In January, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, claimed he was making progress in tackling the homeless crisis. He said the modest fall in the number of adults and children in emergency accommodation in December demonstrated that Rebuilding Ireland was working. Yesterday, the latest homeless figures from the Department showed a dramatic increase in adult and child homelessness. This is the second month there have been such increases. There are now almost 10,000 adults and children living in Department-funded emergency accommodation and these figures do not include rough sleepers, adults and children in Tusla-funded domestic violence shelters or refugees forced to use direct provision as emergency accommodation after having secured their right to remain.

More than 3,755 children slept in emergency accommodation last night, in hotels, bed and breakfast establishments and family hubs. In February 2016, at the time of the last general election, there were 1,881 children in emergency accommodation. Since then, and on this Government's watch, the number of homeless children has increased by 100%. In the past 12 months, child homelessness has increased by 50%. This Government created a stand-alone housing Department with a Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, launched - with great fanfare - a new housing strategy and claims over and over again that money is no object in tackling the housing and homelessness crisis. Month after month, however, the number of people - including children - without a place to call home increases. The Minister's claim that he is getting to grips with the homelessness crisis is simply not true and his position is becoming increasingly untenable.

The Tánaiste is a family man. Can he imagine his children living in emergency accommodation? I shudder to think of my children living in such conditions. Does the Tánaiste have any idea what two years of homelessness would do to their development? Research by Focus Ireland that was published last December details the physical and psychological impact on children of living in cramped and unsuitable temporary accommodation for months on end. On "Morning Ireland" earlier, the Focus Ireland founder, Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, said, "I have lost all confidence in this Government's ability to solve the crisis". She said that Rebuilding Ireland has failed and accused the Government of failing to protect tenants at risk of homelessness. Yesterday, the veteran campaigner, Fr. Peter McVerry, said that the Government's housing plans are deeply flawed. He dismissed it as a stack of press statements aimed primarily at presenting a positive picture. In a time of economic growth, people are asking why homelessness is rising so dramatically. The answer is that this Government is refusing to take the necessary steps to end the crisis.

My questions are simple. Does the Tánaiste accept that his Government is failing to tackle the homelessness crisis? Does he accept that what the Government is doing - and what it is not doing - is making matters worse? Will he outline what the Government will now do to get this crisis under control?

I have visited emergency accommodation and have spoked to families and children living there. As an individual and as a father, as well as a politician that has responsibility in this area, it upsets me that we have not managed to make a bigger impact in terms of the number of children and families that find themselves homeless tonight. That is why the determination of the Government to change that situation is stronger than it has ever been.

In the past year, the budget for housing has increased by almost 50%. In the previous year, it increased by 50% as well. Money is not the barrier to the provision of the resources required to deliver a social housing programme. We have committed €6 billion to deliver an extra 50,000 social houses. The issue here is the capacity to be able to deliver the volumes required at a pace that will get people out of hubs and hotels and into homes as quickly as possible. I can promise the Deputy that, in terms of policy initiatives, there is no lack of will on the part of this Government. In fact, the opposite is true. Yesterday, the figures announced showed a significant increase in the amount of homeless families. The number of homeless individuals is down, but that is not what people want to talk about. People want to focus on solving the core problem of homeless families. We have asked the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive to prepare a detailed report about what is happening over a number of months, what trends are emerging and why. If that leads to recommendations to change policy we will introduce new initiatives.

The core policy focus around Rebuilding Ireland is to deliver a dramatic increase in social housing provision, as well as ensuring that we have stable rental markets in the future so that we do not have the kind of property-driven economic implosion we experienced over the last ten to 15 years. The social consequences of the policy mistakes of that period, which we are now trying fix, cannot be allowed to happen again in the future.

In the past year, 2,000 families have been taken out of hotel accommodation and put into long-term tenancies and other, better solutions. We need much more than that, and that will be provided this year. As we progress we will see a dramatic increase in the number of social houses that are provided. Last year there were 2,245 new builds. That is almost double the amount realised in the previous year. We will probably see that figure more or less double again this year, with around 4,000 social houses being built, as well as a whole series of other solutions around voids, acquisitions, leasing and an expansion of the housing assistance payment, HAP, and the homeless HAP. The accusations around inactivity and commitment simply do not stand up.

Not only is the Government not getting to grips with the homelessness crisis, some of its actions and inactions are making the situation worse. The Government ignores the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of families out there who are barely getting by and who are just one rent increase or one financial emergency away from facing homelessness themselves. It was offered 1,800 vacant homes - turnkey properties - to purchase, and it only bought 400. It was told that it had to build 10,000 new social houses every year but has delivered just half that amount. It was asked to support Focus Ireland's amendment to protect tenants at risk of homelessness. With Fianna Fáil support, it voted the amendment down.

Every time the Government is given a solution to the homelessness crisis, it looks the other way. This is why the numbers of adults and children in homelessness has escalated under this Government. It explains why the Government's plan is being condemned by those on the front line. This was the Tánaiste's plan, and responsibility lies with both him and the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. Is he not embarrassed? Is he not ashamed? What level of child homelessness do we need to reach in this State before the Minister's position becomes untenable?

The Deputy is, as usual, trying to turn a very significant policy challenge for this House and this Government into a party-political issue.

It is a policy issue.

In terms of acquisitions, the State purchased 2,266 properties last year, which is an increase of 181% on the previous year. We are focusing on acquisitions on this year also, in conjunction with banks and with others, to make sure that we can increase the number of social housing properties in the short term. A whole series of actions are taking place. We will continue to change policy if necessary, take new initiatives and respond to problems as they arise. Nobody on this side of the House believes that the number of families and children in emergency accommodation, albeit much improved in the past number of years, is acceptable. It is not, and this Government will not stop prioritising this area until the issue is comprehensively resolved, but that will take some time.