Rory Hearne

The Minister knows water is a human right. While it is good that the Government is committed to support Uisce Éireann as a public utility, there are still significant issues in relation to water and wastewater across this country. There are also significant issues in Dublin where there are still major issues with leakages from pipes. A significant amount of clean, treated water is escaping from pi…

This week a Simon Communities of Ireland report reveals a national scandal of elderly people being made homeless in Ireland. It is heartbreaking and a stain on this country that the number of elderly people over 65 in homelessness has increased by 165% in Dublin and 500% in the west since 2017. Pensioners in their 70s and 80s are being evicted from their homes by landlords. Vulnerable elderly peop…

Why will the Taoiseach not put in place a ban on evictions into homelessness-----

-----to ensure that no more elderly pensioners are made homeless this year?

It is not enough. Why does the Government not ban evictions?

I raise the horrific case of a peaceful working family in Finglas who suffered the terrible trauma of being petrol bombed out of their home. Their house was destroyed in the arson attack and they just made it out alive because of the brave actions of one of the children, Amanda Uwase, who is in the Gallery today. She went back into the burning home and rescued her younger brothers and sister. Her …

Is it because this attack could have been racially motivated? Members could give me the respect of letting me finish.

Is it because some people's lives are worth more than others?

A child was murdered in an arson attack in Edenderry.

An entire family was almost murdered in Finglas. Will the Minister meet with Amanda and her family-----

-----and do everything possible to ensure they are moved to appropriate housing and the gardaí find the perpetrators? These are reasonable questions and this is a reasonable ask.

Where is the response?

It is Rory Hearne, thank you.

Just to clarify, I am no relation of the former Taoiseach.

Go raibh míle maith agat. We have tens of thousands of vacant and derelict homes up and down the country. It is one of the biggest scandals and failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. Government after Government has failed to tackle this issue. Buildings up and down the country are rotting, falling apart, dangerous and left vacant while we have thousands of children and families in home…

I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward the motion. Tá a lán rudaí sa tairiscint that I am go maith with and I think are good. It is important to highlight the issues that have been raised. I am not in agreement with a number of points towards the end of the motion, but broadly it is important. The fundamental questions we need to address are why Uisce Éireann is not working for people, …

It states very clearly that some of the key structural barriers to delivering infrastructure are Government approval of projects, the time it takes and the funding allocated. It is very clear that the systems the Government has set up are not delivering infrastructure quickly enough. That is the responsibility of the Government. The Minister of State can shake his head, but it is the Government's …

The Minister of State can argue it is a stretch but-----

Yes, we are on water infrastructure and this relates directly to it. Why do we not invest sufficiently in our water infrastructure and why do we have these problems? It is not because Uisce Éireann is not doing all that it can because it is doing some work. It is not about needing to get developers in to do the work. The problem is we have a State that does not believe in public services and publi…

The European Union launched, in December, a groundbreaking affordable housing plan with revised state aid rules and new approaches to delivering affordable housing. Will the Taoiseach put affordable housing central on the agenda of the European Union Presidency that Ireland will hold? Will he take action to ensure Ireland draws down funding that is available through the European Union and new appr…

It will do nothing for existing tenants.

Not for existing tenants.

A record 5,274 children are homeless along with their families. It is equivalent to a shocking 222 primary school classes of children. These children will spend Christmas in homelessness without a Christmas tree and without a dinner table that they can sit around with their families on Christmas Day. They will wonder if Santa will even find them. Each week we come in here, we put forward solutions…

The lettering is from the Proclamation, in which the State committed to cherish all children equally. We are not doing that. I call on the Tánaiste to take emergency action on that.

It is not a flag.