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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“We need the Government to think ahead and not neglect the issue and have to try to play catch up. We also need public transport to be safer. The lack of dedicated transport police results in serious and often criminal antisocial behaviour, leaving passengers and transport workers in fear. I ask the Minister to comment on this. We all have many stories about people who are afraid to travel on the DART. The red line on the Luas can be chaotic but people have a view that the DART is safe. I know from having spoken to many people that they regularly feel unsafe and threatened on the DART. Cycling infrastructure also needs to be significantly improved to ensure safer, more accessible options for active travel. Dublin deserves a modern, efficient and safe public transport system.”
“We need the delivery of the metro and the Luas expansion to be accelerated, as well as improving the bus network to better serve communities with cheaper fares and more regular services. I hope BusConnects will help with this. The Luas to Ringsend has been consistently delayed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Ringsend is an area with a rapidly growing population, particularly with 3,500 new homes to be built on the glass bottle site. There will be 10,000 new residents. The previous Government kicked the decision to deliver the Luas out by ten years. While I hear some Government backbench TDs speak about a 15-minute city, the reality is the decisions and actions of the Government will not make this possible. Expansion needs to be delivered in advance of the glass bottle site development being completed.”
“Public transport is a very important issue for everyone in the city and throughout the country, with thousands relying on buses and trains to get to and from work and to go about their daily lives. However, our transport network has been let down by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments, which have promised much and delivered little. Nowhere has this been clearer than with regard to the metro in Dublin, which seems to have been going on forever. Since 2002, the project has been delayed multiple times, with countless Ministers announcing that the metro is on its way only for nothing to happen. The city needs urgent action on public transport to create a safe, affordable, reliable and accessible public transport network.”
“It is important that the Minister for Justice comes in and explains the logic for refusing 33 young kids coming here to play sport for just two weeks in the summer. It is completely unreasonable and unfair. It highlights the double standards between the Government’s talk and claims and its actions.”
“They have never known what it feels to be truly free. They live in constant fear of being bombed, shot or imprisoned without trial. They live in fear of taking the wrong road or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The trip was going to be two weeks’ respite for them. My head spins when I hear the Tánaiste and Government Ministers get up and say they support Palestine and support sanctioning Israel, and yet their actions lead to the rejection of 33 children coming here to play GAA for two weeks during the summer. Palestinians are, unfortunately, used to being let down by others. Ireland cannot be another one to let them down. We owe them that much. Give them their visas. Let them in, just like the Government lets in Israeli citizens.”
“Israeli citizens can enter Ireland without a visa, yet yesterday 33 children and 14 mentors from Palestine GAA had their dreams of visiting Ireland in a couple weeks pulled from under them when their visa applications were denied by the Irish immigration service. It is a painful double standard that those living under apartheid are burdened with yet another layer of exclusion and discrimination while those enforcing it are welcomed with no restrictions. Clearly, the Government’s so-called claim of solidarity with the people of Palestine only goes so far. How can our Government say they are pro-Palestine when their actions prove to be pro-Israel? These are children who have barely left their refugee camp, never mind their country. They have never been to the beach, or on a plane or a train.”
“There has to be greater investment in services and provision so they can take on different services and make more money to make it more sustainable for the post offices. Communities need postal services. It is a valuable part of the social infrastructure and it is really important the Government stops saying it is in support of postal services and actually delivers the support post offices need.”
“It needs to invest, and not just the €15 million, and create a new model that is something similar to what Sinn Féin has proposed, which would mean postmasters and post offices could survive long term in a sustainable way. The postmasters will not be found wanting when it comes to change. As has been said, it is not a handout to services. It is an investment in communities and ordinary people who use the postal services. The president of the Irish Postmasters' Union said recently that everyone is in danger of closing if transactions keep declining. Every post office will be under threat. The €15 million is the bare minimum that postal services require. Postal services will die, one after another, if the €15 million is not provided. There has to be more than just that.”
“It is absolutely astonishing that this Government would sell such an amazing, beautiful building with such massive potential. As has been said, postal services need €15 million every year to keep them going. I honestly think that will only keep them on a life support machine. It is all very well saying the Government supports postal services, but in Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 over the past ten years, at least four or five post offices have closed down. While the Government says it supports the postal services, the evidence suggests it does not support the postal services, post offices and the Irish Postmasters' Union. The evidence suggests the Government is actually willing to let it die a slow death.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I have previously raised the issue of the Rathmines post office being sold off and moved to a Centra. The building that houses the post office in Rathmines was built in 1934. It is a purpose built, art deco post office. It is an absolutely incredible building. It is vital that services and infrastructure like this are maintained, and they should be maintained and not sold off to a private developer or private owner. It is honestly incredible that the Government will allow the sale of this building to a private owner. The Rathmines post office could be the centre of Rathmines. It could be a central community hub and it could be the heart of cultural or community activities. The Government wants to sell this off.”
“I hope all of the respective parties' MEPs vote against Ursula von der Leyen tomorrow. A vote for von der Leyen is a vote for Israel, for imperialism and against democracy.”
“Likewise, Ursula von der Leyen has led the charge for the militarisation of Europe, breaking the EU's own budgetary rules in the process. She is eager to funnel billions to arms companies in foreign wars but does not lift a finger to help those in poverty across Europe or address the climate crisis. Von der Leyen is dead set on centralising power in the European Union to within her own office, expanding the Commission's role far beyond what was intended under the treaties in order to pursue her own ambitions. The issue raised in the censure motion around the Pfizergate scandal is a glaring example of the lack of transparency within von der Leyen's Commission. She is creating a culture where power is highly centralised and the Commission's work is done without the express approval or even knowledge of member states.”
“I support the comments of my colleague, Senator Boyhan, with regard to abuse. Tomorrow in the European Parliament, there will be a vote of no confidence in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Sinn Féin has absolutely no faith in Ursula von der Leyen to act in the interest of Ireland or working people across Europe, or to respect human rights and dignity abroad. Von der Leyen's Commission has stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel as it commits genocide in Gaza, trampling over the EU's self-professed liberal values of equality and human rights. The reality is that Ursula von der Leyen is a one-person wrecking ball of the European ideal. At every turn, von der Leyen has worked to ensure Israel is free from any sort of consequence for the sickening brutality it inflicts on Palestinian people daily.”
“Government Ministers need to act without delay to ensure that the evacuations get back on schedule. Moreover, we need clarity on what within the Civil Service is causing these visa issues so we can prevent the problem happening in the future. Assisting children who need medical attention is the very least we can do to help the Palestinian people and the Irish State cannot fail to meet that bare minimum.”
“I congratulate my colleagues from Cork. The team played fantastically. It is a great team and I wish it well in the final. On a more serious issue, it is deeply concerning that the Government has stalled the evacuation of desperately sick children from Gaza due to bureaucratic visa delays. There have been almost two years of genocide in Gaza. For nearly two years, Israel has been massacring men, women and children across Palestine without consequence from the Irish Government and without any action from the European Union. These children urgently need to be evacuated before it is too late. Ireland has a commitment to provide medical care to these kids. It is simply unacceptable that these children's lives are potentially put at risk because of miscommunication and mishandling between Departments.”
“Likewise, I believe it is very important for us in this House to have a debate on workers' rights and employment protections.”
“The reality of a globalised economy is that corporations can pick up and move operations to wherever has the lowest labour costs and the State offers very few protections to workers who are out of employment due to overseas outsourcing. There are no protections for workers made redundant due to foreign outsourcing. Currently, only workers affected by domestic outsourcing are protected and that needs to be examined. It is very important that these workers who are made redundant are supported by the State and are not abandoned like the Debenhams workers who bravely fought for their rights for more than 400 days. I hope the Minister for enterprise is treating the issue very seriously and is actively looking for a way to assist these unemployed workers.”
“Last week, it was announced that Penneys was making 100 of its Dublin staff redundant as part of a plan to outsource many of its roles to India. This decision was taken not out of necessity but out of a desire to maximise profits for the bosses and shareholders. Penneys is not a company that is struggling and it has been expanding rapidly across Europe, North America and Asia. Penneys made record profits last year as a result of the hard work of the underpaid staff and now many of these workers will find themselves unemployed and on the streets. It is very disappointing that an Irish company would do this to its own workers and be so callous about their careers and lives. Unfortunately, this is not a new development in Ireland.”
“I honestly feel that the Minister is on the right track but we need to refine the language to ensure that dogs in pounds and rescues also have the ability to get an exemption.”
“I do not believe for a second that dog bans work for a variety of reasons. I do not have the time to go into it now. The key point is that the appeal process afforded to private dog owners should be afforded to rescues and pounds. However, because of the vague language in the legislation proposed, such as the use of the word "type", it encompasses all bully breeds and that is going to have a really negative impact because many of the dog wardens do not have the training that is required to identify a dog. They have not had the training in the past and there are no plans to have dog wardens trained in the future for identifying dogs. That language then leaves it open to interpretation.”
“Until these issues are resolved, the legislation will continue to result in unnecessary animal deaths, undermine public confidence and cause serious distress to those working to protect these animals. The Government must urgently consider these issues and commit to meaningful revisions of the regulations. Furthermore, I understand ongoing legislative work is being done in this area. It is important that the issues affecting XL bullies are not ignored and that the relevant advocacy and rescue groups are included in the consultation process.”
“There is still no maximum height despite height being a critical trait in breed classification. The continued use of the term "type" fosters subjectivity and inconsistency, enabling the misclassification of dogs that do not possess core XL bully characteristics. This vagueness perpetuates the risk of over-reach, penalising responsible owners and wrongly targeting dogs which are not XL bullies. It throws the net so wide that it covers all bully breeds and that is a dangerous precedent to set. The lack of legal protection for dogs in rescue centres and dog pounds has contributed to high stress, burnout and morale injury among staff and volunteers. The psychological trauma caused by these preventable outcomes is immediate and long-lasting, not to mention the cruel and unnecessary suffering inflicted on the dogs themselves.”
“There is no published training standard or certification process for vets to ensure accurate and consistent breed identification. This is a glaring issue, given the widespread misclassification of XL bully dogs. Dog wardens have been arbitrarily misidentifying XL bully dogs. At the very least, a mandatory, uniform training with a written examination is needed for all dog wardens. The absence of such training will continue to lead to misclassification, the suffering of dogs and an unnecessary waste of taxpayers' money. As recently as this week, a presa canario was euthanised as an XL bully in a Limerick pound. Such mistakes will be made because of the lack of clarity. The confirmation standards used to define XL bully-type remain vague, unamended and open to interpretation. How it is decided that a dog is an XL bully is vague and unclear.”
“There is currently no legal provision that allows dogs held in rescue centres or local authority pounds to receive an interim certificate of exemption. This omission creates an inconsistency whereby dogs cannot be re-homed without a permanent certificate of exemption, but a permanent certificate of exemption can only be applied for after a dog is placed in a home. Therefore, those dogs are left in limbo, unable to move to homes where they would legally be allowed to receive the exemption. There should be a temporary or interim certificate process for rescues and pounds to facilitate lawful re-homing and prevent the unnecessary killing of dogs, which, if they were reviewed, would be spared. There is also a clear inconsistency in breed identification.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss the matter of XL bullies. Despite recent changes, XL bully legislation continues to fall short in several key areas, particularly in fairness, due process and clarity. The introduction of a review process for private owners of dogs to seek a certificate of exemption is welcome and important, but the legislation still lacks several important amendments causing concern for rescue organisations, dog owners and advocates. Currently, a private owner of an XL bully can appeal for an exemption, if necessary. That is welcome. The difficulty is that the same does not apply to rescue organisations and pounds and if it does not, many dogs will be killed. The language in the legislation and regulations is vague.”
“The area around the GPO and Moore Street is under desperate threat from privatisation and dereliction as a result of this Government's complete lack of ambition and disregard for the vision and legacy of 1916. This site should be reimagined as a vibrant cultural and historic quarter that offers a fitting tribute to our revolutionary history. I ask for a debate in this House to scrutinise the Government's proposed plans and to present our own visions for the future preservation and regeneration of the GPO, Moore Street and O'Connell Street. I cannot imagine that Government Members are happy with what is planned for Moore Street and the GPO.”
“Moore Street, the final battlefield of the Easter Rising, has been derelict for years and the Government is continuing to press forward with attempts to destroy this monument to make room for commercial development. Back in 2020, the house of the O'Rahilly in Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, was disgracefully and underhandedly demolished by developers and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael did not so much as lift a finger to prevent or rectify this. Likewise, the Government is blankly refusing to consider the naming of the new children's hospital after Kathleen Lynn despite her integral role in the Easter Rising and legacy as the founder of Ireland's first children's hospital. The history of our struggle for freedom must be preserved and celebrated.”
“I wish to acknowledge Mason in the Gallery and wish him well when he is running for President in the future. He would make a very fine President. Dublin is rightfully proud of our republican history, with the Easter Rising utterly changing the course of Irish history. More than any other place, the GPO is the iconic symbol of this revolutionary struggle. It was at the GPO that Pádraig Pearse proclaimed the Irish Republic, and it served as the headquarters of the Irish rebels when they struck for Irish freedom. I find it unbelievable that this Government would suggest hollowing out this monument for use as office and retail space while offering empty promises that it will somehow preserve this irreplaceable piece of our history. Fianna Fáil's and Fine Gael's record of protecting our revolutionary heritage is absolutely shameful.”
“She, Senator McDowell and I all used the word “settlers”, but I think that is not the right word to use, given what is happening. The settlers should be described as thieves, and often murderers, because that is what they are doing in the West Bank and Gaza. “Settlers” is too nice a word for them and it does not reflect what they actually do.”
“The IPU – the postal union – was in the Oireachtas yesterday and said that 40% of post offices would close if funding was not delivered by the Government. This is bleak. Rathmines post office will now have to pick up the tab for the Government's failure to fund post office services properly. The current building, owned by An Post, in Rathmines will go for millions of euro. It is a large, beautiful building. It would be hugely beneficial to local community activities and as a community hub. It is as if the Government is determined to sell any public property. It is shameful and sad to see a beautiful publicly owned building being sold off in Rathmines. I ask that the Minister come in to explain and justify how he is allowing An Post sell off such a beautiful building. I agree with Senator Fitzpatrick on Gaza.”
“Rathmines post office is being sold off. It is a beautiful art deco building in the heart of Rathmines. It is shameful to see it go. Post offices are essential services. They are the social infrastructure of the community. The post office in Rathmines is moving to the local Centra shop close by. This is no criticism of the owner of Centra. If it was not for him, there would not be any postal services at all in Rathmines. The problem is he can decide to close it down if it does not suit his business model, and that would then be the end of postal services in Rathmines. That is happening right across the city and the entire length and breadth of the country. It is shameful that the Government of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has decided to maintain a model where the postal services in communities are dying by a thousand cuts and underfunding.”
“Until these issues are resolved, the legislation will continue to result in unnecessary animal deaths, undermine public confidence and safety, and cause serious distress to those working to protect animals.”
“The continued use of the term "type" fosters subjectivity and inconsistency, enabling the misclassification of dogs that do not possess core XL Bully characteristics. Dogs wardens across this island have been arbitrarily misidentifying XL Bullies. At the very least, there needs to be proper mandatory uniform training with a written examination for dog wardens. This is the least any professional organisation should have. This vagueness perpetuates the risk of overreach, penalising responsible owners and wrongly targeting dogs who are not XL Bullies. Otherwise, this will continue to lead to misclassification, suffering of dogs and an unnecessary waste of taxpayers’ money. The emotional toll this legislation is having on those working in rescue organisations and council pounds has been well documented.”
“Privately dogs are being afforded the opportunity for a review process and will be able to apply for the certificate of exemption. What worries rescue centres, however, is that there is no legal provision that allows dog rescue centres or local authority pounds to receive a temporary or interim certificate of exemption. Dogs cannot be homed without a permanent certificate of exemption. A permanent certificate can only be applied for once a dog is placed in a home. Therefore, dogs in rescue centres and pounds are all in a type of limbo and unable to move to homes that would legally allow them to receive the exemption and avoid being put down and killed. The word "type" is being used to describe XL Bully dogs, but it remains vague and is open to interpretation.”
“I acknowledge the young people from Slí, the sustainable living initiative, from County Waterford in the Visitors Gallery. Their vision is of a global community working together to ensure an equitable and sustainable future for all. Slí is dedicated to fostering a sustainable and ethically conscious community. It tries to empower people through education and action. I commend their ongoing interest and engagement within the community. Recently, I was at a dog rescue hub. It is heartbreaking. In the dog rescue, there were many XL Bullies and dogs that are claimed to be XL Bullies. Despite the amendments made to the XL Bully ban legislation, legislation has again fallen short in many key areas. This has rescue organisations, legal advocates and dog owners concerned.”
“I thank the Minister of State, but his response is disappointing. It is clear to many residents in the south inner city that the Government does note care about them or their families. There seems to be no direction. The only direction is a general descent into dereliction. Looking at the list the Minister of State read out, none of the flats in the south-east inner city are benefiting from funding or regeneration projects. Families in the south-east inner city have been abandoned. They have put up with completely unacceptable conditions, including mould, dampness and antisocial behaviour. It is unacceptable that in 2025, I have seen no evidence to suggest the Government has any plan to do anything to improve the lives of those living in the south-east inner city.”
“This new agency is appointing Dublin City Council to do the work that Dublin City Council has been trying to do for many years but has not got the funding for. They are doing what Dublin City Council is supposed to be doing already. It is just another layer of bureaucracy. Dublin City Council has not been given the funding to do things right for generations so flats in the inner city have been neglected. I do not think the council will get the additional funding it needs. Dublin is going from bad to worse. It feels unsafe to live and socialise in.”
“The conditions in their homes are absolutely scandalous. There is no play area, just an overgrown area with wastewater in it, surrounded by dereliction and poverty. Markievicz House is a large flat complex which also has been completely neglected and abandoned by the Government. The conditions there are completely unacceptable, with damp and mould, and weekly sewage leaks. Like all flats, Markievicz House needs to be regenerated. It has been said that European funding will drive this. Why has European funding not already been allocated to support flat regeneration? Early this week, the Government announced that a new agency was to be responsible for regeneration of the flats and it was going to be headed up by Dublin City Council.”
“Similarly, over in Mercer House, residents have been dealing with the same issues and have received next to nothing from the State. One family living in Mercer House had four incidents since Christmas of raw sewage flooding out into their flat. There was raw sewage all over the place. Their non-verbal three-year-old child was looking to get in and splash around. It is completely unacceptable and completely unhealthy. The drainage system is nearly 100 years old. It is outdated and not working. The conditions are shocking. I do not have time to list all the problems and issues. This is the reality in flat complexes across the city. Residents in Rathmines Avenue were promised by Dublin City Council that these flats would be regenerated almost ten years ago and they have had nothing done to them.”
“Residents are being forced to live in completely unacceptable conditions, with rampant mould and pest infestations, broken and outdated utilities, poor security and general dereliction. Massive regeneration is needed across the city to make these flat complexes safe and comfortable places to raise a family. Residents have been let down time and time again by successive governments, most recently by the shameful recent decision to scrap the regeneration of Pearse House. That has had a devastating impact on so many families. This decision has been absolutely devastating for people in the Pearse House community, who had their hopes callously taken away after fighting for so many years with constant maintenance issues and antisocial behaviour. It is a consistent issue in the flats, all flats and public housing in the inner city.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I am disappointed the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government is not here. This is a really important issue for so many families living right across the city. There are tens of thousands of people living in flats in inner-city communities that have been neglected for decades. I cannot help but think that the Government is engaging in a form of social marginalisation and is pushing families out from their communities and homes, particularly in older flat complexes such as Pearse House, Mercer House and Markievicz House, which were all build by Herbert Simms not far off a century ago. People's homes have been neglected by the State to the point that many are near unlivable.”
“I acknowledge the visit of Stillorgan College of Further Education. I hope they enjoy their tour of the Oireachtas. They are in safe hands with services officer, Jack. I wish them the best of luck. If they were in secondary school, we would let them off homework for the rest of the week.”
“The organisation should focus on rugby, rather than squeezing rent out of tenants and residents and becoming a holder of development properties.”
“This does not seem to have been questioned to any great degree. Not only that, the IRFU, like all organisations that use the Aviva Stadium, has a responsibility to the local community to be a good neighbour. It is important that clarity is provided by the IRFU and the Minister for sport to ensure that residents in the area and IRFU tenants are not being taken advantage of. We also need to ensure that taxpayers' money is being spent wisely. If the taxpayer is funding the IRFU's development programme, that seems questionable. When funding is allocated to the IRFU, it is done on the understanding that it will be used to support the development of sport at grassroots level, as well as to engender success on the highest international stage. It is not done to allow the IRFU to satisfy the desire to be a landlord.”
“Over the weekend, it emerged that the IRFU has been steadily acquiring rental properties near the Aviva Stadium and renting them out at extortionate rates. The IRFU now owns 23 properties in the vicinity of the Aviva, with at least nine having registered tenancies. The rent for one of those two-bedroom homes is €6,500 per month. It is hard to understand that. This property portfolio is valued at €30 million despite the organisation declaring a budget deficit of €18 million, according to its most recent accounts. For a body that receives considerable State funding, it is highly questionable that it is spending millions of euro acquiring high-value retail estate while making cuts to its operations for the sake of financial sustainability. I think of the men's sevens rugby team, which was cut.”
“While Dublin hurling has had many dark days over the years, Saturday was not one of them. The Dublin hurlers had a fantastic victory over an iconic, amazing Limerick team. Hopefully, Dublin can win their next match against Cork. I acknowledge those who believed in Dublin hurling for so many years and who fought for it during those dark days. I think of people like Shay Connolly from Ringsend and Seán Lane up in Ballinteer St. Johns. They believed in hurling and camogie and fought the fight to ensure Dublin hurling has days like last Saturday. The win over Limerick on Saturday was on the shoulders of people like Seán and Shay. I wish to acknowledge that. I also raise the scandalous fact that the IRFU has become a major landlord in the Dublin 4 area.”
“We need these proposed changes to be scrapped and for the Government to instead commit to adopting a tenant-based approach that is focused on ensuring everyone in this country has the home they need and deserve. Pearse House residents are devastated that the regeneration programme has been dropped. They have emailed the Minister and sought a meeting with him. The least he could do is meet them, given that their expectations were high that regeneration would transform people's lives. The Minister has not had the decency to meet or reply to the residents. The least Minister can do is meet the residents and hear their issues.”
“Due to pressure from the Opposition, the Government half-heartedly acknowledged this fact and introduced this Bill to delay disastrous rent increases for those renters not currently living in RPZs. The shameful reality is that the Government's proposal intends to completely dismantle RPZs and weaken tenant protections in the long term. The Government is completely out of touch with the needs and concerns of residents and renters. The shambolic and confused way in which these reforms have been brought forward make this painfully obvious. We need RPZs to be expanded State-wide for an additional two years, not just the measly two months proposed.”
“For a country as rich as ours, our failure on housing is inexcusable and solely the result of a purposely exploitative or disastrously ineffective housing policy. We desperately need emergency action on housing and huge investment in our public social housing stock, coupled with comprehensive regulation of our private rental sector, to ensure tenants are put first. What is the Government's priority during all of this? It is to gut the few regulations we have to line the pockets of its investor friends. The proposals introduced in recent days will lead to further rent increases for tenants, placing even more pressure on ordinary people in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”
“An example of that is Capital Dock in the docklands, right next to the Whelan-O’Rahilly flats. Many of those units are empty because the landlord will not drop the rent because it will affect his overall revenue. Even for those with well-paid professional jobs and high levels of education, the idea of renting your own apartment, as is the norm in most European countries, is completely out of reach, unless you want to give up on any prospect of saving for a mortgage. The lack of affordable housing is the biggest issue in this country, stifling economic growth and depriving ordinary people of the secure lives they deserve. People are living in squalor in overcrowded conditions. People are living at home well into their adult lives. They are living on the street or in emergency accommodation.”