Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-18
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

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.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-18