Sir, – I would like to congratulate the Taoiseach on completing his first year in office. I read with interest the annual report on the Programme for Government this week.
This is my annual report. This time last year I had a home in Priory Hall. Granted it turned out to be a home that my husband, my one-year-old child and I could have been killed in at any time due to the serious fire risks (not to mention the health and safety risks that have come to light since we and our neighbours were evacuated by order of the High Court 143 days ago – and counting). But it was still our home that we saved hard for and spent a lot of money to make our own. We have many happy memories from the four years that we lived there.
This time last year I knew (or thought I knew) where I would be living over the months ahead and felt I could plan for a future. These days I see the lovely spring weather arrive and have no idea where I will be living in the summer. I still have not totally unpacked in my temporary accommodation as I don’t know when we will be on the move again. My son’s bedroom in Priory Hall was painted a lovely sunny colour with everything a one-year-old should have in their room. We cannot do anything to decorate his room now as this is not our home and never will be.
This time last year I didn’t have to fight tooth and nail with my bank every three months to extend a moratorium on my mortgage. All the while the interest is being added on, which means if and when my home is safe to live in again I will be paying a much higher mortgage for something that is effectively worth less than the paper the Taoiseach’s election promises were written on.
This time last year I believed that if you worked hard, paid your taxes and obeyed the law then you were doing the right thing. My faith in this has been completely destroyed in the past few months while my neighbours and I are ignored by those in Government who can assist in ending our nightmare.
We are sick of hearing whining complaints that Priory Hall is a mess it inherited: that argument is long over. The time has come for the Government to stop bleating sympathy that means nothing and start actively engaging with us for solutions to end our nightmare.
The Taoiseach says discussions are on-going in relation to Priory Hall: what kind of discussions? The very least the Minister for Finance can do is instruct all banks with mortgages in Priory Hall to freeze them until some solution is reached to stop interest being added on to already high payments. We have stood outside the Dáil every Tuesday lunchtime since last October and we will continue to do so until our plight is addressed.
This time last year I had hope for my family’s future. Can the Taoiseach tell me what hope I have now, 143 days out of my home, with not one brick even touched in Priory Hall since last November? DCC says it doesn’t have the estimated €7.3 million required to carry out the repair works. The builder Thomas McFeely was declared bankrupt in a UK court on January 13th. He will be free of bankruptcy next January, whereas we face a very uncertain future of probably defaulting on our mortgage and having our credit rating destroyed.
I hope the Taoiseach and his Ministers enjoy their trips away as part of the St Patrick’s Festival. This time last year I could plan for a trip away with my family. This year we can have no such plans as we know we will need every penny we earn over the coming months to either pay a mortgage on a home that’s not safe to live in, or pay rent to keep a roof over our heads.
I would ask the Taoiseach to please stop ignoring the residents of Priory Hall and begin dialogue with our residents’ committee to find a solution to our nightmare. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – One year on, we see this Government publishing its own report card. Of course, it has indulged in self-praise on its steadfast efforts to rebuild our economy from ruination.
However, I fundamentally disagree. Twelve months have passed and what the Irish people have seen is a litany of broken promises.
What happened to Labour’s way or Frankfurt’s way? Ruairí Quinn’s promise on third-level fees? Enda Kenny’s promise to the people of Roscommon or indeed James Reilly promising the people in his constituency Metro North? Or indeed Leo Varadkar, “not another red cent to Anglo”?
This Government has been consistent over the past 12 months, consistent in breaking promise after promise made to the Irish people during the general election.
On taking up office, the Government promised to be honest with the people. Its actions to date have, however, shown otherwise. – Yours, etc,