Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach mentioned that it is deeply frustrating for those working to resolve this crisis. That applies to none more than those working on the front line. I imagine the Taoiseach is aware of the comments made by Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, the founder of Focus Ireland, this morning. She said she has "lost all confidence" in the Government's ability to solve this crisis.

Fr. Peter McVerry has said that the Government's housing plan is deeply flawed and that it was presented with a stack of press releases aimed primarily at presenting a positive picture. That is what people on the ground are saying. Reconfiguration of a Department or more and more press releases on this, that and the other will not solve this crisis. Will the Taoiseach acknowledge that under his leadership, the buck stops with him? He is not a commentator, but the Taoiseach of this State, and under his leadership child homelessness figures have increased significantly. This is not just a matter of statistics or percentages. It is a disservice to those families with children to talk about a 100% increase or a 50% increase as we sometimes do when talking about figures. These are citizens, living in this country who have found that they are homeless as a result of policies the Taoiseach has introduced or refused to introduce, such as real rent certainty and the Focus Ireland amendment, which the Government together with their Fianna Fáil Party colleagues voted against. These are matters that have resulted in the astronomical figures we have today, where, as we speak, almost 10,000 people are homeless in our State.

What does the Taoiseach say to those on the front line who do not have a political axe to grind, but are articulating that the Government's plans to deal with the housing crisis are deeply flawed and that they have lost confidence in the Government to resolve this crisis?