Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That does not justify the fact that there are 1,540 plus children staying in hotel rooms tonight. It does not justify the fact that these children going to bed tonight do not know where they will sleep tomorrow night. These children cannot bring friends back to the place they now call home. This is what is happening at the moment. It is what Fr. Peter McVerry describes as one of the most significant humanitarian crises of our time.

One of the reasons we have such a big issue with homelessness is that the Minister has failed to deal comprehensively with the very significant increases in rents. The latest quarterly report fromdaft.ieindicated that the last quarter saw the highest quarterly increase in private rents in over a decade. This is a consequence of the Minister procrastinating and fighting with his ministerial colleagues.

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