Mattie McGrath: Blasts Minister on Homelessness and Housing
Mattie McGrath criticised the minister over housing and homelessness, citing 3,500 people on the housing list in Diborelli and many people sleeping rough. He said he did not oppose building direct or modular housing for those from the Ukraine war but argued similar measures were not being provided for Irish people and called for leadership change.
Homelessness and housing list
Mattie McGrath raised the scale of the housing problem, saying 3,500 people are on the housing list in Diborelli and that there are many homeless. He told the minister that agencies and people are dealing with the crisis and stressed urgency for housing solutions.
Modular housing and Ukraine
He acknowledged proposals to build a direct bill or a modular bill for people arriving from the Ukraine war and said he did not oppose those measures. He contrasted that support with an inability to secure equivalent housing for "our own people," highlighting a perceived inconsistency in policy.
Criticism of ministerial conduct
McGrath accused the minister of being out of touch, quipping that the minister had "lost my phone number," and referenced earlier comments about introducing "two 22 acts." He used sharp language about training and behaviour in the House, saying there was "blunder and bluff." He also admonished the minister responsible for agriculture and fishing to focus on those sectors rather than "selling us out."
Calls for leadership change
He noted that the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach did not stay for the debate to support the minister and said it was "time to go," urging new leadership with vision. McGrath said someone else should be allowed to lead who will "have a way of doing something, and do something for someone."
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.
I too, Minister, you must have lost my phone number, but that's okay too, but anyway, Minister, 3,500 homeless, people waiting on the housing list in Diborelli, not homeless, sorry, and we have many, many homeless, and we have agencies and people, and you can build a direct bill now, or a modular bill for everything else, for our people coming from the Ukraine war, and I don't oppose that, but we couldn't do it for our own people, we can't do it for our own people. Excuse me, Minister, someone said earlier you introduced two 22 acts, it's a pity you weren't in the gate here, or the abbey, you're here in the House of Parliament, you know, and you're kept from a good school of Rayfield P. Burke, and GB. Wright and Company, and indeed you're well-trained, right, and blunder and bluff, and I hear Minister McConnell out here, he'd better look after agriculture and the fishing, instead of selling us out on that, and your Tanaiste and Taoiseach didn't stay here even for the debate, to support you, so well, and a lot more you wouldn't be here writing on if you're waiting for Saturday, but on Sunday might be a different story, he'll be fairly sore, and scratch your heads to know what happened, so I say to you, it's time to go, and let someone in the can have a vision, and have a way of doing something, and do something for someone. Grandma, I'll go to the controller.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
