Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Jan O'Sullivan for bringing the Bill before the House. I agree with the principle of the Bill.

All Deputies will confirm that they are inundated with constituents attending their office with issues relating to housing and homelessness. I represent a rural constituency and while statistics on paper may show little homelessness, some houses in Cork South-West have three and four generations living in the one house rather than having people on the streets. This obviously leads to other problems, such as depression and different things to which overcrowding can lead.

Homelessness is a stark reality of our time irrespective of how much the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, might try to normalise it. I could go on forever, but we are obviously constrained for time. I would just like to focus on a family living in my constituency with a child with a disability. They would be rendered homeless were it not for the child's grandmother taking in her daughter and that child. It is a major problem and I support the Bill.

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