By defining vulnerable households, including older people, people with disabilities and those with chronic health conditions, we are recognising that cold homes are not merely uncomfortable, but dangerous. If legislation does not explicitly recognise these realities, then it risks legislating against them. The next set of amendments we proposed to introduce were mandatory household safeguards for when fuel regulations were being made. These provisions would require the Minister to consider the risk of fuel poverty, the availability and affordability of alternatives and the need for a just transition, not just in theory, but in practice.”
“While this Bill does not introduce new household restrictions, it sits in the context of previous bans and regulations that have already had a disproportionate impact on certain households. That is why Sinn Féin tabled these amendments, to ensure that the clean air policy is also a fair air policy. The first amendment we proposed inserts clear definitions into the principal Act, including for fuel poverty, solid fuel homes and vulnerable households. This is not a technical tidying up. It is foundational. You cannot design a just policy if you refuse to name the people most affected by it. Fuel poverty is not an abstract concept; it is the daily reality of households who must choose between heating and food and between warmth and dignity. By defining solid fuel homes, we acknowledge a simple truth.”
“We are disappointed that the amendments have been ruled out of order. Sinn Féin will be tabling further amendments on later Stages of this Bill. Sinn Féin supports strong action to improve air quality. Cleaner air saves lives. It reduces respiratory illnesses, protects children’s health and improves quality of life for communities across the State. There is no disagreement about the need to tackle air pollution. The question is how we do it and who bears the cost of that transition. If we get the balance wrong and policy is designed without regard to lived reality, then households, particularly older people, rural families and those already struggling with fuel poverty, become collateral damage in a transition they did not create and cannot currently afford.”
“It is well within the Government's authority to help to make this fight happen and ensure it happens. I urge the Minister for sport to reverse this decision and engage directly with Katie Taylor, her team and the GAA to deliver a potentially defining sporting event in Dublin. It is the least that Katie Taylor deserves.”
“Katie Taylor defending her title in Croke Park would be a sporting moment on a comparable scale to any of these events, but the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport seems to have no interest in pushing and pursuing this fight. It is not good enough to say that this is solely a matter for the GAA when there is a clear precedent of the State involving itself in sporting events that seem to be in the national interest. The GAA, clearly, does not have any philosophical objections to hosting a fight like this. It comes down to money and will, and the Government does not have the will. A sum of €10 million was spent on bringing the NFL to Croke Park and €58 million was spent directly on the Ryder Cup in Adare, yet the Government does not lift a finger for a female sporting icon who represents a working-class sport.”
“I second the amendment. Katie Taylor is one of Ireland's greatest ever athletes and she is a huge source of inspiration for people, especially young women across the country. Katie Taylor is an Irish sporting icon. She has often said that fighting at Croke Park and ending her career in front of her home fans is one of her ultimate dreams, so it is hugely disappointing that the Government will not back and invest in making her dream a reality. It is the least she deserves. This is despite the fact that the Government invested millions of euro in hosting an NFL game at Croke Park last year and many millions more in the US college football series every year since 2022, not to mention the huge investments that went into the UEFA Europa League final in 2024 and the upcoming Ryder Cup in Limerick next year.”
“Being designated and getting that core funding would make a huge difference to the community centre in Ringsend and to the people of Ringsend. I ask that this be considered.”
“I thank the Minister of State. We all agree that the family resource centre model is fantastic. For the Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre, it would secure the centre's footprint in the community. It would allow and enable the centre to develop and expand services to meet the needs of a community that is developing and will develop over the next ten years. The Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre is an important hub. It has a youth group as well, namely, the RICCYS youth centre. It has multiple schemes and projects and is welcoming to everybody. I request that the Minister of State go down and have a look to see for himself what a fantastic project it is. It is vital. The centre has challenges, like every community project across the country.”
“It is warm and welcoming and the number of volunteers it has is incredible. The variety of projects is incredible. It hosts groups, from after-school clubs to a project for people with dementia, which is proving to be really successful. The centre's staff are innovative and professional and again, with that professionalism, they are also warm and welcoming. In the future, with the development of the glass bottle site, there are going to be 3,500 new homes and up to 10,000 new residents coming in to that area. A community centre and a family resource centre will be even more vital to the area to ensure that the community has the services it will need over the coming years. I ask that consideration be given to Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre to be designated a family resource centre.”
“The Ringsend community centre is already a family resource centre in all but name. The community centre is a truly warm, welcoming and caring space that works for everybody. I ask that if there is more money available to fund family resource centres, the Minister of State be aware of the amazing work it does, and consider funding for designation of the community centre as a family resource centre. This funding model would be vital for the sustainability of the community centre, and I urge it be given real consideration for inclusion in this programme in 2026. I would be grateful if the Minister of State would indicate if it is anticipated that this programme will be expanded to include the likes of Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre because the centre is a vital part of social infrastructure in Ringsend.”
“The community centre offers practical assistance to individuals and groups at whatever stage in life they are at, all the way from young children to older members of the community and even those with dementia. Because other funders have changed the models they work with, the community centre has found itself with a funding shortfall, and being redesignated a family resource centre would make the world of difference. This is the result of vital special funding for the after-school and breakfast club being pulled without notice, and the increase in staffing costs ever body faces these days. Securing core funding is an urgent requirement for the community centre to continue providing key services like breakfast and after-school programmes, and operating normal services and activities into the near future.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. The programme to develop family resource centres is very welcome, as is the increase in core funding for the various resource centres across the country. They do immense work. In 2025, Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre applied to be designated a family resource centre, and submitted a very strong application. It was unsuccessful at the time, but was told that its application will remain under active consideration should further funding be secured. Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre does everything that a family resource centre does. It has an incredible multiplicity of projects and services. The doors are open to everyone in the community, and it provides extensive education and training for everybody in the community and anybody else who asks.”
“Having finally had enough, the tenant informed the landlord she wanted to leave the property and was promptly told she would not be getting any of her deposit back despite the landlord being the one who had failed to provide a comfortable and safe home. The tenant pays the landlord’s mortgage, and more on top, and does not get anything in return, other than a leaky, overpriced roof over her head. In what world is that fair or just? Our housing system is designed, from top to bottom, to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor. I urge the Minister for housing to come in here to explain how he plans to make renting in this country a fair option for working people.”
“I was contacted by another person in my constituency who is renting a two-bedroom apartment for €2,500 a month. That is absolutely insane. In October 2025, she had a major leak in her hallway. A plumber was called who made a gaping hole in the wall so he could access the pipes, and then he promptly left. To make matters worse, her heating then broke, and this family has been living in the cold since November. A month later, after constant calls and emails to the landlord and agents, this hole is still there, the heating remains broken and the plumbing leak was never fixed, letting constant seeping sewage, cold water and flies into the apartment.”
“This situation only leaves a handful of options for people. These options include living at home well into their adult lives, renting rooms in shared houses for years or hoping to make use of a social housing scheme. For individuals in this city, particularly single parents, none of these are particularly good options. I often think about a young single father in my area whose income is only marginally above the social housing limit. He does not make enough to pay rent for himself and his son and yet he is left with absolutely no support from the State. What options does he have? Will he have to couch surf forever? Will he have to look for the one-in-a-million-house share that is family friendly, while shelling out on rent instead of being able to save for a mortgage?”
“I agree with the Cathaoirleach's moving tribute to and for Brian Crowley. Brian was only 61. I knew him pretty well and I always found him really committed, energetic and passionate about his constituents, his community and people in general. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family on his passing. Renters in this country are being abused every day by our broken housing system. Rents are sky high and the quality of properties is often in the gutter. On average, a one-bedroom apartment goes for more than €2,000 a month, which is completely out of reach for all but a tiny proportion of individuals. It is essentially impossible for a young working person living in Dublin to rent their own apartment, which is the norm for a working professional in most other comparable European cities.”
“Traffic volume has also increased. These are safety issues as well as quality of life issues. I urge the Government to address them. I also raise the situation of tenants of Dublin City Council who have had their rents increased by up to 50% in some cases. This is despite the fact that many tenants are living in damp and unsuitable properties with constant maintenance issues as well as water supply issues. It is not good enough for Dublin City Council to increase rent while it does not ensure that tenants have their maintenance and water needs met. I urge the Government to finally take this issue seriously in the new year. On a more positive note, I wish the Minister a happy Christmas.”