Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I have just left the protest taking place in front of and at the back of Leinster House. Those who organised the protest are ordinary people who have jobs and plenty of things to be doing. They have done far more through their activity and organising to address the housing crisis than this Government has done, even though that is supposed to be its job. To give a warning to the Government, the protest today reminded me of the early stages of the anti-water charges movement. People's anger is overflowing at both the lack of action on the part of the Government and the reality of policies that serve the interests of landlords and developers.

The protesters gave me a series of demands - a young man handed it to me - which I was asked to outline to the Dáil. Their demands are: that the crisis be declared a national emergency and be treated as such by the Government; the immediate resignation of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy; a national emergency liveable full-time unit to be set up immediately for those who are on the streets at present; dramatic change to the homeless accommodation in place. They call for an end to one-night only beds and rolling beds, to be replaced with 24-hour short-term beds. They further demand: that an immediate, feasible rent cap be put in place, be it permanent or temporary, to protect people from evictions; HAP be granted before the lease is signed and that tenants should be under no obligation under the Data Protection Act to declare to landlords that they are accessing the HAP scheme; the recommencement and continuation of the building and supply of local authority housing and affordable homes; and full disclosure of NAMA-owned properties and the net worth of those properties and lands. They call for Irish courts to protect consumers' rights under EU law in mortgage arrears cases and to assess mortgage documents for unfair mortgage terms.

The protesters wish to see a forward way of thinking adopted and changes made. They demand to see the participation of Members and that homelessness be treated as a national emergency, first and foremost. It is a serious crisis that does not just affect the homeless but also mental health, the health services, emergency services, the education system and across the board. It seeps into every aspect of society, seen and unseen.

See this speech in context