Sinn Féin Dublin City Councillor, Cathleen Carney Boud, has made representations on behalf of the residents of Willow Park and Pinewood Estates, Dublin 11, regarding excessive use of the estates by Driving Schools and Test Centres. The Councillor has called on the Office of Public Works to consider the use of a compound site to alleviate pressure on estates.

Cllr Carney Boud said:

Residents of Pinewood Estate & Willow Park Estate (Dublin 11) in particular have raised concerns that the use of their estates as part of the driving test routes has been ongoing for the last 20 years and the numbers of learner drivers practising and being tested there have increased to the point where it is now a constant nuisance to the residents, particularly the elderly.

The estates are being used for motorbike, car and tow-truck learners. Residents’ cars have been damaged, vehicles are mounting paths and there have been occasions when learner drivers have been verbally abusive to frustrated residents.

The information provided by the RSA states that 68 registers ADIs are using these routes with an average of 12 driving tests taking place per day. I have suggested that a compound site be allocated by the office of public works which would certainly help to alleviate the problem and I call on the OPW to prioritise this request as a matter of urgency in the interest of safety.

I am calling on the government to intervene in the ongoing Dockland’s crisis. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority has offered €2.75 million to fund the fire safety works leaving the residents to pick up the remainder of the €4 million cost, a situation which is simply unacceptable. Residents should not be liable for any cost in securing the safety of these apartments – that is the responsibility of the developer.

The similarities between the Dockland’s situation and Priory Hall in 2011 are striking. To date, resolving the issues at Priory hall has cost Dublin City Council over €27 million, meaning the state is effectively paying for faults of developers.

There are Docklands residents who cannot afford the €18,000 needed to make their homes safe, so where does that leave them? The government must act decisively to ensure no resident is left without a home.

This evening I urged the Dáil to pass Sinn Féin’s Bill on the Housing Crisis which has escalated into a national emergency resulting from years of underinvestment in social housing builds. I called on the government to acknowledge that the only way to fully address this crisis is to immediately commence a major social house building programme.

This government’s quick fix, flash the cash strategy will not work this time. The temporary provision of 260 extra beds last Christmas in response to the death of Jonathan Corrie on Molesworth Street, Dublin was a wasted opportunity to take decisive action. Once the headlines had passed and the government thought its obligation fulfilled, the number of people sleeping rough on the streets doubled.

Only last week, we witnessed the tragic death of another person sleeping rough on our streets. We must not allow these deaths to become the backdrop to the conversation on homelessness. There can be no more deaths of people like Alan Murphy and Jonathan Corrie; there can be nothing other than outrage and action in the face of such tragedy in modern Ireland.

The many charitable organisations, community groups, and housing agencies are to be commended for the work they are doing to assist people who are homeless or living in housing distress throughout the State, but they must not be left to shoulder the burden any longer. The government must act now to provide emergency accommodation in the short term and a major social house building programme in the long term.

Myself and other Sinn Féin representatives have today today published Sinn Féin’s private members’ motion which will be introduced in the Dáil on Tuesday (29th September). The bill calls for the housing and homelessness crisis to be addressed with immediate effect.

Read our bill here

Anybody in elected office knows that housing and homelessness has reached crisis point. Our constituency offices are inundated with people who are desperate to be housed, from people who have been on waiting lists 13 or 14 years, to people who are on the streets seeking emergency accommodation.

Homeless people are being denied shelter; families are under increasing strain to keep a roof over their heads. And it is getting steadily worse. Almost 5,000 people state-wide are living in emergency accommodation; some 2,298 people living in emergency accommodation in Dublin, including 1,275 children. It has come to this point because of years of underinvestment in social housing by Fine Gael/Labour and previous Fianna Fáil led governments. We also have to factor in years of bad planning, bad governance, property speculation and an over-reliance on the private sector to deliver our social housing needs.

Rent supplement levels are totally inadequate – since this government came to power the spend has reduced by almost half. The Mortgage Interest
Supplement has been cut from €77,246,000 to €11,930,000. Not only have supports been slashed – this government has made it easier for the banks to evict people in mortgage arrears resulting in more homelessness and housing overcrowding. Sinn Féin has outlined a series of additional measures in which this crisis can be tackled in our private members’ motion. In the interests of all those homeless or in danger of losing their homes, we are hoping that all parties will support our motion. It is too serious to be ignored.

Next week the government is going to make a decision on the options for capital transport projects. We believe that Metro North, even at reduced cost, which may mean going partially over ground, is one of the most important projects for the country. €150 million has already been spent on plans for Metro North, an obvious waste of tax payers’ money if these plans are not progressed.

Dublin’s population is expected to grow by over 400,000 by 2030, therefore it is essential that a European Capital city like Dublin has strong transport connectivity.

Thousands of cars will essentially be removed from our streets, improving the environment of Dublin City. Jobs will also be created both during and after construction. Places like Swords, Rush and Balbriggan will now be hugely faster to reach, which will improve the lives of commuters and tourists in Dublin overall.

We are one of the few European Capital cities without a rail link to our main airport.