An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

I welcome the visitors in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I have just come from their briefing. As someone with osteoarthritis in both knees, I welcome their fantastic programme, which I intend to raise for discussion in the House by way of a Commencement matter.
I, too, am very disappointed that services are not included in the occupied territories Bill. I commend Senator Black again on all the work she has done on the legislation. I urge people to take on board the amendments she intends to put forward. If Spain can do it, we can do it. As Leas-Chathaoirleach of the foreign affairs committee, the Acting Leader knows a lot of deliberation took place on the legislation. Yesterday's announcement was disappointing. I urge people to read Senator Black's amendments and work with her on them.
I also want to mention some startling figures that my former colleague, Councillor Declan Bree, raised at this month's meeting of Sligo County Council. According to figures that were released on foot of a motion tabled by Councillor Bree, €7.5 million was paid to private landlords through the housing assistance payment, HAP; the rental accommodation scheme, RAS; and long-term social housing payments in 2025. At the same time, there is a waiting list of 65 homes in Sligo County Council's tenant in situ scheme. A budget of just €2.5 million has been allocated for that. The local authority wants to buy these homes, the tenants who are in them want to live in them, and we know that the local authorities want to build up their own housing stock, but those figures show that €7.5 million is going directly into the hands of private providers - private landlords - and will stay in their remit, while just €2.5 million has been allocated to buy some of the houses that people are living in. There seems to be an upside-down approach to the housing policies within councils. The councils are being funded to continue giving money to private providers, even though the plan is to gradually phase that out. In the meantime, can the tenant in situ scheme be massively ramped up? There are landlords who want to sell to the councils. The tenants who are in those houses at the moment want to stay in them. They have built their whole lives around them and the local schools, facilities and communities. Yet there does not seem to be a correlation between that. At least then we would be increasing the social housing stock.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27