Dublin South West representative, and Sinn Féin Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Seán Crowe TD, has welcomed the news that the International Federation for Human Rights has filed a comprehensive complaint with the Council of Europe.

The complaint accuses the Irish Government of presiding over appalling living standards and failing to meet basic and legal housing requirements. Surveys carried out by residents in one flat complex revealed an increased risk of lung disease and nine out of 10 children missing school days because of the impact of damp, mould, and sewage.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“The State has a responsibility to house people but this housing need must meet a standard which does not undermine the health and well-being of Local Authority tenants.

“The International Federation for Human Rights has filed a 51-page complaint with the Council of Europe accusing the Irish Government of presiding and permitting appalling living standards, failing to meet basic and legal housing requirements in 20 of some the most run-down housing complexes.

“This court case is a welcome and has the potential to bring about positive change for thousands of tenants right across the country.

“The complaint also focuses on crime, anti-social behaviour and accuses the State of a strategy of deliberate and widespread neglect, and allowing the running down of dilapidated flat complexes

“In my opinion the evidence is there for anyone to see, you just have to visit some areas to see the extent of the neglect. Some residents in flat complexes have also reported breathing difficulties, diarrhoea, skin rashes, and depression due to their poor housing conditions.

“Should this be acceptable in 21st Century Ireland?

Crowe continued:

“Successive governments have failed miserably to meet a basic standard for many tenants particularly in older estates.

“I believe the complaint is utterly credible and I hope that it serves as a warning and wake up call to central government that they must step up to the plate and start to tackle their widespread neglect.

“We know that €1 billion has been cut from housing since Budget 2008, this has to stop.

“The direct effect of these cuts are run down estates and discrimination against some of the most vulnerable and poverty stricken communities in Ireland.

“Inevitably while this State’s official attitude remains the same, the unacceptable details filed in this complaint, will continue to be the source of the problem. They will also continue to violate the human rights of the very families that it is charged with supporting and protecting.”

ENDS