Thomas Gould

Thank you. An important question the Minister of State might ask is how it can go from 2,200 down to 22, and they are the Minister of State's figures. I respect that the Minister of State is doing her best tonight.

The Minister is determined to make this as confusing as possible. He is forcing out jargon and spin instead of solutions. He talks about RPZs, STRs and every acronym under the sun. Renters do not want that. They are looking for security, support and affordability. It is not rocket science. Unfortunately, the Government, specifically the Minister as the person with responsibility in this area, are …

I support the amendment. There has been a call for a rent freeze for renters. People need it. There is a choice. I was on a show on RTÉ earlier. The Minister has a choice. He can support renters or he can support big business, but he cannot do both. The Government must make a decision. The Minister's argument relates to how we are going to get private money in to develop more houses and apartments…

For the people of my constituency of Cork North-Central, another property tax hike just represents an increased bill they have to pay in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. In County Cork, according to a daft.ie report, house prices have increased by more than €75,000. That is not the fault of Cork City Council, Cork County Council, the people buying those houses or the tenants themselves. Rath…

I want to encourage everyone from Munster and nationally to come to the National Monument on Grand Parade in Cork this Saturday at 2 p.m. for Raise the Roof for Munster and raise the roof for people who are crying out for housing. I will provide the Minister with an example of what he has done. I am not being personal, but the Minister needs to understand the consequences of his actions as the Min…

We gave the Minister a solution last week and he counted it out.

We gave him one last week, Ceann Comhairle.

It was the truth though.

How many?

How many?

That is not true.

That is not true. He cannot come into this House and make statements that are not true.

He is a Minister. A Government Minister.

Like the previous speaker, people have been contacting me from Ballincollig and surrounding areas to outline how they cannot get after-school placements or crèche facilities for their children. They are searching in mid-Cork and coming in to the city. I spoke to a lady recently who said that she had secured a childminder for the summer but that if she does not have a crèche and after-school facili…

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Sinn Féin policy was to deliver childcare for €10 a day or €200 a month and then, lo and behold, just before the general election, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael said this was going to be their new policy as well and they would deliver it if re-elected. It has not been delivered. What is the timeline for the Government to deliver childcare for €10 a…

In 2016 a new prison was opened in The Glen in Cork and the old prison was closed down. A commitment was made at the time by the Tánaiste's Government, which he was a Minister in, and by the Irish Prison Service that the old prison would not be reopened and would be used by the community for education and training, or maybe as a museum. The republican Thomas Kent was shot by firing squad there. Th…

In Greystones?

Are there two of them there?

There are two in The Glen.

I am not shouting. I am just saying there are two prisons.

That is fine.

What about the promises that were made to the community? What about the promises that you and your Government made? They were promised in 2016. It is a residential area.

What about tenants in situ, or the tenant in situ scheme? Where has that money gone?

Two weeks ago, Cork City Council announced an affordable housing scheme. This will be delivered through the Department's funding and by Cork City Council. There is shock that it will cost just under €400,000 to buy one of these properties. For years people who cannot get a mortgage and who do not qualify for social housing have been contacting my office and I have been telling them about affordabl…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — there are at least 2,656 vacant council homes, excluding Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) homes, across the State, including 776 homes vacant longer than 12 months; — the National Oversight and Audit Commission Performance Indicator Report 2023, found that the average reletting time was above 33 weeks and cost, on average, €28,347.05; — this reletting cos…