Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last week I welcomed the approval in principle by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, of 22 one-, two- and three-bedroom houses for Moore Street in Kilrush. I want to raise the matter of demand for the larger four- or five-bed units which the Government is no longer building. In my constituency, there are 164 families approved for four- or five-bedroom homes, and in my town of Kilrush alone there are seven. What are we going to do with these people if we are not building homes that reflect the size of families? What am I to tell these people when they come to my clinics every week? We know the rental market is unattainable because the housing assistance payment, HAP, is far too low. I have challenged the Minister, Deputy O'Brien on this many times. We also know local authority emergency accommodation is at full capacity.

See this speech in context