The extent of the homelessness and housing scandal represents a damning indictment of our society and the Government's inability to come to terms with it. There are about 5,187 adults, 1,400 families and 3,000 children homeless. The impact on the children is quite shocking. Our system to deal with homelessness is close to collapse, if an additional burden is put on existing services which are very stretched. In 2014, Fr. Peter McVerry said it was a national emergency, but it has deteriorated seriously since. It is shocking that only 638 social houses were built in 2016, of which 384 were built by local authorities. Approximately 5,800 private houses were built in 2016.

I will address the various initiatives. Rents are exorbitant. The average rent in Dublin is €1,744 per month and €1,100 nationally. At all levels of the continuum of housing policy, the position is very serious and grave and the initiatives put forward have clearly failed. The development contribution rebate scheme has produced negligible results, while the infrastructural scheme for affordable housing has had very poor outcomes and results. So far seven units have been provided under the repair and lease scheme. On the much-vaunted planning change in repect of over 100 houses, did anybody see the advertisement placed by An Bord Pleanála on 1 August apologising for the delays in planning due to an inability and lack of staff to progress and process planning applications? Above all, there is no overall focus on or plan for affordable housing. Most of those who are homeless will continue to remain homeless for an undue length of time and more people will become homeless. It is reckoned that about 90 people become homeless every month, although the Government does not publish figures any more. Likewise, for the foreseeable future most people will struggle to afford to pay rent and to buy a house unless there is a fundamental shift in policy.

Does the Taoiseach accept that the Government's policies are simply not working and have not worked for the past few years and that there is a need for radical change in the provision of both council and affordable housing? The social housing list includes about 120,000 people and only 600 social houses were built last year. People want to be in a position to afford to buy a house. Does the Taoiseach accept that there is no overall plan to provide affordable housing, either for rent or to buy?

I want to start by saying some words about Jimmy Magee. It was with great sadness that we all learned today of the death of this iconic sports commentator. His commentaries were legendary and based on a breadth of knowledge of sport that was peerless. He also had an innate sense of timing, which often meant that his descriptions of events became as memorable as the events themselves. He was part of the fabric of Irish sport and lived and breathed sport. He would talk about, reminisce and recall sports events with anyone and everyone. Although his voice may now be silent, the wonderful memories created for us by the Memory Man will live on forever.

To answer the Deputy's question, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government, I very much acknowledge the stress that is being endured by many families and people who are facing homelessness at present who are staying in emergency accommodation. As I have said previously, homelessness is a stain on our society.

When it comes to the larger issue of housing, which, of course, is much broader than homelessness, we are absolutely aware of the need to ensure that more affordable housing is available for people. It has long been the case in Ireland that those in their 20s and 30s can aspire to buy their first home. That is now increasingly difficult, not because house prices are higher than they were ten years ago but because mortgages are more difficult to get and, of course, the availability of new houses and apartments is very much less than it should be. These are issues that the Government is very much attuned to, and issues where we acknowledge that more progress needs to be made in the time ahead.

It is important to point out some of the progress that is being made. Deputy Micheál Martin accurately listed many of the problems. It is important to balance that by mentioning a little about the progress that is being made. For example, today, and indeed every working day, 80 individuals and their families will be housed by the State, that is, there were roughly 19,000 new tenancies last year. We anticipate 21,000 new tenancies this year, which is a significant response to a serious problem. Also, we have had the development of the family hubs, of which the Deputy would be aware. That has allowed us to reduce the number of children and families in bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels by almost half in the period gone by. The hubs provide much better and much more appropriate accommodation for families able to do their own laundry and cooking, etc.

We have a plan, which is Rebuilding Ireland. It is working. It is funded to the tune of €5.4 billion over the period of the plan but we acknowledge that more needs to be done. The Deputy will have heard already from the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, some of the additional measures that are taking place. For example, house building itself is ramping up considerably. We expect 2,500 social houses, that is, council houses and apartments, to be built this year. That number will rise to approximately 5,000 next year of which 3,800 will be built directly by local authorities, others will be acquired through Part V and others - long-standing voids - will be brought back into use. We are getting to the point where we are starting to see supply recover but we are very much in catch-up mode, but catch up is what we intend to do.

The Taoiseach's reply, with the greatest of respect, illustrates the disconnect between the Government rhetoric and talk and the reality on the ground. In quarter 1 of 2017, for example, how many houses have the four Dublin local authorities built between them? Nil. Zero are completed. There were 638 last year. The situation is getting progressively worse.

The first decision of the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, was to abandon the plan by his predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to end families living in emergency accommodation in hotels by July last. His very first decision was to state he was abandoning that plan. The Taoiseach will forgive me and the rest of the country for being a bit sceptical about saying the Government will reach targets. Only 25% of the 10,000 units so-called "in the pipeline" are on site - it will be 2021 before they come on stream - compared to the already too-low target of 26,000. We have got all the targets, we have got all the commitments but every year the reality falls far short of those targets. I outlined the initiatives that the Government announced over the last two to three years. The Government said these would make an appreciable difference and these would make an impact. They have made no impact. It is negligible.

I thank Deputy Martin. The time is now up.

People are in a crisis. Young couples cannot buy houses. Even the private sector is not building - the whole financial model is not right - but on the social housing front, the Government could have done something. It can do something. It is vital, both on the social housing and the affordable housing side, that there is a significant step-up in terms of house construction that the State can get involved in, and the budget should flag that and should represent and signal a significant increase in council construction and affordable housing.

We are making real progress as evidenced in the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that today 80 people and their families will be housed by the State and that there will be 21,000 new tenancies this year.

They are houses that people have left.

They are not new houses.

They are changing the name of the scheme to HAP.

There are 21,000 additional individuals and their families who are being housed this year.

There are not. They were previously in receipt of rent supplement. They are now in receipt of the HAP. The name of the scheme has been changed.

In some cases they are people-----

Please allow the Taoiseach to speak.

He finds it difficult to speak without Mr. Concannon beside him.

I see that we are going to have a repeat of the same pattern whereby Deputies will be allowed to ask questions and will be treated with respect but the minute someone gives a reply that they do not want to hear, one will be interrupted right away.

Perhaps the Taoiseach might give an answer instead of a reply.

Please, Deputies.

We will have 21,000 individuals and families housed this year. In some cases, people will be moving into newly built council houses, while in others they wil be moving into voids that have been brought back into use. Others will be housed through the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme which Deputy Micheál Martin's party supported, or the rent supplement scheme. There is a significant number of people who are being housed every year. The figures the Deputy gave, in some ways, tell the story of the progress being made. Only two years ago we were in a situation where virtually no council houses or apartments were being built. We got to the hundreds last year. The figure will be in the thousands this year and next year will be up around 3,800. It takes time to ramp up housing supply; it just cannot be done overnight, but it is something which we are committed to doing. Next year we expect between 20,000 and 25,000 houses to be built, of which somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 will be social houses which will get us back to the point - this is good policy - where roughly 20% of new housing stock will be social housing. We have a €5.4 billion funded plan to do exactly that and there will also be other measures.