Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is absolute nonsense from the Tánaiste. Sinn Féin has put forward proposal after proposal. Fianna Fáil trumpeted last year's budget as the housing budget and stated it had secured major decisions from the Government on housing. Six months later we have record numbers of homeless persons in the State. The Tánaiste continues to make the argument that the Government's plan is working, but the figures tell us otherwise. The fact is we have the highest and fastest growing level of child homelessness in the European Union and, despite Fine Gael having been in government for eight years, the situation is getting worse. Sinn Féin has proposed a doubling of investment in social and affordable homes, but the Government has rejected this. It has a decision to make today. The major cause of homelessness in the State is landlords evicting their tenants into homelessness. We can take the bold and correct decision today to support the Focus Ireland amendment which Deputy Ó Broin's legislation would enshrine in law. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil rejected the legislation in 2016. This is the time to do the right thing by supporting that legislation. The Government cannot cry crocodile tears on the issue of homelessness, especially child homelessness, while at the same time sitting on its hands and continuing to allow landlords to evict their tenants into child homelessness. The Government legislation will do nothing to protect tenants who have been served notice to quit. It is time to stop the spin. It is time for substance and this Parliament to legislate. It must take a side to ensure it will protect those who are facing the nightmare of homelessness. There are already 10,264 people homeless and, unless something is done and action taken, as we have suggested, the situation will only get worse. We have told the Government this year after year, but, unfortunately, it has fallen on deaf ears.

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