Last February the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, confirmed "the Government is proposing a statutory framework which will introduce a rent certainty for up to four years". Throughout the year, month by month, the Minister, Deputy Kelly, is quoted as saying he will bring an end to rent instability, he will bring rent certainty, he will bring proposals before Cabinet, he will tackle spiralling rents, which are now his No. 1 priority, and he expects legislation by the end of the year. In June we read that he wanted to tie rent increases to inflation and to bring in temporary rent controls to assist families which are under huge pressure and which are being made homeless on a month by month basis. In September, we had leaks and headlines from Fine Gael sources, with senior Cabinet Ministers saying it will not happen and that they are against the Minister, Deputy Kelly's plan. Worryingly, in a José Mourinho-type response, he then went into the third person and attacked the "anonymous cowards" who are briefing against him.

Name them.

He is talking about his colleagues, Fine Gael senior Ministers. As this goes on, we read all the headlines about "AK-47" versus "Buddha", in the form of the Minister for Finance, who is nodding silently and sagely.

Like Deputy Martin and Brian Cowen.

Meanwhile, there are 1,500 children in emergency accommodation and Threshold states the number of homeless families will increase from 700 to 1,000 by Christmas. The indecision of the Government is creating further instability in the rental market, with landlords shoving up rents to get in ahead of whatever proposals emerge from the Cabinet. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, states well designed rent certainty proposals could bring stability and a degree of certainty to the market and that it is somewhat concerned by some of the leaks from the Fine Gael side in regard to the rent certainty and rent control agenda. The commitment last February was that we would see rent certainty by the end of the year, but there was nothing proposed in the budget announced recently. Will we see legislation shortly that will bring about the rent certainty on which the Minister has staked his reputation, saying its introduction is his number one priority, or is the story in the Irish Independent today correct, that his plans are dead in the water?

We have referred to this issue on a number of occasions in the recent past. A number of issues need to be dealt with in respect of housing generally, including homelessness, whether of rough sleepers or those who do not have a place to stay because they are being put out of their accommodation. A great deal of work has been done on the issue. The Minister for Finance and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government had a very good meeting yesterday when they discussed a number of issues that needed attention in both the short and longer term. The real problem is the lack of housing supply. The Government is looking at a range of options to supply the many houses needed, but they cannot be put in place overnight. Yesterday we made progress in our discussions on modular housing, the number of voids being returned to habitable accommodation, the targets set for the social housing objectives of the local authorities - the Minister has called on them to get on with the task of meeting them - and the renovations taking place, particularly throughout Dublin. I expect the progress being made in the case of rough sleepers will help us to meet the need in a bad winter. An extra 130 beds have been opened this year and a further 130 are to be opened. The money is in place to deal with this issue and I expect the issue of rough sleepers, particularly in Dublin, to be dealt with. I hope the two Ministers will conclude their discussions this week on what needs to be done in the short, medium and longer term to deal with the issue of housing supply.

The Taoiseach hopes they can conclude their discussions this week. We have had the budget and the situation is chaotic. What is going on with the two Ministers is chaotic. They had a good meeting yesterday and we are all supposed to breathe a sigh of relief, after all the leaks, counter-leaks and antagonism of the past two months. This goes back to what happened in February. I asked the Taoiseach a simple question. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, said legislation would be introduced in September to deal with this issue. He said he would link rent increases with the consumer price index, CPI, to the rate of inflation. We are almost at the anniversary of the death of Jonathan Corrie by which the Dáil was appalled, as well as by the issue of homelessness. However, all that has happened in the past 12 months is that the position has got progressively worse. Many Deputies have seen in their clinics young families who have absolutely no certainty about where they will be housed. This is a shocking indictment of the Taoiseach's leadership-----

Does the Deputy have a question for the Taoiseach?

-----and the Government's lack of cohesion, focus or a sense of purpose, or a policy on homelessness. All we get is the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government calling Fine Gaelers a load of cowards and, in turn, them calling him "Calamity Kelly". That is what we are getting in the media each week, yet families are coming to us to ask us to do something for them. They are spending three nights in a hotel, followed by three nights in a self-catering apartment, and the welfare officer only has €700 to pay out. The position is that bad. Rents have been increasing and are spiralling out of control, which means that families are being evicted.

Will the Deputy please put his supplementary question?

The Government continues with the pseudo warfare through the media in the absence of coherence or a single-minded or purposeful policy initiative. The budget was silent on this issue. The two Ministers, Deputies Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin, were silent on this issue in their entire Budget Statements.

The Deputy has not listened to me. Will he, please, put his supplementary question?

One of the most basic obligations of a state is to put a roof over people's heads. Will there be legislation before the end of this Dáil session and will the Taoiseach confirm whether the plan to link rent increases with inflation is dead in the water? Is that what is going to happen?

I have said I hope the discussions between the Minister for Finance and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government can be concluded satisfactorily this week. They will deal with a number of matters in the shorter term. Arrangements must be put in place to deal with the provision and supply of housing in the medium to longer term. As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, changed the regulations for the housing assistance payment, HAP, programme, which allows for an increase in rent through subsistence from the Department of Social Protection. This gives certainty of tenancy to a category under serious pressure. The provision of modular housing is under way, with a start on sites identified in Dublin.

I accept the point made by the Deputy. I am aware of many examples of people who are under serious pressure owing to rents being increased by landlords. Not all landlords are putting pressure on people; I am aware that many landlords show their humanity. The situation is not what we want it to be. There was a total collapse of the housing sector, with the figure falling from 190,000 units to less than 8,000.

The Government has been in office for four and a half years.

It has provided 2,000 units in four years. That is all it has provided.

There are issues that need to be addressed in the immediate term. The Ministers are discussing them and I hope they can conclude their discussions this week. The issue of housing supply is critical, but it is not possible to deal with it overnight.

The Government has had four and a half years to deal with it.

Four and a half years can hardly be described as overnight.

It may well be that legislation is required and if so, it will be introduced. At the other end of the scale, there has been announcement after announcement of jobs and investment. This is obviously creating pressure in other areas in terms of the provision of both commercial and residential accommodation. This does not solve the problem for the person who is under pressure this evening, but the changes already made by the Minister are beneficial and helpful. They are not the answer, but we hope we can conclude the discussions this week.

In each and every way the Government has screwed people.