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Dáil
‹ Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

Emergency accommodation and Housing for All

Summary

Deputy Murphy links the Government’s antisocial-behaviour stance to the housing crisis, citing more than 16,000 people in emergency accommodation; the Minister points to the next phase of Housing for All and recent Government action.

On a point of order, the Government did not allow a motion to be passed to be further discussed. That is not what happens. The Minister knows that. That might happen with a Bill but the motion was passed. The position of the House, with the Minister’s agreement, is these awful reactionary policies that were proposed.

The Simon Community is in the Dáil today to highlight the devastation the Government’s housing policy is inflicting on thousands of families. Over 16,000 live in emergency accommodation, including over 5,000 children, yet there is no mention of children in Housing for All and no sign of any new housing plan. There are no strategies for ending homelessness or target dates for having no children growing up in homelessness. Instead, there are piecemeal policies that will make the housing crisis even worse. Slashing funding for the tenant in situ scheme, gutting the rent pressure zones – no wonder three in five young people are thinking of emigrating. Can the Minister offer them any hope that things will get better under this Government?

Comment on this

I do not need to be lectured by the Deputy on points of procedure and how this Parliament works.

I was making the point that just because a motion was passed in the Dáil does not mean the Government was bound to implement every element of it. The Deputy knows that.

Regarding Housing for All, the Government, with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne at the heart of this, is preparing the next phase of our housing strategy. In relation to the action that is being taken, we know in recent weeks and months that due to the efforts of Government and local authorities, 8,000 families have either been prevented from going into homelessness or have been exited from temporary accommodation. However, we know more needs to be done. Too many families are still experiencing the risk of poverty and homelessness and too many children are still sleeping in conditions that the Government wants to be otherwise. When we bring forward not only the budget, but also Housing for All, that will be a key area of focus for us. In the last number of weeks, the Government made further funding available to focus particularly on families at risk of being homeless and to give them more permanent measures to avoid that trauma happening to them.

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