Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

Does the Taoiseach agree there is no more pressing issue in this country than the housing crisis? Will he and the Government now come out with their hands up and declare it a national emergency? If he does not make that simple admission, the type of emergency measures we need will never be taken. There are homeless women and men in the Visitors Gallery today who have come in hope that the leader of this country may display a modicum of urgency about the homeless nightmare into which they and thousands like them have been plunged. Their children are traumatised with serious physical and psychological effects, travelling miles to school from far-flung hotels and hostels and are unable to get healthy food and so on. The Taoiseach shed a tear for the Magdalens. These are the Magdalens of this generation and in years to come, the Taoiseach will be held to account for his action on homelessness.

Let us confine ourselves to family homelessness. The families that are here today would never ordinarily be homeless. In any other decade, they would be in council or affordable housing, but that has been slashed in recent years. The Government keeps telling us that it is spending more on housing than anyone ever spent before. Last week it told the Dáil €4 billion was being invested. However, that €4 billion is to be spent over six years. We need €4 billion in one year to deal with the issue. Does the Taoiseach agree this does not sound like much of an investment for an emergency when we look at the figures? Some 20 council homes were completed in the first quarter of 2015 and some 117 completed by housing associations. If this level of building continues for the year, we will have less than 500 social homes this year.

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