Latest news with #TheWeekInPolitics
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Government ‘throwing the kitchen sink' at fixing homelessness crisis
The Government has 'thrown the kitchen sink' at the homelessness crisis, a minister of state has said. Christopher O'Sullivan TD said that it has been a really 'difficult challenge to tackle', but that it is a priority for the Housing Minister. His comments come as the latest figures released on Friday show homelessness has reached another record high. Christopher O'Sullivan. Pic: Fianna Fáil Some 15,747 people are now in emergency accommodation during the last week of May, including 4,844 children. Last week, Children's Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon said that the government's housing initiatives consistently fail children. Mr O'Sullivan told RTÉ's The Week In Politics programme: 'The figures at the moment, they're not acceptable, and I don't think anyone is saying for one second that they are. 'The Government is acutely aware that there is a housing crisis, and there is a significant issue with homelessness, which we're trying to tackle. 'Obviously, we're particularly struck by the words of the Children's Ombudsman… This is a really, a really difficult challenge to tackle. 'That's been proven over the last number of years, and we have thrown the kitchen sink [at] it, but I will say this, there's no doubt that it's a priority for the Taoiseach, it's a priority for this Government. Housing Minister James Browne. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos 'Working with [Housing Minister] James Browne, I'm in the Department of Housing as Minister of State, I know that this is a priority for him. 'These stories, these, I suppose, testimonies I know motivate him. They motivate him to make change. They motivate him to make a difference on homelessness. 'That is why the very first piece of legislation that Minister James Browne introduced in the House was around preventing homelessness.' Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, who has backed a redress scheme for children living in emergency accommodation, said there is too much reliance on the private model. He remarked: 'We need to have the State getting back and building in a massive, significant way.'
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Junior housing minister says homelessness crisis 'a really difficult challenge to tackle'
IRELAND'S HOMELESSNESS CRISIS is a 'really difficult challenge to tackle', junior housing minister Christopher O'Sullivan has said. A total of 15,747 people were living in emergency accommodation in May, according to figures published on Friday . It is the highest-ever figure recorded in Ireland, a continuing trend over the last number of months. It also includes 4,844 children – 69 more than April. Speaking on the issue today during RTÉ television's The Week In Politics, O'Sullivan conceded that the figures are currently unacceptable. He said the government is 'acutely aware' of the housing crisis and the impact it is having on homelessness. The Fianna Fáil TD said: 'Obviously, we're particularly struck by the words of the Children's ombudsman, essentially highlighting the devastating impact that emergency accommodation and homelessness in general is having on children and the long term impacts. Advertisement 'This is a really, really difficult challenge to tackle. That's been proven over the last number of years, and we have thrown the kitchen sink (at) it, but I will say this, there's no doubt that it's a priority for Taoiseach, it's a priority for this government.' Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon told the same programme that there is too much reliance on private accommodation and the use of hotels to house those who are living in emergency housing. Gannon said that environment has long-term impacts on children, citing issues with speech and language, an inability to play with other children and mobility issues. He added that the state needs to zone land as affordable. He said: 'We need to have the state getting back and building in a massive, significant way. We also need to take a step back and understand the impact that these living provisions are having to children in this state.' Children's ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon said that Government's housing initiatives continuously fail children. The comments were echoed by homelessness charity leaders on Friday, following the publication of the latest emergency accommodation figures. Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane pointed to the thousands of empty council homes in need of renovation. She said there needs to be a renewed effort to improve the properties to house families. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Government has 'thrown the kitchen sink' at homeless crisis
The Government has 'thrown the kitchen sink' at the homeless crisis in Ireland in an attempt to address it, a minister of state has said. Christopher O'Sullivan said that it has been a really 'difficult challenge to tackle', but that it is a priority for the housing minister. His comments come as the latest figures show there are almost 5,000 homeless children in Ireland. Figures released on Friday show that homelessness reached another record high. The data shows 15,747 people are now in emergency accommodation during the last week of May, some 10,903 of whom are adults and 4,844 children. This is an increase on the 15,418 people, 4,675 of whom were children, recorded in May. Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said the impact of living in emergency accommodation will be lifelong for children. Last week, Children's ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon said that Government's housing initiatives continuously fail children. Mr O'Sullivan told RTE's The Week In Politics programme: 'The figures at the moment, they're not acceptable, and I don't think anyone is saying for one second that they are. 'The Government is acutely aware that there is a housing crisis, and there is a significant issue with homelessness, which we're trying to tackle. 'Obviously, we're particularly struck by the words of the Children's ombudsman, essentially highlighting the devastating impact that emergency accommodation and homelessness in general is having on children and the long term impacts. 'This is a really, a really difficult challenge to tackle. 'That's been proven over the last number of years, and we have thrown the kitchen sink (at) it, but I will say this, there's no doubt that it's a priority for Taoiseach, it's a priority for this government. 'Working with (housing minister) James Browne, I'm in the Department of Housing as Minister of State, I know that this is a priority for him. 'These stories, these, I suppose, testimonies I know motivate him. 'They motivate him to make change. 'They motivate made him to make a difference on homelessness. 'That is why the very first piece of legislation that Minister James Browne introduced in the House was around preventing homelessness.' Mr Gannon, who has also backed a redress scheme for children living in emergency accommodation, said there is too much reliance on the private model. He added: 'For those children who are living in those substandard hotel accommodation, (that is) being paid for by the taxpayer. 'The impacts that they're having on their lives, be that through the inability to be just playing in the area, the therapeutic sports that's going to be needed, the lifelong consequences, that will also be funded by the taxpayer.' 'The impact this is having with children's lives is going on now for a decade. 'We know the impacts in terms of speech and language, an inability to play, mobility issues. 'Look, we need to be zoning land as affordable. We need to have the state getting back and building in a massive, significant way. 'We also need to take a step back and understand the impact that these living provisions are having children in this state.' Sinn Fein TD Claire Kerrane told the programme the Government should first use the thousands of empty council homes across the country. 'We need to get them turned around, and we need to get families into them,' she added. 'We need to look at those derelict properties, particularly in our rural areas. 'They're in every town and village. 'And we need to look at quick wins in terms of turning these buildings around, that we can provide immediate homes for people as quickly as possible.'
The Journal
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Minister of State Robert Troy ‘unaware' ministers have been briefing Michael Lowry's grouping
MINISTER OF STATE at the Department of Finance Robert Troy has said he was 'unaware' that ministers have been briefing Micheal Lowry's Regional Independent Group. Michael Lowry acted as a key negotiator for a bloc of independent TDs that agreed to support the formation of a Government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It's been reported today in The Sunday Times that Lowry said the Regional Independent Group has access to a 'rota of ministers' who give regular briefings to its TDs. Lowry said he chaired meetings of the group and that the group has 'direct communication' with ministers and their offices. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Lowry said both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to 'acknowledge and respect' his grouping. 'We had Martin Heydon in, he briefed us on his department and we expect to have Jim O'Callaghan in and Colm Brophy in on immigration too,' Lowry told The Sunday Times. On today's The Week In Politics on RTÉ, Troy said he was 'unaware' of this until the article was brought to his attention prior to going on air. 'I presume what Michael Lowry is doing is trying to play to his audience back home, that he is hugely influential and that he has an opportunity to meet cabinet ministers,' said Troy. The Fianna Fáil TD added: 'I've been a member of the last government and different party ministers would attend the parliamentary parties – Fine Gael ministers will come into us, or Green ministers would go into either of the other parties.' Advertisement File image of Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo When asked if backbench government TDs would feel aggrieved, Troy remarked: 'When you have a number of groupings in a government together, and one particular minister from another grouping and there is a particular issue, it's not unheard of that minister to come in. 'For argument, if it's an agricultural issue coming up, it wouldn't be unheard of for [Fine Gael] Agriculture Minister Martin Hayden to come in before Fianna Fáil backbenchers to update them on what's happening.' Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane described Lowry as the 'kingmaker in putting this government together'. 'The government parties have fallen over each other, to be very clear in terms of 'no deals done, no side deals, nothing in it', when clearly they're getting one-on-ones. 'The entire Lowry group, it isn't just Michael Lowry, are getting these one-on-one, exclusive meetings with ministers, which does give them a special and additional extra in terms of being within government.' Elsewhere, Labour's Marie Sherlock said it 'reflects the reality of who's calling the shots in government at the moment'. 'Ultimately, Michael Lowry and his group were able to have those weekly meetings, I'm not sure that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers are having the same access. 'We had this inordinate amount of time in February and March about debating whether the Lowry group is in or out of government – the reality is they're very clearly in government and I'm very frustrated that we were wasting all that time on that issue when there's very real issues out there.' However, Troy then remarked that the grouping is the 'Regional Independent Group' and not the 'Lowry Group'. 'A lot of the groupings take umbrage at the fact that you constantly tailed them on to one particular individual because of his past. 'There's other people in that grouping, you keep calling it the 'Lowry Group' and it's the 'Regional Independent Group'. 'Micheál Martin is the leader of Fianna Fáil – we don't call it the 'Martin Group', it's the Fianna Fáil party.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
18-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Promise to publish audit on children's hip surgeries
The Minister for Health will publish an audit on unnecessary hip operations for children as soon as she has "digested it" after receiving it, Minister of State Robert Troy has told RTÉ's The Week In Politics. His comments come in a week where opposition politicians said parents were being kept in the dark over the clinical audit of hip surgeries for chidren, saying there was confirmation that the children's "hip surgery scandal" at two Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospitals goes back 15 years and not just the two-year period currently under review. There have been calls for clarity on the number of unnecessary surgeries carreid out and for the audit to be published urgently. A CHI-commissioned independent review into hip surgeries in children, announced in July last year, is looking at a random, anonymised sample of dysplasia of the hip surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at Children's Health Ireland hospital sites, as well as Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital. It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases. During the week, it was announced that more than 2,200 letters had been sent to parents of children who had dysplasia of the hip surgery offering routine follow-up appointments. Children's Health Ireland sent more than 1,700 letters to parents of children who had the surgery at Temple Street and Crumlin, with more than 500 letters also issued by National Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital. An early recommendation from the audit, which has yet to be completed and published, was for letters to be sent to parents offering routine follow up appointments. These appointments are being arranged over the coming months. Labour TD Marie Sherlock has said there is a huge issue of trust with Children's Health Ireland (CHI) after "debacle after debacle". Speaking on RTÉ's The Week In Politics, the Dublin Central TD said there are serious questions for CHI and its board must come before the Health Committee. Parents must receive concrete assurances on getting clinical oversight and advice, she added. Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane said parents should get access to an independent clinical assessment of their child's surgery. Separately, on the joint opposition motion on assessments of need, Ms Kerrane said more funding to speed up and ensure children get their assessments of need plus recruitment and training of staff must be looked at. Ms Sherlock said it was very powerful that there was a cross-party opposition motion on the issue. She said staff recruitment was lagging way behind demand. Minister Troy said the Opposition were "dead right" to bring forward the motion, although he did not know whether the Government would support it as that decision would be made at Cabinet on Tuesday. Disability was very high on the Government agenda, he said. He said that while the waiting list was too high, there had been an increase of 35% in the number of assessments taking place and €10 million had been assigned to fund private sector assessments. Ms Sherlock said she was concerned that the Government did not have a grasp of the issue. She said the whole system on how children were presenting should be rewired.
