Carol Nolan: Government 'Betrayal' as Families Sleep in Cars
Carol Nolan accused the government in the Dáil of prioritising asylum seeker accommodation over Irish families, citing €9.2 million spent and a wave of property purchases. She warned the Residential Tenancies Amendment is driving small landlords out and deepening the housing emergency.
Carol Nolan sets out her claims that taxpayers' money has been used to buy dozens of properties for asylum seekers while Irish families sleep in cars or rely on emergency accommodation. She says she has exposed the issue through parliamentary questions and gives examples from her Offaly constituency.
Nolan links the Residential Tenancies Amendment legislation to a retreat of small property landlords from the rental market. She argues the new rules amount to state control of private assets, punishing responsible owners and reducing rental supply.
The speech frames the situation as more than a housing crisis: Nolan calls it a crisis of priorities. She argues displaced Irish families face increased pressure while state housing is allocated to non-nationals, producing a sense of discrimination among citizens.
Nolan concludes by urging the government to put Irish citizens first in housing and welfare policy. Her address in the chamber is a direct call for a review of current measures and a rebalancing of state priorities.
Allegation of misplaced priorities
Carol Nolan sets out her claims that taxpayers' money has been used to buy dozens of properties for asylum seekers while Irish families sleep in cars or rely on emergency accommodation. She says she has exposed the issue through parliamentary questions and gives examples from her Offaly constituency.
Tenancy rules and landlord exit
Nolan links the Residential Tenancies Amendment legislation to a retreat of small property landlords from the rental market. She argues the new rules amount to state control of private assets, punishing responsible owners and reducing rental supply.
Consequences for homeless families
The speech frames the situation as more than a housing crisis: Nolan calls it a crisis of priorities. She argues displaced Irish families face increased pressure while state housing is allocated to non-nationals, producing a sense of discrimination among citizens.
Demand for change
Nolan concludes by urging the government to put Irish citizens first in housing and welfare policy. Her address in the chamber is a direct call for a review of current measures and a rebalancing of state priorities.
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Transcript
Go raibh maith agat, Cathaoirleach, Bró nairm. This government's housing policy is not just a failure, it is outright betrayal of the Irish people. While Irish families are sleeping in their cars, or if they're lucky enough, in emergency accommodation, this government has spent €9.2 million of taxpayers' money on accommodation for asylum seekers. Dozens and dozens of properties bought, no problem at all. That is real homes, real apartments, and real three-bed houses being handed over to people who arrive here, often with no valid ID, no legitimate claim to asylum, and many coming from safe countries. They're the facts. Meanwhile, our own citizens, Irish families, are left begging for emergency accommodation that simply does not exist, and I have seen this firsthand in my own constituency of Offaly. I have exposed this scandal through my parliamentary questions. The state is deliberately prioritising non-nationals over its own people, many of them who shouldn't be here at all. This is madness. This is discrimination against Irish citizens in their own country. And it gets worse. The government's new rules on tenancy rights, the Residential Tenancies Amendment legislation, is driving small property landlords out of the market in droves. I warned about this in the chamber before, and I called for a review. It's state control of private assets. That's what it is. These punitive measures attack property rights, punish responsible property owners, and drastically reduce the supply of rental homes. The result is as follows. More Irish families are displaced, more pressure on a broken system, and more emergency accommodation that this government then fills with asylum seekers instead of our own homeless citizens. This is not just a housing crisis. It is a crisis of priorities, and it's disconnect. We cannot continue down this path. The Irish people will not tolerate it any longer. It is time to put Irish citizens first, in housing, in welfare, and in every single policy of this state. We've had enough. Because our own people before anyone else. That is basic decency, and more importantly, it's common sense. Go raibh maith agat.