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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“I congratulate the Minister on his new position. It is well deserved. Last year, the Fine Gael Minister in the previous Government spent €400,000 on a campaign to highlight the need for dog owners to be responsible dog owners. A few months later, the Minister was banning XL bullies and targeting specific dogs, rather than targeting behaviour, and letting irresponsible owners off the hook. This was populist and it was also extremely unfair to dogs. The Government said it wanted to keep the law in unison with a similar law north of the Border. However, it did not copy the process that exists north of the Border but cherry-picked elements of the process. This meant the XL bully ban here in the Twenty-six Counties has no appeals process. It is deeply unfair.”
“It would be very helpful to let residents know and to shorten the timeline for the development of the light rail down to the Irish Glass Bottle site. It will be a fantastic site. We already know there will not be car parking spaces and therefore there needs to be public transport. I cannot understand why that decision was taken to push out the delivery of light rail down to the Irish Glass Bottle site. Senator Boyhan spoke about his concern about public safety on the DART and the Luas. We all know how menacing it feels to be on the Luas or DART, particularly for older people. Many parents do not want their children to go on the Luas or DART at any time of day. Older people are afraid to travel out and visit their friends along that route because of the concerns they have. There has to be teeth to any measures taken to improve security.”
“I congratulate the Minister on his new position. There are a lot of moving parts to it, literally. I wish him the best of luck in that. I do not believe the Minister mentioned the extension of light rail down to the Irish Glass Bottle site. Obviously, he knows about the Irish Glass Bottle site extensively. I know his predecessor put back the Luas, the light rail, down to the Irish Glass Bottle site by over ten years, which will have a huge impact on the entire development. The development will be finished and occupied by then, with 7,000 to 10,000 residents living there. It is a major concern to the existing community and also for the new people moving in that there is no light rail and that the previous Minister extended the timeline for that.”
“The reality is that the inner city is not just a shopping destination and a restaurant destination; it is a home for thousands of families, and they have been neglected and forgotten.”
“There needs to be a significant increase in gardaí on the streets. The gardaí are excellent but there just is not enough of them. There needs to be more gardaí so they can react more quickly and address the issue. Equally, we will not be able to police our way out of this issue. There has to be an investment in resources in the inner city. Talk about Youth is a youth club that does not have resources to work with children under ten years of age. That is the age they need to engage with local services. There also needs to be an increase in multiservice sports facilities and drug rehabilitation services - they need to be invested in. Unless the Government stops neglecting the inner city and starts investing in communities in the inner city, residents there will have to pick up the tab.”
“There was another fatal stabbing in Dublin city centre this weekend. Clearly, Dublin is not safe for anybody using the city centre. There is a real sense of menace. It is no surprise to residents living in the inner city, for example, on Pearse Street and Kevin Street, that there was a fatal stabbing. Right across the inner city, it is no surprise because on a daily basis, residents and communities there have to put up with knife crime and serious antisocial behaviour. For example, last year on City Quay, which is not too far from here, there were running battles almost nightly with young people using knives, meat cleavers and slash hooks. It is very serious. The gardaí there and Superintendent McKenna are excellent. The community gardaí are also excellent. However, they do not have the resources they need.”
“I ask that the Minister come into the House to debate this issue and look at a way to ensure that residents are not expected to put up with and live in accommodation that is completely unacceptable in 2025.”
“I was in a local community centre seven years ago to discuss the redevelopment of St. Andrew's Court. There is a very small block of flats there. Again, that is not too far from here. That was seven years ago and nothing has happened. The flats that were there are still there and they have been empty in the middle of a housing crisis. The council has said it is going to take another three years before 33 flats will be built. It will, therefore, be ten or 11 years before the council can deliver 33 flats for social housing. That is completely unacceptable. We need to fast-track regeneration and redevelopment of flat complexes around the city.”
“Would it be possible to invite the Minister for housing in specifically to discuss the regeneration of flat complexes around Dublin? As an example, the refurbishment and redevelopment of communities and flat complexes in Dublin Bay South and in the south inner city is desperately needed. The regeneration is moving at a snail's pace. Residents are having to live in accommodation that is completely unacceptable. There is a situation where rats are running freely around developments not too far from here, including Leo Fitzgerald House, Pearse House and over near Bishop Street. Almost all the flats have significant issues around maintenance. Residents are expected to live in conditions that none of us would be willing to put up with. We need to have a debate on regeneration.”
“I look forward to working with everybody but we have to ensure we get our priorities right. We have to support the underdog and those who have been left behind, and I look forward to doing that. Best wishes to you, a Chathaoirligh.”
“The future is bright for Irish football but we have to invest in the facilities, infrastructure and academies. Just like we invested in the film industry, we need to invest in football so we create a football industry. Football and sport generally have many benefits for individuals and communities and we need to invest in them. We need to invest in football so we do not stay rooted to the bottom of the European table when it comes to investment in sport. We also need to invest in young people and youth services. In the south inner city, Talk about Youth on Pearse Street does fantastic work with young people but it is still under-resourced, and the same goes for SAYS, the South Area Youth Service on Mercer Street, both within a stone’s throw of Leinster House.”
“The populist decision to ban XL bullies shows the Government’s contempt for dog welfare. Early last year, a Government Minister stood holding a poster stating that if your dog attacks sheep, it is your fault, not the dog’s. Then, three months later, the same Minister was holding a poster saying that if your dog attacks, it is the dog’s fault. It is utter populism. The XL bully ban should be amended to at least have an appeals process. We need to target the bad behaviour, not how a dog looks. There is another issue that is important to me. While I was never very good, I was an enthusiastic footballer. Irish football is in a great place, with Shelbourne winning the President’s Cup last week and Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians playing in the Aviva Stadium this Sunday.”
“It is a Bill it committed to passing if returned to government yet, now the election is over, it has thrown those commitments in the bin. A united Ireland is something I will be working for in the Upper House. I believe a united Ireland is going to happen. I see the challenges also as opportunities, unlike the Government, which only pays lip service to a united Ireland. There is an onus on us to deliver a united Ireland for those who have fought for Ireland and for future generations. Our young people deserve this from us. Another issue I will be working on is dog welfare. Volunteer dog rescues are under-resourced and overwhelmed. We have a lot of legislation on animal and dog welfare but very little of it is enforced. The State has a sad legacy regarding the treatment of dogs.”
“Palestinians have significant support among the Irish people, yet we still have many in the media and in politics trying to silence those who stand up for the nation of Palestine and those who look to hold to account apartheid and genocidal Israel. It is important that we challenge this. We are not just responsible for what we say. We are also responsible for what we do not say. We have to ensure that we are not quiet when it comes to standing up for Palestine and those Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who are facing ongoing terror by Israel. We have a Government that merely pays lip service to criticising apartheid Israel, with zero sanctions against the terror state and a row-back on passing the occupied territories Bill.”
“I will also work with families with neurodiverse children who are struggling for services and who are effectively left to fend for themselves without the resources they need. Special schools are also struggling for resources. Important to me and Sinn Féin is our neutrality. Neutrality has significant support among the Irish public, yet we continually have the Government and many in the media making a case to scrap it. We must protect our neutrality and see it for what it is, which is a force for good in this increasingly fragile world. I will also continue to highlight the injustice faced by Palestinians.”
“I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. I know he will be a very fair Chair. Thanks to Mr. Martin Groves and his team in the Seanad Office who facilitated the count. Thanks also to those who voted for me to be a Senator. It is a real honour to be elected to the Upper House. I will be working on various issues with all Senators. I am looking forward to that process and to bringing about positive change. I will keep fighting for residents in the inner city who continue to be neglected by Government. Regeneration of flat complexes is happening at a snail's pace and it does not happen at all for many flat complexes. Residents are left to live in accommodation that is simply unacceptable in 2025. Flats are rotting, with dampness and mould, from the inside out.”