Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that Christmas is, and can be, a stressful time for some families, particularly those who are living in emergency accommodation or looking for a new place to rent. I can imagine the concerns parents must have in the run-up to Christmas when they are asked by kids how Santa will visit if the hotel room does not have a chimney, or where the Christmas tree will be put. I totally understand the Deputy's concerns and, whether he believes it or not, I share those concerns. I also think about those families in the run-up to Christmas.

Figures on emergency accommodation will be released this week. I do not have them yet but I understand from the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, that they will show a fall in the number of children and families in emergency accommodation and a reduction in the number of families presenting as homeless in Dublin. On the other hand, they will show an increase in the number of individuals who are in emergency accommodation. Those figures will be available later today or tomorrow.

The only solution to this is supply. While it is not the entire solution, it is at the centre of it. We are seeing a real increase in the supply of new homes across Ireland. By the end of this year, we expect 18,000 new houses and apartments to have been built, and that is not just a number. Behind it are 18,000 people, that is, 18,000 families getting keys to a new house or apartment for the first time this year. Some 18,000 families, therefore, will be in a new home this Christmas which they were not in last year. We need to recognise the progress made in that regard. There will also be an increase of approximately 8,000 in the social housing stock this year, more than half of which are new builds by local authorities and affordable housing bodies, while the rest will be acquired through Part V leasing and acquisition. That is a significant change and increase compared with the situation last year.

On evictions, the Deputy will have seen the figures. I do not have the exact number but I think there were approximately 300 evictions this year. Evictions happen for all sorts of reasons and not all of them are evictions into homelessness, although some are. They can also be related to anti-social behaviour and people who live on a street where neighbours have caused havoc will understand why evictions are sometimes sadly necessary. The courts tend to take a sympathetic view of families if an eviction order is sought. We will bring forward legislation, which is being championed by the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to strengthen the power of the courts to refuse eviction orders and eviction requests where they relate to a family.

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