I welcome the British ambassador and wish everybody, including our guests, a happy Christmas. I wish to use this opportunity to pass a message to the British Government through the ambassador, namely that something urgently needs to be done about the Palestine Action hunger strikers whose lives are in danger because they protested against the genocide in Gaza and are being treated in an absolutely brutal fashion.

Hear, hear.

I corroborate the call to act on behalf of the Oireachtas TV workers. This issue has been raised with the Government on several occasions. It is shameful that the workers are laid off during the summer and at Christmas, particularly when they are responsible for broadcasting the proceedings in these Chambers.

Christmas should be a happy time. For many, it will be a happy and joyful time. As has been said, however, it is a time of very serious challenges, hardship or sadness for many. I include in that the 16,766 people living in emergency accommodation, those who are threatened with homelessness or people who find themselves in crisis housing circumstances. In particular, I refer here to the 5,274 children living in emergency accommodation, 50% of whom are spending their second Christmas in a row in such accommodation. A further 25% are spending their third or fourth Christmas in a row in such accommodation.

I want to put a human face on this. Saoirse and her children are spending their second Christmas in emergency accommodation. Her son is refusing to stay with her in the accommodation because it is not a home or a proper place to live. Now mother and son are increasingly separated. She has tried to take her life twice because, as she explained to me while bawling crying in front of me, she blames herself for her homelessness plight, which, of course, she is not to blame for.

Julianne and her two children, aged 15 and ten, are spending their second Christmas sharing one bedroom. She is sharing a bed with her ten-year-old son and her daughter is refusing to go to school. Julianne is also trying to hold down a job.

Caoimhe and her three children, agreed nine, four and one, are in their second period of homelessness. Her nine-year-old, her daughter, who is becoming increasingly isolated from her friends because she cannot have people over, has asked on her Christmas list for a place called home.

I could add cases of women who are experiencing domestic violence and who are terrified of their partners but who have nowhere to go because there are no three-bedroom houses available. What is the Government going to do about these people? Some 32% of those who are homeless are homeless because they were evicted from the private rental sector because the Government lifted the eviction ban. Many of the people I have mentioned could have their cases resolved if there were enough three-bedroom houses available. Developers and Government have prioritised one- and two-bedroom units instead of building family homes or buying them, if necessary, to keep children out of homelessness. Policy change could address the misery and hardship many people, particularly children, are suffering.

On the Oireachtas TV unit, we should work together on this issue. To be clear, however, it is one for the Oireachtas Commission, on which all political groupings are represented. It is not an issue of Government-----

We are not.

My apologies. Many groupings are represented, and I am sure the voices of the Deputies opposite will be heard. That is the forum at which this needs to be resolved. The Government may have corresponded previously on this with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. We should engage on this and we are happy to do so.

I thank the Deputy for putting a human face on the issue of homelessness. He was right to do so because we can lose sight of the human faces during the debate or in statistics. Mentioning the stories of Saoirse, Julianne and Caoimhe makes this matter very real to us. All of us, as TDs living in a country going through a housing emergency, could name people we know in our constituencies who are experiencing the scourge or stain of homelessness, including family homelessness. It is a stain on our society owing to the need to do much more.

The issue of people experiencing domestic violence was raised in this House not that long ago, perhaps by Deputies Farrell and O'Reilly. Reference was made to people fleeing domestic violence who seek to move from one local authority area to another. The Deputies were right that it is bizarre that someone could not take their place on the list with them. That has now been fixed, or is certainly in the process of being fixed, by way of a letter from the Minister to the local authorities. This is an example of a constructive measure we can take together. I thank the Deputies for that.

What I want people to know is that we are taking a number of measures to try to assist people in the here and now. The Deputy's point on one- and two-bedroom houses has some validity. From memory, it is a statement of fact that the huge need was in relation to one-bedroom units. It is also a statement of fact, however, that a family in homelessness requires more than one bedroom. In fairness, that is why the Minister, Deputy Browne, has put in place the ring-fenced fund to allow local authorities to acquire, at least in the first instance and here and now, larger properties. Figures I have to hand indicate we are beginning to see the benefit of this already. Fifty million euro has been allocated to eight city and county councils with the highest numbers of homeless families – people who have been in emergency accommodation for 24 months or longer, as said by the Deputy. In addition, a further €100 million will be allocated in this regard in 2026. There are some signs that the initiative is having a positive impact in that families in long-term homelessness are now being provided with homes by their local authorities. As we develop social housing, local authorities need to ensure that the mix, in terms of the number of bedrooms, is correct too.

We have provided the largest ever housing budget in the history of the State for next year. The housing plan refers to the provision of 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable housing supports, along with the overall figure of 300,000 homes.

When it comes to capital, to trying to remove blockages and to instructing, demanding, working and collaborating with local authorities in terms of zoning and providing more land, we are engaging. We are providing substantial financial support.

The amounts we have invested in homelessness prevention have prevented very many families from entering homelessness. We need to continue to do all we can on this.

One third of those who are homeless were evicted from the private rental sector.

Quite simply, they would not be in emergency accommodation and the children to whom I refer would not be suffering this hardship if the Government had not lifted the no-fault eviction ban. We have an emergency. We have the highest level of child homelessness ever. If that is not an emergency, I honestly do not know what is. The Government should reinstate the ban.

I am glad there is an acknowledgement regarding three-bedroom units. We warned the Government about this. The demand for social housing was not taking account of people who are on transfer lists, HAP and RAS. It previously understated the extent of family homelessness or the number of people in danger of it. We need to address that. The €100 million to which the Tánaiste referred represents 200 houses in Dublin. That number would only house a fraction of the number of families who are homeless and who need to get out of homeless accommodation. The amount being provided is not enough. It is in contrast with in excess of €1 billion the Government gave away in the form of €600 million for military expenditure, research and development tax credits of €305 million, €681 million for the VAT reduction in the hospitality sector and the reduction in respect of apartments that will amount to €390 million in one year. Big giveaways for developers, big business and the military are in contrast to the amount allocated to deal with family homelessness,. More needs to be done.

I find myself conflicted. I agree with the Deputy on some points but some of the others are not of a fair reflection. We have taken a number of measures to try to protect people in their tenancies. When this Government, albeit a different version, came to office in January, I do not think many people on the Opposition benches predicted that we were going to extend the rent-pressure zones, make them permanent and make them nationwide. We did that. We also brought in a very comprehensive suite of protections-----

It will do nothing for existing tenants.

-----for tenants.

Not for existing tenants.

A whole series of new measures will be coming into place for 2026, as the Deputy knows.

On the 9% VAT rate for apartments, we debated these financial resolutions here. That measure does not just benefit developers - although I am pleased it is benefiting people who are building more private apartments because we need more private supply and private investment - it also benefits AHBs. It will benefit people in the Deputy's constituency and mine who want to build apartments which will be made available to approved housing bodies and which will take people off the housing lists. I accept we have lots more to do, but it is not question of whether we should spend money on our national security or spend money on housing. This is a wealthy country which has an ability and obligation to do both.

I will finish on a note of harmony. The issue relating to three-and four-bedroom homes is a legitimate one. The local authorities and the Government recognise that. The release valve for that is the €100 million in 2026 and €50 million in 2025. The Deputy's argument that we should do more is one we can keep under review. The bigger issue, though, is that should we build more in order to make sure there is a better composition and mix of the number of bedrooms in each home built.