Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I did not say the Taoiseach mentioned press releases; it was Fr. Peter McVerry who referred to press releases when describing the Government's plan to tackle the housing crisis as deeply flawed. Fr. McVerry said it was presented with a stack of press statements aimed primarily at presenting a positive picture. On the day when figures emerge that 10,000 people are in emergency accommodation, and children are waking up this morning to go to school from hubs, bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels, the Taoiseach is saying we need to ask ourselves the question as to why this is the case. That is shocking. The Taoiseach has been in Government for seven years. This did not happen overnight. We have seen the homeless figures increase steadily under the stewardship of the Taoiseach's Cabinet but also while he was a Minister sitting at the Cabinet table. He tells the families who are in emergency accommodation that we need to start asking why this is the case.

We need clear actions. This is not political point scoring. Are we supposed to ignore the fact that we have a housing crisis, yet the Government still does not deem it an emergency? Are we to ignore the fact that on five separate occasions our party put to the Taoiseach a proposal on real rent certainty, which he, together with the Fianna Fáil Party, opposed? Are we supposed to ignore the fact that the Focus Ireland amendment, which was simple and stated that one should not evict people into homelessness, was opposed by the Government and colleagues who have entered a confidence and supply agreement? These are some of the reasons that we are seeing the rise in homelessness in the monthly figures. I hear nothing from the Taoiseach on the concrete actions of how he will deal with the issue, bar more commentary about why this and that is happening. It is simply not good enough.

I did not intend to raise this issue today but the Taoiseach in his opening statement mentioned it as a priority. Obviously, if it is a priority, it is failing dramatically when those on the front line state that the Government's plans are flawed. The Government needs to revisit some of the proposals that are being put forward by the Opposition and stop rejecting them simply because they come from the Opposition. Let us hear the issues and hear the proposals that are coming from the front line to deal with this issue. Let us get to grips with the situation which is now a national emergency. It is a travesty that so many people are in emergency accommodation.