John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While today's media coverage is dominated by President-elect Trump, I wish to bring to the Tánaiste's attention an issue of a domestic nature that has not gone away - the issue of housing. A few weeks ago two teachers from our constituency approached me. They were concerned about the welfare of two of their students, who are brothers. I met the teachers and subsequently met the family. I will not identify who they are. The parents and six children in this family are living in a hotel in Dublin city. They are commuting daily to Clondalkin to attend school. Their plight living in a hotel is not a good one. There are no cooking or laundry facilities. Their plight has endured since we were elected to this House; they have been in the same hotel since February.

I know that Members of this House from all parties are concerned about the housing crisis and a housing committee was established in advance of the formation of Government. Subsequently the Government produced its report on the housing issue, Rebuilding Ireland - an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. That report was launched four months ago and was specific in regard to a range of actions attached to it. Many Members of this House while having different views on it, fully support and endorse the report and were concerned that the actions would be implemented as quickly as possible.

I am concerned that we have a lot of rhetoric with launch after launch. The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, is launching another pillar of the report today. The implementation of the report is of particular concern to me. It is worth noting that in the four months since the report was launched, according to a report published by daft.iethis week house rental prices in Dublin in particular, but also nationally, have increased significantly. Those in homelessness continue to rise as indicated by the figures that were published. Approximately 2,500 children are in emergency accommodation

The first two actions specified in Rebuilding Ireland - an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness would have an impact on the family I described. Action 1.1 was to provide 1,500 new units under a rapid-build housing programme over a couple of years. Very specifically it indicated that 200 units of rapid-build accommodation would be provided in quarter 4 of 2016. I ask the Tánaiste to update the House on the progress in delivering those 200 units in quarter 4.

Action 1.2 states: "We will transition homeless households and individuals from emergency accommodation through the Dublin Region HAP Homeless Pilot". The target there was to deliver 550 tenancies in quarter 4. We are in quarter 4. The families I represent in our constituency could be the beneficiaries if these actions were implemented in a timely manner. I ask the Tánaiste to update the House on those two specific actions.

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