On promised legislation and with regard to outlining Government policy, I need help to find out what is Government policy with regard to homelessness and moving people from emergency hotel accommodation into more appropriate settings. Despite the fact the previous Minister said they would be all moved from emergency hotel-type accommodation into more suitable accommodation by the end of July, the new Minister has now stated that is not the case. There seems to be continual drift and regular change of policy. In the context of the scrapping of the help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers, will that require legislative change and is the review ongoing? The Tánaiste might advise me where I can find out what Government policy is on housing in general, or is there a policy at all, given it seems to be changing very frequently? It is urgent, given many families are homeless continuously in this city and are being put into emergency accommodation that is wholly unsuitable.

There are two related questions. I call Deputy Dessie Ellis and then Deputy Joan Collins.

It is clear to everyone, apart from the Government, that the housing strategy is in tatters. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, promised to end the use of hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation for families by this July.

A question, please.

The Government's house building figures have been rubbished. The new Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has today acknowledged that the July figures are not achievable. Meanwhile, the homelessness and housing crisis and the waiting lists have continued to spiral.

A question, please.

The programme for Government promised to tackle the housing crisis but its ideology of cosying up to the private sector has only added to and enhanced this crisis, leading to the over-pricing of housing and exorbitant rents.

This is time for questions on Government policy, not for statements.

The Government should declare a housing emergency, review the housing policies and set up a State-run company to co-ordinate house building, which will deliver social and affordable housing-----

I call Deputy Joan Collins.

-----on a scale which will make a real impact-----

Deputy Ellis has exceeded his time.

-----and a real difference.

I raised this issue yesterday with the Taoiseach and I have to say his response was underwhelming. It turns out today we have heard the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, stating he will not meet the targets for taking families out of the emergency accommodation by 1 July, which the previous Minister, Deputy Coveney, promised earnestly to us and the Home Sweet Home campaign last December. The Government's housing policy is failing the families who are in dire straits.

A question.

What will the Government do about it? It is not good enough to take three months now to review Rebuilding Ireland. These families will be stuck again in accommodation that is not up to standard. It is an outrage.

Deputy Doherty has a related question and will relinquish his other opportunity.

Those families who are in emergency accommodation deserve a straight answer from the Government today. We all know the figures. There are 695 families living in emergency accommodation at present. We know 60 families present each month to emergency accommodation. We know the Government in its action plan last year set a target that none of those families would be in emergency accommodation on 1 July. We know now the Government will not meet this target. Will the Tánaiste give clarity to these families? What is the new target whereby all families will be out of emergency accommodation in terms of hotel or hostel accommodation? Will the Tánaiste tell us how many of them will go into permanent housing accommodation as opposed to being just moved on to a different type of emergency accommodation?

Today the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, outlined his top priority since his recent appointment as Minister is to ensure virtually all homeless families accommodated in commercial hotels at the end of May will, in the coming weeks, either have left their hotel accommodation or will have been notified of the alternative accommodation to which they will move. He made this clear today. It is worth noting that since Rebuilding Ireland was announced, more than 1,200 families have exited or have not entered homelessness. They have been prevented from entering hotel accommodation. They have been provided with alternative accommodation. That is a very significant number. It is important to say also that right now 650 homeless families are being accommodated in commercial hotels, but it is a reduction, which is going in the right direction, from the number of 871 recorded at the end of March, particularly against the background of the significant number of homeless families who have presented over recent months. The delivery of some of the accommodation solutions will extend beyond the 1 July deadline, but it is a considerable achievement now to have a very clear pathway out of commercial hotels for virtually all of the families accommodated in commercial hotels at the end of May.