Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the target date provided by the Minister, the target date of 1 July set by the Taoiseach in addressing this issue was not met. This is the second Christmas, or perhaps the third, many children will spend in a single room in a hotel or guesthouse. We have all heard heartbreaking stories from young mothers and couples about the impact this is having on children. Has the Minister visited any of the families involved and asked anybody in the Department to undertake an analysis of the physical and mental impact on families, particularly children, of living in this type of accommodation? The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, co-funded a study of food access and nutritional health among families living in emergency homeless accommodation which she has told me does not make for pleasant reading. This is an ongoing outrageous scandal. Unfortunately, not enough people in the country appear to be taking it with the seriousness with which it will be taken when what has happened in the period from 2010 is invigilated. As I said, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, will be among those who will be held to account.

See this speech in context