Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I had a chance to read Micheline Walsh's story just yesterday. I do not want to speak in too much detail on any individual case. Individual cases are individual and it is difficult to be across all of the detail of any individual case. It is certainly not appropriate to talk about it here. It is a very sad case. All of our sympathies are with her and her family. A solution needs to be found and I am confident that a solution can be found. I am aware that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has been in contact with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to see what solutions can be put in place. Usually solutions can be found: it might be the provision of social housing; it might be the tenant in situ scheme where the council can buy the property off the landlord; or it might be finding an alternative housing assistance payment tenancy, and there have been thousands of new HAP tenancies formed this year alone. Solutions do exist. I certainly hope a solution can be found.

I do not believe that extending the temporary winter eviction ban is a solution. It just puts off the inevitable by three, four, five or six months. It is better to find a solution now rather than kick the can down the road. All that is done then is to build up the number of problems and it is made harder to solve at the end of that. This is why we think that finding solutions now is better than kicking the can down the road, which is the alternative being put forward by some.

With regard to children experiencing homelessness, we can all agree that family homelessness in particular is a stain on our society. No child should have to experience child homelessness. The number of families and children in homelessness peaked four or five years ago, it fell, and is now going back up again. Of course we are all concerned that we will see a peak again in the next couple of months if action is not taken. Action is being taken.

The best thing we can do when it comes to children or families experiencing homelessness is to make sure that they do not experience it for too long. It is about preventing them becoming homeless in the first place, and it is about getting them out of homelessness as quickly as possible if they do end up in emergency accommodation. Roughly half are out of emergency accommodation within six months, and most are out in less than one year. We all know how long six months is in the life of a child and the impact this can have on a child and on his or her family. What we make sure is that no family that experiences homelessness is put in a congregated setting. We use hotels, family hubs and commercial accommodation to avoid the need for anybody to be in a congregated setting, or if they are in receipt of State-provided emergency accommodation.

The Deputy referred to two pieces of legislation. I understand that the Housing (Homeless Families) Bill was examined by the Oireachtas joint committee back in 2019. I have not seen the report myself but I am told that the scrutiny report identified a number of ambiguities and possible unintended legal consequences arising from that particular iteration of the Bill. I will have to look at it more closely. I am aware that Focus Ireland and the Simon Community have put forward draft legislation, one on child homelessness and one on people who are at risk of homelessness. We will consider those and see if there are solutions within that. Sometimes, one does not require legislation to act and solutions can be found without there being legislation. Finding the solution and finding housing for people has to be the priority.

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