The most recent figures from Focus Ireland show an extraordinary crisis in homelessness and in the lack of housing in Ireland. They show 7,167 people are homeless in Ireland as nationally 4,760 adults and 2,704 dependants are homeless. These figures are extraordinary. The total number of people who are homeless rose by 25% from January 2016 to January 2017. This indicates a complete lethargy and lack of action in dealing with an emergency for many families throughout the State. In December, 87 families became newly homeless in Dublin. On average, 72 families became newly homeless each month over the past 12 months. Focus Ireland has stated that, strikingly, every five hours in Dublin a child became homeless in January this year. That is an appalling indictment of the last Government and particularly of the initiatives that had been announced but have not borne fruit in dealing with the homelessness issue or the numbers of families who simply cannot get a house. Most Members of this Oireachtas would know - particularly after the last two months and all the hoohah before Christmas on rent control measures - that the number of families who have been given deadlines to leave their current homes in February and March this year is growing alarmingly. All the while, there has been a lack of any meaningful impact on the supply side with an extraordinary lack of public investment in providing housing infrastructure and social housing. For example, I refer to the Juncker plan, which is the European Fund for Strategic Investments, in which the EU wanted to mobilise €500 billion in infrastructural investment but the Government decided to not partake in that apart from for a few health centres. The fund was not used for public housing infrastructure or housing provision. The Department is unwilling to use public private partnership, PPP, finance and has, in my view, fairly archaic and out-of-date provisions to prevent that.

The Taoiseach might consult his former adviser, Andrew McDowell, about his views on the restrictive and conservative views of the Government in regard to mobilising and leveraging substantial investment. We have the second lowest capital spend in Europe as a result of that kind of conservatism and approach, and the housing crisis gets worse.

The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government appeared in the media at the weekend giving the Taoiseach a deadline and a timeline in terms of when he should leave office. I think it would have been far more focused of the Minister if he concentrated on what is an appalling emergency for thousands of families in this country, one that is going to get worse because of the lack of tangible action and effective outcomes from all of the strategies that have been announced.

What do you think, Charlie? Do you think Simon wants out of housing?

Yesterday, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government published his plans for 8,500 social housing units. The figures speak for themselves but they do not show the extent of background work that has gone into preparing to deal with these situations. Some 7,167 people used State emergency accommodation nationally during a week in January, which included 4,760 adults. The first status report on social housing construction projects was published yesterday so the status of social housing construction nationwide is there for all to see. There will 47,000 new social housing units by 2021, with funding in place of €5.35 billion, as the Deputy knows.

The recent Rebuilding Ireland quarterly progress report, which is on the Rebuilding Ireland website, shows that, in 2016, over 18,300 social housing supports were provided; 5,280 new social houses were purchased, leased, remediated or built; extensive additional supports were provided under the housing assistance payment and the rental accommodation scheme; and the new Housing Delivery Office has been established within the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Yesterday, in publishing the status report, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, pointed out there are 504 projects, involving 8,430 homes, currently in development. Of these, 91 projects, with 1,829 homes, are already on site; 61 projects, with 652 homes, are at practical completion stage - they began 2016; a further 2,687 homes are at stage one, which is the capital appraisal stage; 1,279 homes are at stage 2, which is pre-planning; 490 homes are at stage 3, which is pre-tender; and 1,493 homes are at stage 4, which is the tender report or the final turnkey approval stage. Obviously, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government will continue to update and publish the status report on a quarterly basis.

I am sure Deputy Micheál Martin will agree that these are significant advances on a situation where no houses at all were being built for quite a period. The figures show that for the first time in many years, the number of non-construction jobs has risen dramatically, which means a very sustainable position for the future. Of course, to have a situation where there is a figure of 6.8% unemployment as against 15.2% speaks for itself. Challenges exist and they are going to be met.

They are not challenges. They are a daily crisis for thousands of families with nowhere to go who are coming to the advice centres and clinics of every Deputy across the country. They have been given a deadline of 15 March or 30 March. I include among their number mothers with three children who have nowhere to go. This is happening as we speak. Talking about 2021 is cold comfort for such individuals. People are fed up of reports, of strategies and of 2021 or 2022. They want answers now. The vast majority of the 8,500 units the Taoiseach spoke about were approved and initiated two years ago. The timeline for execution and delivery is too long. The mechanisms for delivery and execution are not effective enough, given the scale of the crisis and the emergency the country is facing on the housing and homelessness issue.

It is more than just PR. Even before Christmas, on the rent controls and all of that, the Minister admitted he did not have a comprehensive database to inform his decision, a point that was not taken up at the time because everybody was interested in the Simon-Leo show.

I thank the Deputy.

We need focus. We need the Ministers to focus on their job at hand. All we are listening to is one Minister who wants to get out of the Department of Health because it is too hot in the kitchen.

The time is up.

Best of luck, Charlie.

They are making it up - "Jackanory".

There is a need on an ongoing basis-----

Deputy Martin would want to calm down now and restore flexibility here.

Good luck, Charlie.

I am afraid the time is up.

If I could get order here, I would make the point that across the country - the Taoiseach should talk to his own Deputies - this is not getting better. This is getting worse. The Government does not have a supply solution to this on a scale that is required to deal with the emergency.

The time is up.

The Government's failure to take up the European investment plan and its own failure to put adequate public investment into this ensures that the horrific story for many families will continue unless there is a real sense of emergency around the Cabinet table to tackle this issue.

Deputy Micheál Martin is behind the curve on a few points here.

First, let me say that the young Minister, Deputy Harris, is enjoying the greatest honour of his career in dealing with the Department of Health.

Second, in fairness, Deputy Micheál Martin stated that it is not about people coming into clinics and talking to Deputies and saying they do not want to know about 2021 and 2022 but that they need to know now. Deputy Martin stated there should be answers. There are answers. The first answer is that 8,430 homes currently are under construction.

Solutions are what we want. None of that sort of stuff.

When were they approved first?

They were approved two years ago.

They are there now.

They are not.

If the Deputy wants me to show him where they are, I will.

I could point out to the Taoiseach where they have not even started.

Relax there.

They are currently being built. That means blocks, concrete, blocklayers, plasterers, chippies and site works.

The Taoiseach is in cyberland with the WhatsApp land.

Second, there are 91 further projects with 1,829 answers - homes already on site being worked upon.

We cannot find them.

There are not.

Third, there are a further 652 home that are at practical completion. These were started in 2016.

These must be Lego homes.

That is 8,430 answers, 1,829 answers and a further 652. Let me point out to Deputy Micheál Martin, as I stated already, that there are 2,687 homes at stage one, 1,279 homes at stage two-----

One has to start somewhere.

The Government started two years ago and it has not put a digger on the site yet.

Even the Fianna Fáil Party that decimated the economy and the construction sector knows that one must get bulldozers in on those sites to ready the earthworks and start building off planning permission where we have expedited this for local authorities.

Shovel ready.

I thank the Taoiseach.

There are 490 at pre-tender and 1,493 at stage four, which is the tender report or final turnkey approval. These are really under way now. If Deputy Micheál Martin wants the location of each and every site, they are on the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government's website. They are being worked on now.

That is all they have. They are not on any other site.

They are not answers for those who say they will not get home until 2021. Deputy Cowen should tell me how it could be done differently.

I thank the Taoiseach.

If the Deputy wants to know about the European Investment Bank-----

No, no, please.

-----we opened an office of the European Investment Bank here and it will provide long-term credit at low interest for projects in this country of major infrastructural output where there will be a stream of income coming through to pay for those loans, such as toll roads, ports or Luas light rail.

I thank the Taoiseach.

Over the next period, let me assure Deputy Martin, the European Investment Bank, in the words of the chief executive himself, wants to lend much more money to this country from what is the European people's bank.

The Government will not take it from the bank.

Check out the unemployment figures, for God's sake.

I note spirits are very high for whatever reason but could Members please try to curtail themselves? We are obliged, under the orders of the House, to adhere to particular time limits. I call Deputy Adams.