Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We are one of the richest countries in the world. We are now heading into Christmas with over 13,000 people homeless and 4,000 of those are children. Many of them have been homeless for several years. It is a stain on our society and, frankly, on Government that in such a wealthy society that should be the case. I have a simple question. What hope can the Taoiseach offer those families and children who are homeless as to when they will get a home of their own? Can the Taoiseach give us any indication of when he thinks the figures that have been rising every month will fall?

Can I particularly point the Taoiseach to the fact that the number of families in homelessness and trapped in homelessness is rising? Because of the push by us, which the Government has adopted to some degree, to purchase mostly one- and two-bedroom apartments and homes, there is a serious deficit of family accommodation to provide for families that are homeless, and their numbers are rising. What has the Taoiseach got to say about that?

See this speech in context