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

-----and that is our view. I reject the Deputy's contention that we have not been acting. We have been acting. More social housing was built last year than any year since the 1970s. Nearly 8,000 new units were built and 10,000 new social homes were provided. We are going to do more than that this year. That is our objective and we will achieve it. We are also telling local authorities to take up the option of buying a property where a landlord is selling up if that prevents the tenant going into homelessness. We have provided resources to for them to do exactly that.

We will consider legislation. Good ideas have been put forward by the Simon Community and Focus Ireland in respect of children and those facing homelessness. In many other jurisdictions, legislation has not been the solution, unfortunately. Legislation does not build any more houses or create any more tenancies, and that has to be the solution.

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