Séamus McGrath
Cork South-Central · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I thank the Taoiseach for the update about the Cork city futures group. As he mentioned, transport is a key theme within that reference. As the Taoiseach probably knows, I have been calling for a strategic integrated transportation office to be established in Cork.”
“To do that, we need local decision-making in a powerful transportation office established in Cork which can engage with the relevant stakeholders at a local level. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, seems positive about this idea. I ask the Taoiseach to try to support it. I am sure he would, given that it is Cork.”
“Budget preparations will be intensifying over the summer period. With that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to raise the issue of stamp duty and first-time buyers. As the Taoiseach knows, first-time buyers have to pay 1% in stamp duty when they are purchasing a new or second-hand home.”
“When I raised this matter as a Topical Issue just over six months ago in December 2025, the reply at the time was very much focused on the fact that there was an issue with the site. I reiterate that there is absolutely no issue with the site.”
“I do not want to be disingenuous, and I hope work is progressing on the tender process, but the reply seems to be the exact same, which is very frustrating. To reiterate, the project is vital for these two school communities. The conditions they operate in at present are not acceptable. It has been promised for many years.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue debate. I want to raise the matter of the proposed amalgamation of two schools in the lower harbour area of Cork. These are Ringaskiddy national school and Shanbally National School.”
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“We need to make it more affordable as well as increasing overall targets and improving our delivery. It has to be accessible and affordable. We have to deal with the cohort who are not currently getting support from Government. I know the programme for Government addresses this but I would like to see it happen at the earliest possible time.”
“I welcome the Government’s commitment. One particular group to whom I have committed to being a strong voice in the House is those prospective purchasers who find themselves falling between the supports. They are those individuals, couples and families who are outside the social housing income limits. Their income is over those limits so they do not qualify for social housing. Affordable housing really should be the vehicle for them to gain home ownership. Unfortunately, we find in many cases that they are not able to avail of the affordable housing schemes simply because they are not affordable enough for them. This issue has been raised previously but we need to provide some assistance to those individuals and families. The affordable housing scheme needs to be reviewed.”
“This also relates to affordable housing. There will be full agreement across the House on the need to increase our delivery of affordable housing. I am pleased that in the city and county of Cork many developments have been brought forward by the city and county councils. My question relates to the ramping up of delivery of affordable housing. It is a critical vehicle for those seeking home ownership. We need to be very ambitious in our targets and I seek detail on that this morning.”
“Reviewing the home loan and making it more workable and accessible for more people is very welcome and the expansion of the first home scheme to secondhand properties is something that the programme for Government also commits to.”
“The target of 15,000 a year is significant and something that the Government will do its level best to achieve. The specific measures I outlined earlier are very welcome. I want to raise one specific point about the first home scheme. It is an important vehicle for home ownership. It is a form of affordable housing, without doubt, but many new properties are falling outside the limits of the scheme. That needs to be reviewed in my constituency of Cork South Central where new three-bed semi detached houses are over the limit for the first home scheme. We do not necessarily want to chase price growth and we do not want to be part of the problem by increasing house prices but we have to examine the scheme if it is not working for many prospective purchasers.”
“I ask the Minister of State and the Department to redouble their efforts on this with the provision of starter homes, which will allow home ownership to become a reality for the majority.”
“Yesterday, we saw the figure for house price growth of 8.1% last year. The Minister of State will understand there is a lot of concern among first-time buyers, both individuals and families, that the prospect of owning their own home is getting further and further away from them. That is something the Government needs to be acutely aware of. While I welcome the provisions in the programme for Government and the commitments to the help to buy and first home schemes and the continuation of the croí conaithe, etc., we need to keep these under review and try to do everything we can as a government to make home ownership a reality for as many people as we can.”
“The programme for Government specifically references starter homes. There is a very strong challenge in housing generally to deliver increased supply but the provision of starter homes to give individuals and families the prospect of owning a home is something we need to deliver on as a Government. Will the Minister of State outline his targets on this?”
“It is a balancing act; we do not want to chase house prices necessarily but at the same time it is a scheme for first-time buyers. In many cases, it is no longer available to them because house prices have increased so much. Cost rental is another area. I said to the Minister in the past that many local authorities are turning away from cost rental because of how the system is designed, which we must also address because we have to address both the purchase and rental sectors and make them more affordable. My time is up. I will address the other issue further in the morning in questions to the Minister.”
“Tomorrow, I will speak to the Minister about what I consider the trapped cohort of people above the social housing limits and below the ability to acquire a property either to rent or for affordable purchase in their own right. I will not go into that in great detail this evening but I want to set it as a goal of mine in politics to address that cohort of people. It is a growing cohort which has no support from the State at present. We are all regularly contacted by them and unfortunately we cannot give them the answers they want because they simply fall between the stools at the moment. I will speak more on that tomorrow. The continuation of the help to buy and first home schemes is welcome but unfortunately now many developments fall outside of the first home scheme because house prices have increased.”
“The proposed garden development is part of the solution in that it can create a downsizing option and meet the social needs of families, where one family can live close to the other. It is part of the solution but a clear policy needs to be put in place. I do not think going down the road of the exemptions is necessarily the right way. We need to put a planning policy in place to create sustainable development into the future, which we have to do as well. While we are in a crisis, we have to develop in such a way to meet our sustainability goals. The rezoning of land is important. I do not think any of us want to see wholesale rezoning but we need to take a very targeted approach to try to deliver increased land supply for developers to get on with developing where there is serviced land and land that is suitable for development.”
“If it is not deemed habitable, it does not fall under the tax. They are not deemed derelict because the owners cleverly presented them in a such a way that they no longer meet the description of dereliction. Those properties have been sitting there for many years with no action in respect of them and there is no penalty from the local authority or the State. That must be looked at. The over-the-shop proposal in the programme for Government is welcome. I echo other Deputies that it needs to be progressed as quickly as possible. We must seriously look at downsizing options. There is significant underutilisation of residential property in this country. If there are genuine options for older people, they will vacate larger properties and free them up for younger families, possibly their own.”
“Local authorities need to be more aggressive in compulsory purchase orders to send a clear signal to people holding on to properties and doing nothing with them in town and village centres that it will not be acceptable any longer. Many of them are owned by financial institutions, receivers and so on. We need to send a direct message that they have to act on those properties, either sell them, bring them back into use or do something. That they be left sitting there as a blight in our communities is not good enough. I ask the Minister to look at that. The vacant homes tax also needs to be reviewed. I am aware of a case in my constituency where there is a row of properties lying vacant. To the best of my knowledge, those properties are not being taxed or levied in any way simply because they are not deemed habitable.”
“I ask the Minister to take a hands-on approach in dealing with the chief executives of local authorities to address that issue once and for all. Having come from being a councillor for many years, councillors continuously raise this issue but for some reason we do not get the traction or progress we would like. That time has to come to an end and we have to see delivery. To move away from local authority stock to private properties lying vacant and derelict, we have to look at the measures in place to try to activate them. The derelict sites levy is not working to the extent it needs to. It needs to be reviewed.”
“It is not necessarily a case of giving a pass on development levies and letting completions come at any point in the future. It needs to be targeted and designed such that it results in early delivery of units because that it what we need to achieve. Vacancy is also part of this debate. The first thing I want to mention is local authority stock. We all know there is a swathe of properties across the country lying vacant for significant periods of time, owned by us as a State and the local authorities. That is simply unacceptable when we face such an acute housing crisis. I know of many cases in my constituency where properties have been sitting idle for the best part of 12 months. That is ludicrous and illogical. It is impossible to defend.”
“While the planning Act needs to be progressed and its measures implemented, we must do whatever we can do in the short term to bring about quicker decisions in residential cases. It is about prioritising residential developments at the end of the day because we face the most severe housing crisis in a generation. We need to deliver on housing and getting those decisions out is part of the solution. I already spoke to the Minister about development levies, which need to be looked at. Nobody wants to give a blank pass to developers but that you would charge a levy on development when you are in the middle of a housing crisis does not add up. It has to be designed in such a way that it is about early delivery and housing stock being delivered at the earliest possible opportunity.”
“If we are genuinely trying to increase housing supply, they have to work hand in hand with developers, local authorities and others trying to deliver on housing supply and, of course, other forms of infrastructure such as transportation networks and so on. We have to take a targeted approach to funding utilisation to deliver on housing. It has to be so targeted that the end result is all about delivery of housing. The planning process is another issue. I commend the previous Government on the planning Act which sets forward significant reform of planning. We need to see those changes implemented as soon as possible. The reality is a lot of potential residential permissions are locked in An Bord Pleanála because those decisions are waiting for action. Those changes must be made.”
“On unlocking some of the key blockages in supply, I listened to some of this debate already, and Uisce Éireann was mentioned quite a lot. We all are aware of examples of Uisce Éireann and the difficulties it causes. I heard examples where preconnection queries have taken several months, leading to huge frustration among those trying to deliver housing. That has to be sped up. It has to happen faster. We saw the recent storm that will undoubtedly result in ESB Networks, for example, falling behind on its scheduled tasks and it will now have a backlog. We have to watch that as well. Our utility companies and service providers are key issues.”
“Unfortunately, the delivery of apartments fell off a cliff edge. That resulted in the overall number being significantly down on what we expected. We have to delve into that issue in further detail and ask how is it that apartment blocks can be built across Europe but for some reason in Ireland it is proving very difficult. We have to ask those hard questions and get the answers. They have to be part of the solution. Of course, they will not be suitable for everyone looking to buy or rent a home but they are part of the solution to providing accommodation in city centres. Often, people live in traditional starter homes, such as a three-bed semi or three-bed townhouse, who would be quite content in an apartment in a city but those options are not there for them. It is part of the solution and we have to look at it.”
“However, it is a simple fact of economic supply and demand that if your demand is up at a high level and your supply is at a low level, prices are going to increase. There will be price inflation, whether this is in terms of house purchase prices or house rental costs. That is what we are seeing. The Government needs to be radical in its approach to resolving this issue. The Housing Commission argued that there has to be a radical step change in approach. I commend the Government on the programme for Government which sets out ambitious measures and targets for housing. Every single one needs to be implemented as quickly as possible. Touching on the issue of supply in more detail, brownfield sites and apartments are a key reason housing delivery last year was not what we expected it to be.”
“I thank the Minister for being here for the debate. We have already spoken at length since the formation of this Dáil about the housing crisis. We all accept that the one thing we can all agree on is that it is a very acute crisis. Certainly, it is a crisis that has deepened in recent years and we must find solutions to it. We will agree that whatever about individual measures, housing supply is ultimately the only solution to resolve this issue. We saw the report from the Central Bank today where the increase in property prices in the past 12 months was 8.1%. It is very significant. Obviously, it is damning news for people trying to get on the property ladder because it feels as if it is being put further and further out of their reach. That is very concerning for those people.”
“I have discussed this with members and management of An Garda Síochána. They seem to be in favour of an email system being put in place. A review is under way. I thank the Minister of State for taking on board my points. Hopefully, the review will result in a more modern and efficient system, which would prevent families from suffering unnecessary stress, anxiety and heartache. In the particular case I referred to, the family got the passport within hours of their travel. That is not acceptable when the family had applied in good time, a number of months beforehand. They used the online system and they did everything as they should have but unfortunately, the system let them down. That needs to change. I thank the Minister of State for taking my comments on board.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact that the process is under review and that it is being considered in the wider context. The Minister of State mentioned that 200,000 applications are being processed per annum, which is a huge volume. I acknowledge the great work done by the staff of the passport service. We all value our Irish passport. It is our most important document in many respects. The process of verification needs to be reviewed. The Minister of State's response outlined that there are three attempts made to try to contact the Garda station. That is the case but unfortunately, Garda stations are extremely busy places. We know An Garda Síochána is underresourced. It does not have the manpower in place. An email system would be a far more efficient service.”
“For now, it is important that the system is updated and brought into the 21st century so that we do not have families going through this unnecessary anxiety and stress when trying to get a passport application completed.”
“As in all other cases, the applicants in this particular case did nothing wrong. The family went to the district Garda HQ and they did everything they could to have their passport in the best shape possible but unfortunately, this issue arose. As I have said, I have come across this numerous times over the years and it finally needs to be addressed. Verbal communication is open to misinterpretation, miscommunication and so on. It is important that there is a clear record of the communication of the verification. We can debate in the House whether it is necessary for gardaí to verify a passport application but that is a debate for another day. I think that needs to be looked at as well but that can be reviewed at another point.”
“The system of phoning a Garda station is clearly archaic, inefficient and outdated. It needs to be changed urgently, as part of this process. I am not suggesting anything radical but I suggest that we change it to an email system. This would be far more efficient. It would provide a clear, written record of the communication between the Passport Office and the Garda stations and it would give gardaí the opportunity to come back within a day or so to the Passport Office. It would be a far better and more efficient system of verification, I would argue. I ask the Minister to take this issue back to the Department, to make this change. It would avoid families having the significant stress and anxiety of passport applications being cancelled with a short period left to rectify the situation before they travel.”
“We understand that Garda stations are busy places and unfortunately, the phone is often not answered. We would like to change this but it is the reality of the situation at present. Very often, these passport applications are in the system for many weeks before this happens and they are then cancelled with a short period left for the individuals' or the families' travel requirements. What has sparked me to raise this issue is a case I recently came across where it happened twice in the context of the same application. The application for a new passport for one of the children in the family was cancelled for the second time only a week before travelling for a family holiday. I think we would all agree that this is not an acceptable situation and there is a very obvious solution to this.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here. At the outset, I acknowledge the great work done by the passport service and the staff. By and large, they provide a very good service. I wish to raise an issue relating to how passports are processed, and in particular, the verification with An Garda Síochána. All in this House are aware that the Passport Office contacts Garda stations by telephone to verify that a passport has been stamped in the Garda station. I understand that is not done for every passport but, rather, is done on a selective basis. That has presented significant difficulties. As a public representative, I have come across dozens of cases where applications have been cancelled because the Passport Office has not been able to make contact with the Garda station.”
“Unfortunately, this former garda has been told the process of reinstatement could take up to ten months. That seems absolutely ludicrous. These are fully qualified gardaí looking to get back into the force. They are fully attested and ready and willing to go on duty but they are being told that, for some reason, it could take up to ten months to be re-attested. Will the Minister address this matter? These are gardaí we need to get back out on the streets. They are willing to do it.”
“They are behind a desk dealing with paperwork, stuck in court waiting to give evidence and so on. This is a critical aspect of the job to which consideration must be given. It is not all about recruitment and retention. We must see how we can use the resources we have to a far greater extent. I raise a specific point that I hope the Minister can address. On my way here today, I had a discussion with a person who, for family reasons, had to leave the Garda a couple of years ago. This person looked for a career break but could not secure it. For obvious reasons, Garda management does not want to release members of the force. Having had to resign, this person is now seeking reinstatement to the force, which is possible to do within a five-year period.”
“In the area I represent, which includes towns with large population bases, Garda stations are open only a handful of hours per week. That is simply not acceptable. People want to be able to walk into a Garda station and carry out their business with a garda, whether that is passing on a complaint or discussing some issue of concern locally. It is something they should be able to do. I ask the Minister to take that matter up with Garda management. The policing model must be about accessibility in terms of Garda station opening hours and local visibility. As well as our overall targets for recruitment and retaining the gardaí we already have, we must look at the role of gardaí and how they spend their time. Much of that time is not spent out on the street policing in a visible way.”
“With the exception of a handful of towns, CCTV is only available in city centres at present. We need to roll it out to a far greater degree. At its heart, policing should be preventative, proactive and visible. Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not have that. Our Garda force is not sufficiently strong and gardaí are stretched beyond belief in trying to fulfil their duties. It is difficult for them to get out on the streets to the extent they need to do. In Cork, we feel we are not getting a fair share of garda allocations. When the classes graduate from Templemore, Cork city division does not get a sufficient number. I have spoken to the Minister about that and I hope he will be mindful of it in the future. Our Garda stations are no longer accessible to the public because they are not open to any great extent.”
“I very much welcome this debate on the significant issue of community policing and community safety. It was a prominent issue for many people in my constituency before the recent general election. I wish the Minister the very best in his role. It is a difficult role and one that involves many demands. Safety, and giving people a sense of safety, is something we as a Government must prioritise. I welcome many of the initiatives in this area in the programme for Government. The target to increase the Garda force by 5,000 is very welcome. The provision of additional Garda staff is an important factor as it can free up gardaí for front-line policing. Equipping Garda stations as part of a capital plan is critical, as is the roll-out of CCTV, which is a tool we need to use to a greater extent.”
“It would be a good investment and one we should look at. Successive Governments have failed on the issue of disabilities by simply not providing enough resources or supports to families and individuals. We need short-term strategies to address the deficit but we also need a long-term plan. We do not want to find ourselves here debating the same issues in five or ten years. We need a clear, long-term plan to address this issue. It is obvious to me that the training and places available for training therapists and other professionals in this area need to be looked at and radically increased.”
“This simply is not good enough. I know the issue of respite was raised earlier. I fully support that. Many families are at their wits' end trying to care for their loved ones. They need a break. Respite services are simply not adequate. We need to radically improve them and provide the resources necessary in order that families can have a break from the care and love they give their loved ones. Deputy Michael Cahill raised the issue of adaptation grants. Having been a councillor for many years, I worked with and assisted families in securing these grants and advising them on making applications. The issue of the means test needs to be looked at. It places an unnecessary burden on families with the application process. I would like to see an estimate of how much it would cost the State to abolish the means test.”
“I, too, wish the Ministers of State well in their roles. It is not an easy task, as I think we all accept. The Taoiseach is on record as saying that disability services will be the defining issue for this Government. I think it will be. We all faced a general election recently, and I would not say I was surprised by the extent to which the issue of disabilities, services and lack thereof came up but it was certainly striking. Many of the stories we heard were heartbreaking in terms of individual families and the battles they have faced in trying to get some degree of service for their loved ones. They are battling to get assessments, initially, and then, once assessments are done, battling to get supports and services, school places, school transport and so on. It is a constant battle and fight for many families.”
“I want to raise the shortage of GP places. We all appreciate the severe pressure the health service is under. A good robust system of primary care is critical to alleviate pressure on hospitals, particularly at emergency departments. In Cork South-Central, the area both I and the Taoiseach represent, there is a significant shortage of GP places. Many families and individuals are finding it difficult to secure a GP. That is leading to obvious difficulties. Will the Taoiseach take this matter up with the Department of Health and the Minister as I am sure he would share my concerns on this issue?”
“Unfortunately, this puts ferocious pressure on young people, pressure we did not have when we were growing up, so we must recognise this and, at Government level, there has to be significant recognition of treatment for things like anxiety in young people because, God knows, it leads to something far worse if it is untreated. I welcome the recognition regarding the Mental Health Bill. We must progress that, but as we know full well, if we do not adequately resource it, it will not provide the solutions we need. Giving something a strong footing from a statutory point of view is very welcome but it has to be adequately resourced so that we can provide the services that are so badly needed across society.”
“We have heard how difficult it is to get inpatient treatment but that is not the solution for everybody. There need to be more community services at local level. There is a significant deficit in this at primary care level that we must address. Another area I will focus on is the mental health of young people and children. It is a significant issue, the extent of which is under-recognised. It has been referred to in terms of CAMHS waiting lists. Anxiety is widespread, particularly among children and young people. We live in a stressful, difficult and tough world. Social media has amplified this to a very large extent.”
“Very often, as public representatives, family members trying to provide housing for those with mental health problems will come to us. Often these involve mild mental health problems but involve people who are patients of mental health services in some shape or form. We do not have housing options for them to provide them with independent living with some wrap-around services. Wrap-around services simply are not in place, which is not good enough. Very often, people end up in accommodation that is not suitable for them. I know of one case where someone is in long-term accommodation in a homeless service because there is no proper accommodation is available. That is something about which this individual's family is very concerned but there does not seem to be a way out through an alternative.”
“We all know how destructive addiction can be but, again, inadequate treatment for mental health is very often the root cause of that. In many cases, it leads to criminality and people entering the criminal world, often to feed an addiction or simply because they have not received treatment for mental health problems and it is a way out for them, so that is a very significant issue. No doubt, mental health problems very often result in severe physical health problems emerging after a while if there is undertreatment. For a wide variety of reasons, it is extremely short-sighted for any Government not to prioritise and adequately resource mental health services. One area I will focus on is the lack of housing provision for people with mental health problems.”
“A sum of 6% of the budget is simply not enough and that is replicated across the country. As public representatives, we see the lack of services and the difficulty for people to access the services that are there. We hear their stories on a daily and weekly basis. As we know, mental health, or, more to the point, the inadequate treatment of mental health, is the root cause of so many issues in our society. Certainly, we have an acute housing crisis and homelessness situation but I have no doubt that in many cases the root cause of rough sleeping is inadequate treatment for mental health. There is no question about that. The whole area of addiction is very much linked to mental health and the lack of treatment for it.”
“First, like other speakers, I welcome this discussion so early on in the lifetime of this Government. It signals an intent by the Government to address the issue of mental health once and for all. The Minister of State was a strong advocate in the area of mental health in the previous Government and I have no doubt will be such in this Government. Her efforts ensured that it received strong recognition in the programme for Government as well, which is vitally important. The word "Cinderella" is one I have heard used often in the context of mental health. Despite the best efforts of the Minister, unfortunately the treatment of mental health is severely under-resourced. That is something we have to correct incrementally insofar as we can as a Government.”
“This is something that came up strongly during the general election. People, unfortunately, do not feel safe in the city centre. The lack of a visible Garda presence and the lack of a proactive policing management plan for the city are issues I hope the task force can deal with. The events centre is something we want to see progressed. I know the Taoiseach shares that view.”
“I know it has already been making moves in this regard. The issues of dereliction, vacancy and underutilisation of buildings are critically important. Hopefully, we can align with our aims in terms of improving housing supply when it comes to housing over shops. The underutilisation of buildings in the city centre is a blight in Cork and the task force needs to deal with this. Transport, connectivity to the city centre, improved local bus services and the light rail system progressing are critically important. One issue that is close to my heart is the lack of a shuttle service between the city centre and Cork Airport. This is something that needs to be delivered as part of this task force. Regarding safety in the city, I listened to other Deputies earlier talk about Garda presence.”
“I join my colleague in passing on my condolences to the family of Dan Wallace. As somebody entering politics in Cork, Dan was very much a prominent politician in the area, a person of great integrity and a genuine public servant with the best interests of his constituents at heart at all times. I pass on my condolences to his wife Ethel and family. I very much welcome the Taoiseach's comments on the task force today and the inclusion of the task force in the programme for Government. Cork is a wonderful city with wonderful features and, of course, wonderful people but like all urban areas, it requires investment, rejuvenation and a continued focus. This is something I sincerely hope the task force will do. It will work closely with Cork City Council, which will have a critical role to play.”
“I agree with Deputy Kelly on the point he made earlier, namely, that we have to look at the terms and conditions to make sure we recruit sufficient numbers. If I can, I will touch on a few issues in Cork. We need some key investment in infrastructural projects. There are key capital projects that need to progress in the areas of transportation, housing, health and education. The event centre in Cork is obviously something that needs to progress, and I will try to be a strong voice on that as well as many other issues. This Government has the potential to deliver. Targets in a programme for Government are all very fine, but it is about delivery. As a new TD, I will be an active and constructive voice to try and promote the priorities the people have asked us to deliver on.”
“Another key issue that came up at the doors is the fundamental right that people have to feel safe in their homes, businesses and communities in towns and villages across the country. We need a strong, visible Garda presence out there. We currently do not have that. It is an enormous challenge for Government, and I know the programme for Government has set out ambitious targets in terms of Garda recruitment, but we have to ask the hard questions about why we are finding it so difficult to meet those targets for recruitment and, more importantly, retention of newly qualified gardaí. It is all very fine to train gardaí but if they do not stay in the workforce and continue to provide a service, then we need to ask the hard questions.”
“It is a fight for everything: to gain assessments; to gain follow-up services and therapies; and for school places. When people secure these, there is a fight for transportation and so on. It is not acceptable that people have to fight for everything, and it was very difficult to listen to many of those stories. I am pleased that this Government has put a Minister of State in Cabinet with responsibility for disabilities. It has to be centre stage in this Government for the coming five years that we have a radical shift and step change in our approach to providing disability services, providing a more caring society that delivers the supports that people need.”
“The affordable housing purchase and cost-rental models are there to support them but we simply do not have enough such housing and we are not providing the levels of support to those people who are working hard, earning modest incomes and doing their best but who are not able to gain secure accommodation for themselves. As a Government, we have to stand up and provide support to them, and as a new TD, I certainly want to be a strong voice for them. The issue of disability is one that has been debated widely in the House. To be fair, successive Governments have failed on this issue. As a candidate in the recent general election, I listened to many harrowing stories from constituents regarding the complete lack of services they and their families had been provided.”