Carol Nolan: Calls for Border Curbs Amid County Offaly Housing Crisis
Carol Nolan addressed the minister about a social housing emergency in County Offaly, citing Oireachtas Parliamentary Budget Office data that put the cost to house eligible households at €338 million. She argued the figure illustrated an acute housing emergency and said immigration pressures are overwhelming local accommodation capacity, calling for demand to be reduced if supply cannot be met.
The Oireachtas Parliamentary Budget Office analysis referenced by Nolan calculated the cost to house the number of households on the social housing waiting lists plus those in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment in County Offaly at €338 million. Nolan said this figure "really sums up" the scale of the emergency.
Nolan described the situation as an emergency and an acute crisis, saying the cost is staggering and reflects the pressures on both the county and the County Council housing list.
She said an immigration crisis is overwhelming accommodation capacity and argued that where supply cannot be increased, demand must be cut - which she framed as effectively closing borders and services to tens of thousands who she said are here or expected to arrive without any legal right but who still claim accommodation.
Nolan said she had placed a number of parliamentary questions to the minister's department in the last week on the housing issue and described the responses she received as "less than encouraging." She used those exchanges to press the minister on the scale of the problem.
Nolan challenged Sinn Féin's conduct in the debate, saying they had been "mounting here all day and calling us all sorts of names," and warned she would not be pushed around, referencing previous interactions when she was in their party and addressing the minister directly.
PBO data and cost
The Oireachtas Parliamentary Budget Office analysis referenced by Nolan calculated the cost to house the number of households on the social housing waiting lists plus those in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment in County Offaly at €338 million. Nolan said this figure "really sums up" the scale of the emergency.
Local housing emergency
Nolan described the situation as an emergency and an acute crisis, saying the cost is staggering and reflects the pressures on both the county and the County Council housing list.
Immigration and accommodation pressure
She said an immigration crisis is overwhelming accommodation capacity and argued that where supply cannot be increased, demand must be cut - which she framed as effectively closing borders and services to tens of thousands who she said are here or expected to arrive without any legal right but who still claim accommodation.
Parliamentary questions and departmental responses
Nolan said she had placed a number of parliamentary questions to the minister's department in the last week on the housing issue and described the responses she received as "less than encouraging." She used those exchanges to press the minister on the scale of the problem.
Political confrontation in the chamber
Nolan challenged Sinn Féin's conduct in the debate, saying they had been "mounting here all day and calling us all sorts of names," and warned she would not be pushed around, referencing previous interactions when she was in their party and addressing the minister directly.
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Transcript
Minister, I want to begin by putting on the record that last year the Oireachtas Parliamentary Budget Office published data on the number of households eligible for but not yet in receipt of social housing in my own constituency of County Offaly. The PBO analysis was based on the costs in terms of what it would cost to house the number of households on the social housing waiting lists plus the households in receipt of the housing assistance payment. The cost for County Offaly and the cost for the County Council list was overall put at €338 million. That figure really sums up all of this. It sums up what an emergency we have, the acute emergency that we have because the cost is staggering. We also have an immigration crisis that is overwhelming our accommodation capacity. I have placed a number of parliamentary questions to your department in the last week on this very issue and unfortunately the responses I received so far were less than encouraging. If we cannot meet supply then we must cut our demand and that means effectively closing our borders and our services to tens of thousands who are here and who are expected to arrive here without any legal right to be here but who still claim accommodation. I wonder where Sinn Féin lie on that issue because they have been mounting here all day and calling us all sorts of names. I'll tell you one thing, you tried pushing me around before when I was in your party and you won't get away with it. I'll tell you one thing, you can't wait right here.