Last month I raised with the Minister the shocking increase in the rate of homelessness and he described the position as disappointing, regrettable and concerning. The words "shocking", "shameful" and "unacceptable" are more appropriate because the latest report on homelessness is a damning indictment of Government housing policy. More than 10,000 people are now homeless and for the first time, single person homelessness has hit 5,000. There are more than 3,000 children homeless and growing up in hotels and bed and breakfasts, robbed of a secure childhood. This is happening when there are nearly 170,000 vacant homes in the State.

The Government should be scandalised by this crisis but it is clearly not. It is the same old story. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has failed and is failing; his position is increasingly untenable. What emergency measures will the Government put in place to urgently address the homelessness crisis?

The Deputy will not hear anybody on this side of the House defending any level of homelessness and certainly not the level we are currently experiencing in our country. As a Government, we are responding with the largest investment ever in the history of the State and we will deliver approximately 10,500 public and social homes this year, of which 9,000 will be new builds. As the Deputy knows, we are rolling out for the first time cost-rental homes as well and it is great to see that happening. We will have new affordable housing options coming on stream in July in the form of the first home shared equity scheme as well.

It is a very challenging picture that we face. There is significant inbound migration with people seeking international protection separate from the whole issue of Ukrainian refugees coming to Ireland. That is placing pressure on the system. The answer ultimately is to build more homes and increase supply and that is what we are doing.