David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are record levels of homelessness, as Mr. McCarthy acknowledged earlier. The people see the politicians and talking heads on the television all of the time, but the witnesses before us, whether the Housing Agency or the Department, are the public and civil servants tasked with building the homes and supplying the solutions, as an Teachta O'Connell spoke about earlier, to meet the demands and needs of people. I want to put myself in the shoes of the people who come to my constituency office every day. It is almost like a conveyor belt of people asking me to make representations for housing, which pretty much does not exist. People who are on a social housing list come in, but unless they have been waiting seven or eight years and have a particular set of circumstances, there is very little prospect of them getting a social house. Do the witnesses accept this? The vast majority of people's housing needs are now met through the private rented sector. Is this a fair assessment?