Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will answer that question, if I can. What happened last week should not have happened and we have put measures in place to make sure it will not happen again. We do not need legislation to provide homes for people. There is very significant expenditure by the Government to provide appropriate levels of both temporary emergency accommodation for families and individuals and social housing to ultimately provide long-term solutions for the many families concerned. That cannot happen overnight, but there are construction teams on-site 24 hours a day, putting in place facilities to significantly improve the State's response to the problem of family homelessness. I have set very ambitious targets in the timelines needed and that is my focus.

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