I ask the Minister of State to address the shocking case of a self-employed couple in Coolboy near the Wicklow-Wexford border, Ciarán and Jessie Redmond, and their two daughters Kendall and Chanelle. Chanelle has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia. Her father, Ciarán, a Gorey man, has been forced to give up his work as a painter and decorator to care for her. As they battle one unimaginable crisis, another has now emerged: homelessness. Their landlord is selling the house, as is their right. However, the Government classes Ciarán and Jessie as too rich for social housing - they are above the low threshold - but too poor to get mortgage approval. They were told that there is not a chance and that they might get €40,000, which is probably enough for a hen house. Jessie has a barber’s business in Arklow. These are two self-employed people who have not been looking for anything from the State. They work hard and pay taxes and VAT at the end of every month. Now, in their hour of need, all doors are being slammed in their faces. They were even told they do not qualify for emergency accommodation. Can the Minister of State believe that? The family say they have fallen through a cruel gap in our totally broken system. They are considered too well-off on paper for help, but in reality they are struggling to survive under impossible pressure. This pressure has also affected their other daughter, Kendall, who is suffering from depression due to all of the stress. Ireland’s rigid means-test system is failing ordinary working families who suddenly find themselves in crisis through no fault of their own. These people are the new working poor; the proverbial squeezed middle or, should we say, the screwed middle. The State has completely lost its way and its priorities. Its housing policies prioritise institutional investors and big developers rather than renters and hard-working families. I ask the Minister of State to support Sinn Féin's Bill, which would cut rents, ban rent increases and no-fault evictions, and accelerate the provision of social, affordable and private for-purchase homes.

Sentiment score: -0.29