Mattie McGrath attacks housing failures and rogue developers
Mattie McGrath spoke in the Dáil about the housing crisis, blaming long-standing mismanagement of infrastructure and developers for worsening shortages. He urged separation of foul and storm water, use of existing cabins for housing, and criticised recent approvals for an IPAT centre in Tipperary.
McGrath said Irish Water and local infrastructure are chronically under-resourced, leaving many small villages and towns without capacity for new treatment plants. He argued developer-led plants can deliver infrastructure faster and called for separating foul water from sewer systems to reduce pressure on safety tank and sewer systems - a measure he described as a "no-brainer" for new and many older developments.
He urged meaningful measures for the hundreds of cabins in many constituencies, saying they could be used as "granny feds" or staffed homes and form part of the solution to the housing crisis. McGrath said action on cabins would give great hope to people living in makeshift accommodation behind houses and in other areas.
McGrath said immigration is placing "huge pressure" on housing supply and criticised political leaders who, he said, focus on international issues while neglecting domestic housing needs. He challenged calls for 100% mortgages and took aim at independents who he said had recently detached from their leader Mary Lou Macdonald.
He raised the Drumhouse Hotel case where a recent approval to use the site as an IPAT centre provoked a year-long local protest. McGrath described a county manager admitting an error in granting permission under section 5 after a local group sought a judicial review, and called for the contract to be declared null and void. He also accused some developers of prioritising profit over community wellbeing and noted allegations that the fire officer never inspected the site.
McGrath referenced individuals facing enforcement actions, citing a man named Sean Megan in relation to a log cabin and warning of persecution when planning and enforcement are handled unfairly. He called for authorities to "get real" and prioritise the needs of local communities and existing residents over profiteering developers.
Housing and infrastructure concerns
McGrath said Irish Water and local infrastructure are chronically under-resourced, leaving many small villages and towns without capacity for new treatment plants. He argued developer-led plants can deliver infrastructure faster and called for separating foul water from sewer systems to reduce pressure on safety tank and sewer systems - a measure he described as a "no-brainer" for new and many older developments.
Cabins and short-term housing
He urged meaningful measures for the hundreds of cabins in many constituencies, saying they could be used as "granny feds" or staffed homes and form part of the solution to the housing crisis. McGrath said action on cabins would give great hope to people living in makeshift accommodation behind houses and in other areas.
Immigration and local pressures
McGrath said immigration is placing "huge pressure" on housing supply and criticised political leaders who, he said, focus on international issues while neglecting domestic housing needs. He challenged calls for 100% mortgages and took aim at independents who he said had recently detached from their leader Mary Lou Macdonald.
Drumhouse Hotel and planning controversy in Tipperary
He raised the Drumhouse Hotel case where a recent approval to use the site as an IPAT centre provoked a year-long local protest. McGrath described a county manager admitting an error in granting permission under section 5 after a local group sought a judicial review, and called for the contract to be declared null and void. He also accused some developers of prioritising profit over community wellbeing and noted allegations that the fire officer never inspected the site.
Local enforcement and individual cases
McGrath referenced individuals facing enforcement actions, citing a man named Sean Megan in relation to a log cabin and warning of persecution when planning and enforcement are handled unfairly. He called for authorities to "get real" and prioritise the needs of local communities and existing residents over profiteering developers.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Shay Brennan
Shay Brennan warns of vicious cycle linking climate shocks and debt
Danny Healy-Rae
Danny Healy-Rae urges incentives for smaller homes
Mary Lou McDonald
SPOOF ALL YOU WANT TAOISEACH! Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 17 Jun 2025
Richard O'Donoghue
Richard O'Donoghue: Offers Help to Deliver Houses, Blames Irish water
Brian Stanley
Brian Stanley: Warns LPT Changes Threaten Local Democracy
Carol Nolan
Carol Nolan criticises LPT, urges tax on vulture funds
Transcript
I do want to speak on this tonight and look everything is an emergency as I can see and the housing situation has been so badly handled for so long now it's a crazy situation but when I hear independent Ireland so called freedom fighters and they talked a few weeks ago about 100% mortgage who can take them seriously and I noticed that they got detached tonight from their leader Mary Lou Macdonald and they were under their umbrella there they were like a hatching in the last couple of months since the election flocking around after them so there must be a split in the camp so they've gone back to where they were now Minister there's so many issues here but Irish water has been mentioned and infrastructure is not there we saw it was at the I know DR right this morning made a statement it's chronic the situation with it's many many small villages and towns small towns that haven't the capacity capacity and to build plants so we're going to have to have developer led and I know we had them in the past and we did it with plants and in many cases now the Council does issues about taking them in charge and all but they will provide the infrastructure I know they will and they can and they provide it fast and in fairness where I manage management deputy I don't know who mentioned something and I do support them on it we should separate the foul water from the from the sewer water because we have immense pressure on our our safety tank systems and our sewer systems and we can't we can't have the rain water going into that putting huge pressure that's a no-brainer that's simple to do especially new developments but it could be done in many old developments as well and Minister you floated something some time ago again and give great hope to give great hope to people who live in cabins and behind the houses and in different areas something meaningful as you don't know it is you know and I know there are hundreds of these cabins and now your constituency and mine and thousands of them throughout the country and they are one of the prongs to sort out the crisis at the moment let them be granny feds or let them be staffed or homes or whatever they're very suitable and they're fine and housing minister Deputy Lawrence mentioned about the impact of immigration it's a massive impact on our housing here and that's adding huge pressure but we want to talk about it with the great saviours of Europe and we can bring everybody in and and and find homes for them Roger Gorman told them all they have their front door in and in 12 weeks if they can send out a tweet in 13 or 14 different languages it's a name of God when we're going to get real here and look after our own with the chief who could travel to the world the world stage now anywhere he can go talking about the world's problem but he's forgetting about the Irish problems here look after our people that's his fundamental duty under Burnock the Hale look after ourselves our people here first we have a situation during Drumhouse Hotel in Tipperary where it has been made an IPAT centre despite the protestation from the local people there who are protesting over 12 months now and we found last night we called to a meeting yesterday evening by the county manager saying that they had erred in giving a granting in section 5 to a company that was a company that was a company that was 120 euro and now we find it's all filling a heap of bruce bruce it's a local group took a case a judicial review rightly so and now the council had to give in today and say they erred in granting in section 5 what's going to happen now is that contract going to be cleared null and vide it should be cleared null and vide because it is null and vide because it was granted on false pretenses and we have people in persecution like Sean Megan been facing jail because of his situation of a log cabin and you have as I said rogue developers who have no interest in humanitarian issues they have interest in filling their fat pockets making them fatter and are more fat whatever the correct grammar and destroying a village like John Drummond Tipperary was 220 in 200 people in the village and put an approval for 277 IPAS people in there now in a legal development they were told it was illegal the fire officer had the cheek that had his history that he never visited the site once in the 12 months so that's the black adding you're going on right here and get real