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

That is the democratic thing to do. The Taoiseach says that we in the Opposition think things should be perfect. No, we do not - we know perfection is not possible. However, in one of the richest countries in the world, we think it is shameful that we have the worst homelessness crisis in the history of the State and it gets worse week in, week out and month in, month out. Some 4,000 children are living in homelessness and 13,500 people are homeless. Some 68% of our young adults are forced to live at home with their parents when they want to live independent lives, and it is not exactly fun for the parents either.

There are shocking numbers of vulnerable children with special needs and their families waiting for assessments and basic services. The failure of this Government to provide them will have an absolutely detrimental effect on their future chances in life. One million people are on public healthcare waiting lists of one kind or another, looking for healthcare. Today, 638 people are on hospital trolleys when they should have hospital beds.

We now have the return of mass emigration because young people leaving college or school have lost confidence that there is a future for them in this country because the Government cannot do the most basic thing of providing them with a secure and affordable roof over their heads. How damning is it, in one of the richest countries in the world, that tens of thousands of our young people now believe there is no future for them in this country? They have the right to decide who leads this country, not Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil. You have had your chance. Now let the people decide and give them a general election because it is their welfare that matters.

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