Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for introducing this legislation and for all the work he does in the area of housing and homelessness. We are approaching Christmas and it is a time for family and a special time for children in particular. The Peter McVerry Trust predicts that approximately 2,642 children will experience Christmas without a home. That means there will be nowhere for them to play with toys and nowhere for the family to enjoy Christmas dinner, which is a heartbreaking situation for parents. In these circumstances, parents will do their absolute best but realistically, nobody should be in this situation.

We do not only have the sadness of imagining the situation of spending Christmas in a hotel or hostel to consider but also the various health problems such as poor nutrition, developmental delays, psychological problems and educational issues, which are further enormous obstacles homeless children face. Several excellent organisations in Ireland deal with this situation daily. I pay tribute to them and all the work they do for people at risk of homelessness. They do a fantastic job but, as my colleague, Deputy Mairéad Farrell, said earlier, this is one of the issues we face in our constituencies daily. I have said this previously and I apologise for sounding like a broken record but this issue has persisted ever since I was first elected to the county council in 2009. It has been the issue with which I have had to deal consistently in those 11 years. We cannot let this situation continue and must do our best to address it. I believe that if nothing else,this is our generation's national disgrace and it is incumbent on all of us to be consistently asking what we can do to ensure every child in Ireland has enough to eat and a safe roof over his or her head.

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