00:00 The state of housing in this country is an absolute disgrace. We have been in a crisis
00:04 mode with a severe lack of affordable housing for years now and despite this, this government
00:08 still fails to act and takes drastic action that is so desperately needed. I have been
00:13 contacted by many constituents in Donegal who are facing dire situations. People who
00:18 have been choosing between paying the rent or paying bills. People who have been evicted
00:23 from their homes on short notice with nowhere to go and no alternative rental accommodation
00:27 available in the county. People whose family homes are crumbling down because of defective
00:31 blocks and who are stuck between living in a crumbling house or becoming homeless. Young
00:35 people who will never be in a position to buy and who are forced to move to another
00:38 country in order to secure their own home. Older people who are trapped in insecure rental
00:43 accommodation as well as some of the hundreds of homeless people across the North West who
00:47 are unable to find any shelter or assistance from this government. In January, homelessness
00:52 in Donegal had risen by 10%. 13,866 people were registered as homeless in Ireland in
00:58 March, another new record for the government, 172 of which were in the North West. This
01:03 number does not include those sleeping on our streets or couch surfing. The Minister
01:08 for Housing has on many occasions said that tackling the issue of homelessness is a government
01:13 priority. Why then do the numbers only continue to rise? We watch as record level homelessness
01:17 is reached each month with the government breaking its own records time and time again.
01:21 Is it clear that Housing for All is not working?
01:24 Nearly 12,000 new social homes were delivered in 2023. This represents a significant increase
01:32 on 2022's delivery, up by 16.3%. But more importantly, it is the highest delivery of
01:40 new built social homes, 8,100, in half a century.
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