Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The question is not relevant to what we are looking at here but as an Independent member of the Government, I regularly review my participation with my Government partners. That is a fact. This is a significant issue. I have put forward a number of recommendations and suggestions, some of which the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has taken on board, to increase security of tenure for those renting and to have more of a focus on affordable housing, in addition to increasing the amount of social housing. I have also put forward suggestions in respect of looking at models used in other countries. Recently, I have been investigating what is going on in Germany in terms of co-operative housing. By staying in, I am continuing to use my every effort and thought to support the overall actions that are needed to move us beyond where we are. In respect of the areas for which I have responsibility - it is not just my sincerity - what I have put in place has led to a number of actions and resources that are mitigating the harm for the children who experience homelessness in the context of their families.

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