Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As we are coming to the end of our summer term, I will look back on the first item I raised on the Order of Business last September, namely, that of housing. At the time, I referred to the awful homelessness figures that month, when 10,568 people, including 3,137 children, were homeless. Nine months later, there are now 12,441 people, including 3,699 children, homeless. That is an increase of 2,000 people. More than 500 more children are now homeless. These facts do not lie. The Government is failing miserably on housing. It is shameful. What is worse is that there is no prospect of it improving. Fr. Peter McVerry, a person who I hope commands respect across this Chamber, stated that, looking to the future, there is no evidence those figures will come down. He further stated that more working people are now living in hostels. The vast majority of those who make up the new homeless and account for the increase in homelessness figures every month are people working for a living who are being put out of their houses under no-fault evictions. Of course, that is a direct result of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael lifting the no-fault eviction ban. It was a shameful decision. I ask that the first debate we have when we come back in September be on housing. This situation cannot continue. We cannot continue to see the Government fail on housing, month after month. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage says it is very disappointing, as if he has nothing to do with it and it is some kind of natural disaster. Sinn Féin has repeatedly pointed out what needs to be done, starting with reapplying the ban on evictions. That must happen, along with a host of other measures my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, has spelled out. This record of shame will stand for years to come. A Fianna Fáil supporter who is a friend of mine in my village told me he cannot believe he would ever see the day when Fianna Fáil would facilitate the eviction of people from their homes. A number of evictions will take place in Castleconnell in the coming months.

Finally, as it is 4 July, I again call for the freedom of Julian Assange. The US should drop the charges and give that man his freedom.