Denise Mitchell
Dublin Bay North · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It is because she is a lone parent caring for her daughter who has high support needs. She fears that while she is recovering, she simply will not be able to care for her daughter. These are the kinds of choices people are being forced to make.”
“I welcome the motion. Many families in my constituency contacted me ahead of this debate. Listening to their stories, it is clear they go above and beyond for their sons and daughters. Many of their sons and daughters have moderate, serious or profound intellectual disabilities.”
“One of the best ways we can address the cost-of-living crisis for families with young children is to bring down the cost of childcare and make it more accessible. In my own constituency of Dublin Bay North, we have a lot of new housing estates with young families and the waiting list for childcare places is simply huge.”
“SIPTU's report found that 86% of early years educators identified low pay as their biggest issue and two thirds also raised the problem of extra pressure due to staff shortages and stress. Everybody in this House will agree that the people we entrust to educate and care for our children should feel valued and that starts with fair pay.”
“As has been said, this is a fantastic school. It serves a disadvantaged community. As has been said as well, 40% of the students in the school are from the Traveller community. This school has children attending from Darndale and the wider community around Priorswood. The decision that has been taken, therefore, is absolutely ridiculous.”
“I am frustrated by the Minister of State's response. St. Francis school was mentioned only in the last two paragraphs that he read. I cannot understand how the Minister can award a school DEIS plus status and then, on the other hand, remove a teacher. This was resolved in 2020, and the five TDs here are asking her to do so again.”
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Every one of 131 lines we hold for Denise Mitchell, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 3.
“Like any technology, there are pros and cons when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence. It has the potential to be incredibly important in areas like healthcare, science and technology. We saw that at the Young Scientist exhibition last week in the RDS, where many of the projects demonstrated to us how it could be a force for good. A school from my own constituency, Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, had a really impressive project on how AI could improve mental health supports. Indeed, the overall winning project also used AI as a part of a brain cancer diagnosis tool. Unfortunately, in recent months, we have all seen how this technology can be abused, the most obvious being its use on X to produce illegal sexual abuse material and other images intended to humiliate people.”
“No prescription or identification was needed and there were no checks whatsoever. The lack of controls or oversight on the sale and use of these products has serious implications for the Irish and European food chains. In terms of the environment, there are farmers in Brazil with 50,000 or more cattle and they are clearing huge tracts of rainforest for grazing. When this beef is ready to export it is being sent halfway around the world to Europe. Seriously, how does the Minister of State square that with Ireland's commitment to protect the environment? The Government needs to take action. It needs to do everything in its power to oppose the ratification of this trade agreement.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Mercosur trade deal and I welcome the farmers to the Gallery this evening. As an urban TD I have to put on the record that I have been contacted by a large number of constituents who have raised this trade deal with me in the run-up to last week's vote. They were concerned about two things, namely, food safety and the damage to the environment. I was shocked to read the report produced by the Irish Farmers' Journal . Its journalists travelled to Brazil and investigated just how easy it is to buy growth hormones for cattle, as well as antibiotics and other products that were banned in Europe or that require a prescription. They were able to walk up to the counters in the shop. They did not speak Portuguese. They were able to point at the bottles and buy them.”
“For carers and families, blister packs provide reassurance that their loved ones are on top of their medication while allowing them to maintain their sense of independence and manage their healthcare in their own home. If the Minister had addressed the concerns raised by Deputy Cullinane, we would not be in this mess. Why did she not take the advice given in October and prevent us from being here?”
“On the extra monthly charge, we have seen some pharmacies issuing letters, some of which our colleagues have read from, relating to someone getting an extra €30 while others got an extra €10 so it differed between pharmacies. The fact that people were getting these increases during one of the worst cost-of-living crises is cruel. It was being delivered to people in the depths of winter but that is only one part of the issue. For people who have dementia, brain injuries or mental health issues, or those who simply have to take a large amount of medication, blister packs ensure they do not overdose or miss their doses. The outcome of either of these things can be very serious for a person's health. It can also put extra strain on the health service.”
“The line Minister's statement on Friday night when she spoke about the three-month pause was tone deaf. It did not address any of the concerns of patients and their families and the issues that they raised about this ill-thought-out and cruel decision. The reason for the postponement is very clear. It is not because Sinn Féin warned the Government in October about the difficulties that this would cause patients both in terms of costs and health outcomes. In fact, the Government ignored us back then. The reason the Government has postponed this is because it has been taken aback by just how upset the public is over this move, particularly our older citizens.”
“I agree with the Irish Airline Pilots Association, which says the IAA needs to step in here. There are huge safety implications in all this. These changes not only put our rescue workers in danger due to increased risks of tiredness and fatigue, but that has a knock-on impact on people who might find themselves in need of the emergency services. Nobody wants to think the crews being sent out, often in very dangerous weather conditions, are tired and fatigued. Our rescue workers' job is to keep people safe. It is the Minister of State's job and the job of the IAA to keep our rescue teams safe. We need action here. We need a review of whether this roster complies with the working time rules. Honestly, I cannot see how it does. The actual numbers of hours worked needs to be the actual number of hours recorded.”
“I will start by thanking our Coast Guard and rescue teams across this island. In my own constituency of Dublin Bay North, I know the huge amount of work they do, the really dangerous conditions they sometimes have to go out in and the number of times they have prevented disasters on our coasts and in our seas. Being honest, I could not believe what I was reading in terms of this new roster system. We have crews working 24-hour shifts but those shifts are only being recorded as 16 and a half hours. That means the Irish Coast Guard crews may be looking at 104 24-hour shifts instead of their current 83 per year. That is an enormous increase and change in the working conditions for these staff. I cannot see how this is permitted under the working time Act.”
“There are many actions we need to take in the broader area of tackling sexual violence and abuse, not least addressing the lack of domestic violence shelters, expanding the capacity of specialist sexual violence centres and investing in the protective service of the Garda. Survivors' voices must be at the heart of shaping policies in this area. We need to listen to survivors. The Bill proposes a very clear change in the law whereby victims will feel they have a real impact on their own lives. We must ensure we work together to implement it as soon as possible.”
“It will help to ensure no other victims must endure the same fear and worry when the person who attacked them is released. It must be passed. I acknowledge the Minister is not opposing it but let us work together to support the victims. Every day there is a delay in enacting the Bill means other women and men will not be able to avail of its protections. We have a problem with delays in enacting legislation in this area. For example, we do not have a ban on the use of victims' counselling notes in courts. That has made victims reluctant to go to counselling for fear that what they say will be used in a courtroom.”
“I welcome the Bill as a common-sense measure to help protect victims of sexual violence. I thank my colleague Deputy Carthy for bringing it forward and my colleague Senator McCormack for her involvement. Deputy Carthy and his team worked on it as a direct response to the engagement they had with victims and advocates. One of those women spoke really honestly about her fear and dread knowing that the man who raped her as a child will be released in the coming years. There is nothing that can prevent him from approaching her in a shop or on the street while she goes about her life. She said, "There is nothing you can do that will make me feel safe the day he walks outside those prison gates". Unfortunately, she is right. The Bill is not retrospective.”
“People who are studying abroad, those on holidays or even those on business cannot cast their vote. That seriously needs to be looked at. We also have a situation where we have citizens living in the North who have no vote. Extending the vote in presidential elections to Irish citizens living in the North is an important step. Young people are a lot more clued in than some people give them credit for. If we want to see more engagement in politics and get people to come out and vote, getting them interested in politics at an early age is key to doing that.”
“It has been over a decade since the change was brought in there and results show that young people who voted at the age of 16 or 17 during the Scottish independence referendum have been more likely to vote in other elections since then. It had a positive effect on increasing engagement. Before that change, people in Scotland were not convinced this was a good idea. In fact, only one third of adults supported votes for 16- and 17-year-olds. After the referendum, though, and having seen how well informed young people were, the polls now show that the majority of people actually support it. This Bill is very welcome but it is a part of a broader reform we need to see when it comes to our democracy. We have a situation where the ability to vote via postal vote is incredibly restricted.”
“Young people involved in Sphere 17, our local youth group, are working day-in, day-out to improve their community and are campaigning for better resources. Young people have been way ahead of most adults when it comes to mobilising on issues like climate change. We just have to look at the huge number of young people at the demonstrations on Gaza. I trust our 16- and 17-year-olds to be responsible, to inform themselves and take their right to vote very seriously because they have a stake in their communities. They know the decisions that are made in this House affect their future. The reality is that it has worked in other countries. There have been decisions to lower the age in certain elections in Estonia, Malta and some of the German states but the most important case to look at is Scotland.”
“Usually, it is something alone the lines of young people are not mature enough to vote or they do not have any life experience. The National Youth Council of Ireland, which strongly backs the lowering of voting age, has noted that 17-year-olds can leave school. They can seek full time employment. They can pay tax. They can drive a car. Why can we not trust them to vote? There are young people who take on enormous amounts of responsibility in their own communities. Many teenagers are carers for loved ones in their families. Others volunteer their time in sports clubs and community groups. The reality is that young people have never been more involved in political discussions than they are now. I see it in my own area.”
“I will begin by welcoming the Minister of State's very passionate contribution but I have to say that here we go again, another Bill tabled by the Opposition and another delay by the Government. The exact same thing happened last week with Deputy Ó Snodaigh's Bill on the arts. I will not get started on the presidential voting rights because, as the Minister of State knows, there has been delay after delay. Is this a tactic the Government is bringing forward just to delay sensible proposals being tabled by the Opposition? I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the Bill on lowering the voting age. It is something for which my party and I have called for a long time and something that I strongly support. I want to start by addressing the arguments we often hear against this.”
“Some have raised questions as to whether there is an element of snobbery behind why comedians are not included. I suppose that stems from the fact that comedy is a very accessible form of art that can be put on in small venues in nearly every community across this State. However, instead of that being a reason to look down on it, it is even more of a reason we should support it. I am disappointed to see that the Government says it will delay this Bill for 18 months and I am not clear on its reasoning. The Government points to the review of the Arts Council but that is totally unrelated to this Bill. I ask the Government to drop its plans to delay this Bill, allow it to progress to Committee Stage and let us recognise comedy as a living, breathing form of art that is valued and supported here in Ireland.”
“I was really surprised to see that stand-up, sketch and improv comedians cannot apply to the Arts Council for bursaries that are open to other performers, especially when it is considered that our small island punches so far above its weight when it comes to producing well-known comedians who are so successful on the international stage. This Bill will ensure that comedy will get its own specific funding scheme. It will not be lumped in with everything else. I have heard from performers that this is important in making them feel valued and making them feel that their art form matters. Most importantly, it is keeping those comedians here in Ireland and not losing them to places like England, Scotland, Canada and New Zealand, all places where comedy is a registered art form.”
“I support this very simple Bill, which seeks to recognise comedy as an art form that should be supported by the Arts Council. Every week, in this city and across Ireland, we have comedians on stage in pubs, comedy clubs and theatres. They are really important when it comes to keeping venues, particularly smaller ones, open. Irish wit and humour is well known across the globe. I heard one Irish comedian say that performing in Ireland is harder than anywhere else because everybody in the room thinks they should be on the stage.”
“I want to raise the compensation scheme for those who were injured in the Stardust fire in 1981. It is very welcome that the first section of the scheme for the families who lost loved ones in that fire has been completed. However, lawyers for the survivors are getting very frustrated because they have not had an update on the redress scheme that was committed to well over a year ago. It is 44 years since that fire and these survivors are not getting any younger. Many of them are still living with serious and ongoing health problems that they sustained that night. I have submitted numerous parliamentary questions but I cannot get a clear answer on it. When does the Tánaiste expect the Minister to bring this scheme to Cabinet? When does he expect it to be rolled out?”
“The Minister of State and I know that leads to higher costs. A simple way to reduce costs for parents is through giving them more choice when it comes to buying school uniforms. We need to switch to generic jumpers and make iron-on or sew-on crests the norm. Back in 2017, the then Minister issued a circular addressing some of these issues, looking for iron-on crests and generic items, etc. I am absolutely surprised to say that the Minister of State is not supporting the Bill that actually details what was said in 2017. Here we are seven years on and nothing has changed and there is still a massive cost on parents buying school uniforms. This Bill we are debating is very clear. Schools needs to have it written down. It needs to be a proper policy.”
“Parents get a letter from the school telling them that the uniforms have to come from a specific shop and that no other brand or version is acceptable. That is the case for secondary school uniforms in particular. Parents with a daughter – I am speaking for myself in this instance – have to buy a skirt, blouses, jumpers, PE tracksuit and school coats, which are all branded. This costs big money. The Minister of State will understand that these costs add up for parents who have two or three children in that school. That is before we even talk about schools where students need iPads or tablets. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, looked at this earlier in the year and found that three quarters of schools had branded items that could only be bought from a recommended retailer.”
“I wish to start by saying that I am a strong supporter of schools having uniforms. It takes a lot of pressure off families and it keeps the fashion shows and the competition out of schools. It is a leveller. Every time parents are asked about school uniforms, survey results always say they support a uniform. We are in a cost-of-living crisis and everything is getting more expensive, however. Every September, parents are worrying about the cost of getting their kids back to school. They are using their savings and, in some cases, they are borrowing to ensure costs are covered. In some schools, we have a situation where there is no competition when it comes to a parent buying a school uniform. We all know the story.”
“I could say I am frustrated by the Minister of State's response but I do not know how to put it in words. For 24 years, Gaelcholáiste Reachrann has been fighting for a new build. We have had promise after promise. I stand here as a representative of Dublin Bay North and a parent of two children in that school. I am expressing the frustration of the parents in the school. We were promised ground would be broken in April of next year. Will the Minister of State give us the commitment that we will finally see our new school build starting in April?”
“Gaelcholáiste Reachrann has been raised in the House many times over many years. I will not speak to the conditions of the school as they are well-documented but I acknowledge that the Minister, her officials and representatives of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB visited the school in late May and gave a commitment that this would go to tender for our new permanent school build. Since then, we cannot get a clear answer about when it is going to tender. It is totally unfair to the school environment. We gather here today as Deputies from Dublin Bay North asking the Minister of State for a clear update on our new school build for Gaelcholáiste Reachrann.”
“This means test adds nothing but hardship and stress to lives already stretched to the limit by a system that is not offering them enough support. Carers are struggling and many are living below the breadline. That is a failure of the Minister's Government, especially when we see the billions of euro these carers are saving the State year on year. The very least this Government could do is treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve. The Minister can do that by simply abolishing this unfair and cruel means test.”
“When we speak about carers, we are speaking about people who take on a huge responsibility for no other reason than that they deeply care for the person they are providing the care for. Over 500,000 people across this State are quietly caring for their loved ones. They do not do it for reward. They do it out of love. Carers can be anybody at any stage of their lives. We have parents caring for a child, children caring for their parents, or a close friend who steps in for someone who does not have the family support around them. They do not have the time to protest. They do not have the energy to fight this system and they feel they are being continually ignored by the Government. There is not a week that goes by where I do not see somebody distraught in my office after being refused their carer's allowance.”
“He will probably continue to allow people to struggle and be crippled by debt just to keep their children warm this winter. Let me lay it out clearly for him. Give people the energy credits. They are crying out for them. Give them that €450 credit to help them keep the lights and the heat on this winter.”
“It is fine for the Government to come in here and talk about previous supports but the people want to know what it is going to do in the here and now. A lot of people across Dublin Bay North are already struggling. They are struggling to buy their groceries, to pay their already rip-off rents and to get their kids to college, and that is without landing these energy hikes on top of them. I want people to realise that this is a political choice by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Lowry group. How many times has Sinn Féin come in to this House and given the Minister of State a roadmap out of this crisis? Yet again, here we are, giving him another plan to support the people who will need it. What will he do? He will probably do nothing.”
“During the past few weeks, we have seen the main electricity companies announce more price hikes. These same companies have had record profits during the past few years. We are now facing into a very long and cold winter. I have constituents who are already behind in their bills. These are people who never had an issue in paying their bills before. Now, they are looking at another hike in electricity costs on the bill they are already struggling to pay. My colleagues have already said this but I will say it again: we have the highest energy costs across Europe. How much more does the Minister of State expect our people to take? The Government needs to wake up. People are struggling and have been for a long time.”
“We need to see an urgency in perpetrators being charged and brought before the courts because it can often take many years for these matters to even reach the courts. The argument for a domestic violence register is an extremely important one when it comes to protecting women from repeat offenders and ensuring gardaí are aware of where known abusers live or if they have moved into our communities. It is welcome everyone here is on the same page but we need to see more action. We need a society where every public space, community centre, sports club, pub, shop and home is a zero tolerance space when it comes to domestic and gender-based violence.”
“It was very upsetting to read in the Women's Aid annual report that the organisation has received the highest number of domestic abuse reports in its 50-year history. While I acknowledge the work of the previous Minister, Deputy McEntee, we have a lot more to do. When it comes to domestic refuge spaces this Government is still failing in its legal obligation to provide them. This is incredibly important because at a time when we have a housing crisis we have a situation where victims are becoming trapped. Their options are either to stay in an abusive situation or become homeless. This is totally unacceptable. The report also found that 44% of those who reported a domestic violence incident to gardaí said they found them unhelpful. This must change. Gardaí must be trained in how to deal with a report of domestic abuse.”
“They murdered ambulance staff and medics and buried them in a mass grave. They even went so far as to crush the ambulances and to bury them too, to hide their crime. This is a genocidal regime that is out of control. Its leader is a fugitive. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crime charges. Israel holds thousands of hostages. They are not prisoners because they have never been charged or convicted of any wrongdoing. It is a regime that has attacked and bombed four neighbouring countries since the start of this year. The cowardice of many western governments to hold this lunatic state to account is making the world a more dangerous place for everybody. Why would anybody bother to adhere to international law when it is clear that it does not apply to countries that have the superpowers backing them up?”
“When it comes to the Middle East, we cannot allow a nuclear-armed rogue state to spread chaos throughout the region. That is why Israel has to be stopped. Chants from a music festival are not the story, the daily mass murder of civilians by Israel is the story. Since Tuesday morning, more than 100 Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Yesterday, Israel bombed a café that it knew was being used by journalists – killing 24 people. This morning, Israel continues to lure starving men, women and children to their so-called aid points, where Israeli troops and mercenaries are gunning them down. We saw the Israelis force doctors and patients out of a hospital in north Gaza at gunpoint, leaving premature babies to die alone in the intensive care ward.”
“Yes, the GPO should continue to do what it does best: to operate as a post office. At the moment, O'Connell Street and Moore Street are full of phone shops, vape shops and decaying buildings. The area has been falling into despair for years. We clearly need to take bold steps to revitalise this part of the city. I believe that Deputy Ó Snodaigh's motion and the Moore Street Preservation Trust's plan are what can do that. The GPO is where our freedom was proclaimed. We should be protecting and preserving it. It should be a focal point for our history.”
“The GPO should be preserved for generations and should become a focal point, along with the preservation and restoration of nearby Moore Street. They should be part of a historical and cultural quarter of the city that respects the importance of the history of 1916. I do not know about the other Deputies, but I could not believe my ears when the Taoiseach spoke about putting first-class retail into the GPO. Holy moly. The place is already surrounded by retail. Has the Taoiseach not seen that? This is the main street of our capital city. Every single day, it is full of people from all over Ireland and the world. Let us use this opportunity to educate people on the history of the Easter Rising. Let us showcase our Irish culture, our music, our literature, our dance and our language.”
“With respect, Kilmore only got four lines in the reply. That is not on the Minister of State - he was given that to read. This was a specific question about a specific area where we feel we are going around in circles. We have been engaging with Dublin City Council and officials. We are asking for support from the Minister of State’s Department to get this over the line. Councillors on the north central area committee were recently told that the issue would be looked at. What we are asking for is commitment. I thank the Minister of State for the reply but it did not have very much for the people of Kilmore. I ask the Department to please engage with Dublin City Council to finally get this sorted once and for all for the community of Kilmore West.”
“We cannot sit around for another 11 years waiting for this to be completed. What can the Minister of State do to make sure this is done as a matter of urgency?”
“We have received no timeframe for when this work will be completed and in the meantime, we have young girls changing on the side of the road for football matches. Local summer projects had to find new premises. The Minister of State will agree that is simply not good enough. Kilmore West has amazing volunteers who want to better their community. They give up their own hours - many hours - for the children in Kilmore West. This area is badly in need of amenities. We have seen our local swimming pool closed. We have seen Kilmore Celtic fighting for years for amenities. I want to give the Minister of State an indication of the situation. When I was on Dublin City Council in 2014, one of the main campaigns from the local councillors was for a playground. Fast forward 11 years, we only got our playground now.”
“St. Luke's Youth Club and community centre in Kilmore West has been closed since 2023. The centre was used by many groups within the community, from football clubs to ladies groups and summer projects. In 2023, I contacted Dublin City Council, DCC, regarding the closure of the building. I received an email - I have it here for the Minister of State - informing me that a report into the works that were needed would be completed by the first week in January 2024. Rolling on, it is June 2025 and still no works have been completed there. Expressions of interest were opened for groups who would like to use the premises. Two local groups came forward and expressed interest. It seemed like we were having movement on it and then, all of a sudden, it stalled again. We were told that the council was going to meet the groups but nothing happened.”
“We need to start to see actual work and planning to put the very clear proposals on the table for what a new, united Ireland would look like, so that the people North and South will know what they are voting on. I am sick of hearing some politicians and commentators in the media endlessly telling us that 50% plus one is not good enough when it comes to a referendum on Irish unity. These folks do not get to rewrite the Good Friday Agreement. This motion is practicable, it is workable and it should be supported and implemented.”
“Irish people living in the North can stand for the Presidency and serve as President, as Mary McAleese did, but cannot vote for the President. That unfairness is at the heart of this motion. We recently saw the Assembly support the call to extend voting rights to all of Ireland. The President is the representative of the Irish nation, and that nation does not just stop at an imaginary line that was dreamt up by the British and imposed on us over 100 years ago. On the Border issue, I, like everybody else here, would like to see a united Ireland. It cannot just remain an aspiration in the far-off future. The Taoiseach said about a united Ireland that the structures will evolve in the fullness of time. I am sorry, but that is not good enough.”
“We need the establishment of an independent safeguarding authority. I want the same outcome as the Minister of State, namely, the very best standard of care for our older citizens. If we all work together constructively, we can ensure the scenes we saw on our TVs will never be repeated.”
“Safeguarding teams and social workers need a legal right of entry to residential facilities to ensure all appropriate measures are in place. It is an action I have long supported and one my party's spokesperson on health, Deputy Cullinane, has long advocated for. We simply cannot rely on private companies to deliver services in this area. The unfortunate reality is that these companies are concerned with profits. That is why we saw the complete lack of medical and sanitary supplies during the documentary. We often hear of staff being urged to penny-pinch to protect the company's profits. That is not how an organisation tasked with caring for vulnerable people should operate. In the longer term, we need to see investment in the creation of public nursing homes and community beds.”
“I, like so many others who watched that "Prime Time" programme, found it very disturbing and upsetting. Our older citizens who are in nursing homes deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Frankly, there is no excuse for what we witnessed on our television screens. I cannot imagine the upset this programme generated for families across this State, with people wondering if their relative or friend was treated the very same way once visiting time was over. I acknowledge the whistleblowers who came forward and reported their concerns. They should be commended. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. We all remember the Leas Cross investigation 20 years ago and since then, numerous Governments have promised safeguarding legislation when it comes to this area.”
“That is before we come to its new announcement on rents, which is all over the shop. We all know this will do one thing: make rents go up. This is not about opposition for the sake of opposition. For our part, we publish policy after policy of what we believe would solve this crisis. The Government does not agree with us and that is fine. It will have to stand over the decisions it makes. The one thing I will say - and it pains me listening to it from the Government - is that nobody expects this crisis to be fixed overnight but this has been going on year after year and we must call it out. It is a direct result of the Minister's Government's poor policy, reliance on private developers and now its inability to react. People need to stand up and call a stop.”
“We did not just wake up in this housing crisis; it has been going on for decades. We have seen plan after plan. Does the Minister remember rebuilding Ireland? That failed. Now we have Housing for All. In the meantime, and while this plan is going on, we have longer housing lists, people waiting to be housed, more unaffordable housing and record homelessness. Like many people outside the gate tonight, I am sick and tired of listening to the Government blame everybody else; it is always everybody else's fault. The Government is in charge in this State and has continued to underfund local authority housing departments which then cannot deliver housing. The Government decided in recent months to delay funds and restrict access to the tenant in situ scheme, throwing renters under the bus.”
“He should create a maintenance fund that councils can have access to, give the councils the authority to do the works without waiting on approval from the Department, and ensure the councils have directly employed housing maintenance teams that can do this work and also have the capacity to maintain these properties all year round. I ask the Minister to support this motion. It makes sense.”
“Leaving homes to rot is also causing other problems in our communities. We get antisocial behaviour. In my own constituency, you can actually see that some of these houses are used as a dumping site. We all understand that council properties need to be refurbished and it takes time. We all agree with that. However, there is no way it should take a year. The longer these houses are left sitting there, the more work that needs to be done on them to bring them back into use. The Minister needs to take the reins here. This would be an easy win for him.”
“There is nothing more disgraceful than knowing we have thousands of families and children homeless or in insecure accommodation while we have thousands of empty council homes around the country boarded up and left to rot. We constantly hear the Government saying that bringing vacant properties back into use is key to tackling the housing crisis and yet we have over 2,600 council houses boarded up across this State. We need these houses turned around and brought back into use for families and workers. There are people in these communities who have been languishing on housing lists for decades. Can we imagine how it feels for those people or those living in emergency accommodation to be walking by boarded council houses every day? In some cases, they are walking by for an entire year. It is insulting and it is not on.”