Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When Deputy Varadkar became Taoiseach there were 2,895 children in Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government funded emergency accommodation. The latest figures were published yesterday and show that in September there were 3,829 children in emergency accommodation. On the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar's watch almost 1,000 children have become homeless, an increase of 32%, or two children becoming homeless every single day since he took charge. In September the number of children in emergency accommodation rose by a shocking 136. That is an increase of four children into homelessness every single day of that month. We know that these figures do not paint the full picture. Despite repeated requests from my office and others, the Minister, Deputy Zappone, still will not instruct Tusla to release up to date figures on the number of women and children in domestic violence refuges and step-down accommodation. We do not even have figures for 2017, let alone updated figures for this year. Since March, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has removed 625 adults and 981 children from the homeless figures provided by his Department. According to the local authorities where these people come from, the families were accessing homeless services, living in temporary accommodation and considered homeless at the time they were removed, yet the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, saw fit to remove them.

The actual number of children sleeping in emergency accommodation tonight is far greater than yesterday's figures show. In response to the escalating family homelessness crisis, Focus Ireland is calling on the Government to take four clear steps. It wants a dedicated strategy in place to end family homelessness; for every homeless family to have a dedicated caseworker to assist them to get out of emergency accommodation; a guarantee that no family with children will be referred to a Garda station to sleep in the absence of emergency accommodation; and a commitment that no family will be in emergency accommodation for longer than six months. Last week I introduced the prevention of family homelessness Bill. The Bill, based on the Focus Ireland amendment, would prevent buy-to-let landlords from issuing vacant possession notices to quit, which is still the single biggest cause of family homelessness. It is our intention to bring that Bill before the House as soon as possible.

Will the Tánaiste, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Government support and fully implement Focus Ireland's four key demands on family homelessness, and will they give a clear commitment that they will support the family homelessness prevention Bill on Second Stage?

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