As temperatures fall below freezing this week, the plight of our homeless citizens, particularly those forced to sleep on the streets, takes on an even sharper focus. Today, there is a day-long protest outside the Dáil organised by My Name Is, and I commend all those involved. They are holding this protest because they care and because the Government is refusing to take the necessary actions to end this scourge on our society.

Homelessness in this State is now at emergency levels. It is an alarming reality that over 8,000 of our citizens, including in excess of 3,000 children, are homeless as Christmas approaches. Eight people have died on our streets since August and that is not acceptable by any standard, any measure or statistic or any report - national or international - that the Taoiseach may reference. Imagine being without a home at any time. Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin, mar a deirtear sa Ghaeilge, go háirithe le linn aimsir na Nollag. Imagine not having a home or even a stable at Christmas. There are parts of this State where there are no emergency beds and no facilities that are suitable for some of our citizens who are forced to sleep on the streets.

The Taoiseach often claims that no one in this Dáil has a monopoly on compassion and that is true. There are also complexities to all of this. However, there is nothing as complex as the issues a homeless person faces in the struggles of his or her daily life. Results count, Taoiseach. The Taoiseach leads the Government. A truly compassionate Government would implement compassionate policies that would make a real difference to the lives of homeless citizens.

The Housing Agency has been offered 1,800 vacant, turnkey-condition homes to purchase in the past year by banks, funds and other sources. They could be bought and families could move into them immediately but, of these 1,800 homes, the Government has agreed to buy only 600. I accept that perhaps not all of the homes are suitable but it is hard to believe that 1,200 are unsuitable. I do not believe the Government thinks that there is a housing emergency. If it did believe it, it would not waste any opportunity to house citizens. People are dying on the streets and children are spending their childhoods in emergency accommodation, while families are losing hope on housing waiting lists. Can the Taoiseach explain to the Dáil why the Government is purchasing only 600 of the 1,800 homes on offer? Can he also explain why it has taken so long to purchase and allocate to families the homes it has bought? What is he going to do to ensure that no citizen is forced to sleep on the streets?

I will have to come back to the Deputy on the detailed numbers relating to those homes. I think they were some time ago and, if I recall correctly, a number of them were not in areas where there was a high level of demand for social housing. As a result, they were not all suitable for social housing. I will certainly get the details on that and give the Deputy a detailed answer by correspondence.

The Government cares a lot about homelessness, not just at this time of the year but at all times of the year. As Taoiseach, I care a lot about it too and, as I have said before, I consider homelessness to be a stain on our society. We need to do everything we can to reduce it - and eliminate it if possible - in the months and years ahead. In the past week or two, I visited a family hub to meet some of the homeless families who live there. I also met some rough sleepers to try to understand a bit better their experience and what they face. Among the actions the Government is taking is an €18 million increase in the budget for homelessness services next year, bringing the total up to €118 million. The number of families in bed and breakfast establishments and hotels is down substantially from when it peaked last spring as a result of the development of family hubs, of which there are many more coming on stream. An additional 200 emergency beds for rough sleepers are being put in place in the coming weeks to ensure that there will be a bed available for everyone who needs one - not just at Christmas but into the new year, over the winter period and into spring and summer. A particular effort is being made to encourage people to use these new beds, which are in single and double rooms and not dormitories.

On Sunday night, which was very cold, an analysis was carried out and major efforts were made in the Dublin region by the staff of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and others to make sure all rough sleepers had the option of emergency beds and ten beds for females were unused, while there was one male bed vacancy. No one was not placed. As recently as Sunday night, there was adequate capacity in the system to provide an emergency bed in Dublin for every man or woman who wanted one.

It is not only a Dublin problem.

We will continue to increase capacity in the next couple of weeks so we can ensure that there will be an emergency bed available for anyone who needs one.

The fact that the Taoiseach is not able to answer my question underlines the case I made, which is that the Government does not believe there is an emergency in the context of homelessness. This is the second week in a row the Taoiseach has not been able to answer a question. Last week, I asked about services for citizens with mental health problems. The figures I gave him are absolutely up to date. In the past year the Government was offered 1,800 homes. Fact. It only took up 600 of them. Fact. I asserted that over 8,000 people are homeless and that 3,194 of them are children. There are 300 more children in emergency accommodation than there were when Deputy Varadkar became Taoiseach. The situation has not got better; it has become worse. Can the Taoiseach explain to the Dáil why the Government is purchasing only 600 of the 1,800 homes on offer? If he cannot do it now, will he make a point of coming back into the House to do so? Can he also explain why it has taken so long for the Government to allocate to families the homes it has bought?

We all know how politics works. If the Deputy genuinely wanted an answer to that question, he could have got it by tabling a parliamentary question to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.

He did but the Minister did not answer the question.

I did.

That is how one gets an answer to a question of that nature.

If you are going to ask a question without any notice to me on Leaders' Questions then obviously-----

That is the idea. That is what Leaders' Questions is for.

If the purpose of the Deputy's question was actually to get an answer he could either have given me notice of the question or he could have put it down as a written parliamentary question to the line Minister.

That is exactly what Leaders' Questions is for.

That is how one gets an answer to a question if one genuinely wants an answer.

Stop whining and do something about it.

I will give the Deputy the best answer that I can give him-----

Generally the purpose of a question is to get answers to it.

-----and that comes from the Housing Agency, which is purchasing 600 of the homes mentioned. The Minister with responsibility for housing has already committed to Sinn Féin that he will examine the other homes to establish why the Housing Agency did not purchase them. The Housing Agency is the expert body when it comes to this matter and it is its advice that is followed as to whether houses are suitable for social housing or not.

As I say, this matter has been raised with the Minister with responsibility for housing already and 600 of those homes are being purchased.

I told you that, Taoiseach.

We have agreed that we will examine the others to see why they were not suitable for purchase. I point out once again the contradiction in the position that is being put to us here again by Sinn Féin. Only last week and the week before we got criticised for buying homes. We were told it does not count and all that matters is houses that are built directly by local authorities-----

That is simply not true.

-----and they are the only ones that count. If they are not directly built by local authorities they do not matter.

The Taoiseach said that to Deputy Ruth Coppinger last week.

The consistent argument from Sinn Féin for two weeks was that we should not buy houses from developers-----

The Taoiseach's nose is getting bigger there.

-----and only direct builds by local authorities count, and then it turns up the next week wanting to know why we are not buying more houses from private developers. This is a party that is all over the place on everything.

That was not very impressive, Taoiseach.