Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising the very important issue of the State land bank and the role it is playing and can play in delivering affordable, social and private housing of all types and sizes, on which we are all in agreement. The issue revolves around who will pay for the private part of a development and who will sell the relevant houses.

It is wrong for people to continually say the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is disguising the homeless figures because that is not the case. He is very honest in that regard, as am I and the departmental officials who are dealing with them. Nobody is trying to disguise them, but if we believe a person is not homeless, we will say so. A person who is living in a house is not counted as being homeless. Others might believe he or she should be counted as such, but we do not. We have engaged with the local authorities to identify who needs intervention from the State and who does not. We must formulate policies to help those most in need. We are doing all we can to ensure the figures are correct. Whether the correct figure is 9,500, 9,800 or 10,000, it is far too many. That is the reason we are here week after week debating the issue. I, therefore, ask Members to stop saying the Minister is disguising the figures because he is not. That is not what he is about. He is trying to find solutions.

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