Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, I pay tribute to Noel Murphy and thank him for his service to the Oireachtas. Very often, it is the people behind the scenes who keep the wheels of parliamentary democracy moving so efficiently and effectively. I thank him very much. I wish him and his family the best of happiness and good health in retirement.

In respect of the issues raised by Deputy O'Callaghan, in an earlier era with pressures on mortgages and so on, it is striking that Ireland was perceived at a European level to have had the least number of repossessions, for example. That generally is the case. It is perceived generally be a country that puts a premium on people staying in their family homes.

That said, I take the Deputy's point that we must provide as accurate and precise advice to renters as we possibly can. However, we must also provide alternatives and interventions in terms of both preventing homelessness but also facilitating the exit from homelessness, which we are doing with significant increased outcomes.

Last year alone, the figure I mentioned earlier represented a 25% increase in the number of people who were helped out of homelessness.

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