Ms Niamh McGuire:

I am sure the Senator shares my view that when we talk about the number of homeless, in particular the 5,000 homeless children, it is not just a number to anybody here. It is a very real and serious issue. That is why it is so important that we all work now to achieve a balance between the short-term letting sector, which we all agree provides employment and revenue for the State and is a really good economic driver, and the long-term residential sector. Not having sufficient housing not only has societal impacts and impacts for those families and children, but also economic impacts. Many tourism businesses that Fáilte Ireland deals with - it surveyed them recently - struggle to retain staff because of housing shortages. It is a real issue. There are societal and economic impacts. That is why it is really important that this regulation be introduced and be effective.