Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

There are 10,378 people officially homeless. The numbers are up again. Normally, there is an increase in homeless numbers at the start of the year and after Christmas.

Numbers tend to go up in January and February. Traditionally, in the past, the numbers tended to go down again in March, April, May and coming through the spring into the summer, but that is not happening here. They are going up, month on month. My first two questions are as follows. Does the Minister believe that a Minister on whose watch this happens deserves to remain in office? Does he believe a Government that allows this to happen, with more than 10,000 of our people officially homeless, with the numbers going up coming into the spring, deserves to remain in power? I have one other question for the Minister but I will pause to hear his response to those questions.