Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not tolerable that in Ireland today families and children are living in emergency accommodation. That is why dealing with the housing supply issue and the homelessness facing families is a priority for this Government. That is why we are doubling the resources allocated to deal with this issue next year. These statistics refer to a period just two months before the action plan published by the Minister, Deputy Coveney. As the Minister stated this morning, it will take time to deliver all the actions in the homelessness and housing strategy. I take the Deputy's point that, in the meantime, families are facing daily and weekly challenges in terms of their housing needs, but the action plan does provide for solutions. Already, local authorities are buying premises. The Deputy has heard the numbers. It is a huge increase on what was done last year. The number of vacant properties being brought back into use has increased across the entire local authority sector to ensure that more housing is available. There is a plan, as the Deputy knows, and it is operational now. I am sure she heard the Minister refer this morning to the number of units that will be available. I believe he said that 380 rapid build houses will be under construction by the end of the year. All of that will make a difference to the families about whom Deputy McDonald spoke.

That is the reason the various other actions are being taken also, including the €40 million increase in funding for homeless services from €70 million to €98 million in 2017; the work in examining the rental sector and recommendations that will be made later this year to provide more stability in that sector; the changes in the rent supplement scheme, about which the Deputy knows; and acquiring vacant houses, as I have already mentioned. A series of actions is being taken and it will take time for those actions to deliver new homes, but every effort is being made by the Minister, his Department and local authorities. A new planning process will come on-stream to ensure more rapid build of estates also. Every action is being taken to deal with what the Deputy rightly describes as a most serious situation, which is recognised by Government. The actions we have taken illustrate how very seriously we take this situation.

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