The Minister talks about a strong economy. A strong economy is not made up of thousands of homeless children who face Christmas after Christmas in emergency accommodation. A strong economy is not made up of young renters who cannot afford to buy a home and feel they will never have the ability to do so under this Government. A strong economy is certainly not made up of all of those people who feel they never will have a future in Galway city, a place they are from, because they simply cannot afford to rent or buy and there is no prospect of ever building a home there. I am outraged by the disastrous way in which the Minister has handled the housing crisis. I have been an elected representative in Galway city for the past 12 years and in that time I have never seen the housing crisis as bad as it is now under the watch of the Minister. That is the reality of the situation. I am constantly speaking to young people who tell me they are paying €2,000 or more in rent each month and have no option to buy or provide a future and stable environment for their young children because of the policies of the Government. This is not a natural disaster. This is a man-made disaster caused by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments which continue to fail to meet the demand in terms of housing supply for the people Galway. Bhí mé ar na hoileáin amach ó chósta na Gaillimhe inné. Bhí mé ag caint le daoine ar Inis Meáin agus Inis Oírr agus bhí an rud ceannann céanna le rá acu sin. Níl deiseanna tithíochta ar na hoileáin sa chaoi chéanna nach bhfuil tithíocht ar fáil do mhuintir chathair na Gaillimhe ach an oiread. Níl sé de dheis acu tithe a cheannacht ann nó a thógáil agus is féidir rá go cinnte nach bhfuil an deis acu tithe a fháil ar cíos. Tá na lochtanna seo ar fad ann mar gheall ar chinntí a rinne Rialtais de chuid Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael ar feadh na mblianta. Tá sé thar am don Rialtas rud éigin a dhéanamh chun stop a chur leis an ngéarchéim tithíochta.

Sentiment score: -0.06