Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It is unbearable sitting here listening to the Taoiseach trying to defend the indefensible: the Government's decision to lift the ban on evictions in the middle of a housing emergency. The Government has now potentially condemned thousands of individuals and families to homelessness. There is nowhere for them to go when they leave their homes. There is no affordable private rental accommodation anywhere in the country. Emergency accommodation is full. Hotels are full. Bed and breakfast accommodation is full. There is no uncertainty about the consequences of lifting this ban: it will open the floodgates to a tsunami of homelessness. The impact of this on individuals and families will be catastrophic, in particular for children.

The Taoiseach said that he wants to make Ireland the best country in the world to be a child. He made that commitment when he became Taoiseach barely two months ago. What does he say today to those children who will become homeless because of the Government's decision? We know children who experience homelessness are more likely to be bullied and are twice as likely to be hospitalised as their peers who have a home. We all know there is lots of research that confirms the serious harm that is being done to the health and well-being of children as a direct result of homelessness. This is serious harm that is being inflicted on them by the State because of the Government's failure to address the housing disaster. I want everybody in this Chamber, in particular on the Government benches, to be very clear-eyed today about the implications of the decision on the health and well-being of children. It will cause huge damage, and that damage is avoidable. It does not have to ruin these children's lives.

Once these children enter homelessness, it becomes increasingly difficult to get out. The Government was warned as recently as January by Dublin City Council that the number of homeless families in Dublin finding homes in the private rental sector has fallen to its lowest level in five years. What does this mean? It means there are now nearly 500 families who have been trapped in emergency accommodation for more than a year. It means there are more than 200 families that have endured more than two years in emergency accommodation. Housing is a human right because it means more than a just a roof over our heads. Our homes provide us and our families with comfort, dignity, privacy and security. This is why one of the most basic requirements in a functioning society is the provision of a secure and affordable home.

It is supposedly the biggest priority of the Government, yet it is its biggest failure. I have one question for the Taoiseach. Will he reverse this appalling decision?

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