Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The problem is out of control in some places and, therefore, it is important that it get the necessary attention. Just as there are two Irelands in terms of the recovery, there are two Irelands in terms of the housing issues. Six local authorities make up exactly half of the housing waiting list - three in Dublin, the two Cork authorities and the Kildare authority. Their prospective tenants make up 50% of the 90,000 people who are on the housing waiting list. There are also six local authorities in which it makes a lot more sense to buy than to build, because there will be available stock. These six local authorities make up 3% of the waiting list. It is important that we strike the right balance and adopt a strategic approach to deal with the housing crisis.

I wish to refer to an aspect that gets under-counted. The document before us states that 139 people slept rough in the greater Dublin area last November. I know that the crux of the problem, in part, has been dealt with, but an increasing number of families are homeless or at risk of being made homeless. I acknowledge that some improvements have been made in terms of crisis management by community welfare officers, but that situation can only last for so long. We are not counting the people who are couch surfing, the families who have split, the families who have difficulties getting their children to school and the families that must store their belongings because they have had to move out of their accommodation. Local authorities need to capture that information so that we can go after the problem.