I also express my sympathy to the family of Alexis Fitzgerald, in particular his wife, Mary. I knew him through UCD. I also express my sympathy to Deputy Joe O’Reilly, another UCD colleague, on the death of his mother.

I agree with Senator Paschal Mooney on the need for a debate on homelessness. I formally ask the Leader to call on the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, to immediately meet the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Críona Ní Dhálaigh, to discuss the €18.6 million shortfall in the homeless budget in Dublin city and the four Dublin county councils. I commend the work of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and the Tenancy Protection Service. In spite of very significant difficulties, they have secured housing for a significant number of people who have been facing homelessness. It is a crisis that needs further action and to be further addressed, but we must acknowledge the work that is done by the two organisations to which I referred in protecting people who would otherwise be on the streets.

We all know tht the homelessness crisis is being largely driven by the shortage of housing and high rents. I am somewhat disturbed by a narrative that is coming across to the effect that what we need to do is lower building standards in order to supply housing more quickly. With many others, I campaigned for many years to improve building standards and move us away from the 600 sq. ft. two-bedroom apartment that blighted Dublin city, in particular the centre of the city for many years, and what are now proving to be the slums of the 21st century that are being occupied almost exclusively by single parents. I bel ievevery strongly we must hold the line on building standards. Housing is for life, not for Christmas, to borrow another adage. We cannot have a scenario where poor quality housing is built now because we want to quickly increase the supply. We cannot abandon good quality building standards.