Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Two of the Tánaiste's remarks were very revealing in terms of the Government's attitude and approach to the housing and homelessness crisis. First, she said the Government would commits to doing more "should" additional capacity be required. Lest she and her colleagues in government are unaware, there is an absolute and urgent need for additional capacity. As I set out, this is particularly the case in respect of families with children who find themselves homeless. I have spelled out - I hope the Tánaiste was listening and heard me - the circumstances in which many families find themselves. In some cases, parents sleep in their car, while their children stay on either side of Dublin city with relatives or friends. Some families have been in this situation for weeks and others for months. There is no "should" in this equation. It is an imperative and a must.

Second, there is the Tánaiste's reference to beds. Of course, there is a need for emergency beds and to address the phenomenon of rough sleeping, but what people need, particularly families, are homes. This is about houses, permanent accommodation to allow people the certainty and dignity of having a roof over their heads. Far from being blameless in this scenario, the current crisis is of the Government's own making. Let us look at its record. Despite all of the recent announcements, since taking office, the Government has cut funding for social housing by 25%.

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