-----are of serious concern-----

-----to me and to this Government.

That is why every action we take is to increase the supply of homes - social, private and affordable - and to prevent entries into and ensure exits from emergency accommodation.

All of the data point to-----

All of the data point to a significant increase in supply. To go from delivery of just 20,000 new homes in 2021 to practically 30,000 in 2022 is significant by any yardstick. I am travelling all around the country on a weekly basis, I am meeting families-----

-----who are getting the keys of their homes. Just yesterday, I had the pleasure of opening 261 new homes in Limerick. That is 261 families and individuals who have the keys to their forever homes because of Housing for All and what this Government is doing. Last year, 10,263 families got new social homes. I met families who told me what it meant to them, and that is what matters to me, that it was their dream come true and a new start for them. And I am quoting them on that. This is progress-----

-----whether the Deputy wants to acknowledge it or not-----

-----because it simply does not-----

It simply does not suit his own narrative or his agenda because he does not want to see-----

-----progress in housing.

The Deputy has voted against every measure on home ownership. He continues to oppose schemes right across the country.

We are now able to start building at Oscar Traynor Road. The Deputy's party opposed that development for years and years and years. I commend the countermotion to the House.

I was saying there was one priority question by one Deputy.

At the start.

He came in late.

No, it is not.

I wish Deputy Gould good morning, as I was getting worried there. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle has given some latitude to allow his question, which is good. It is an important question. There is no doubt but that the continued rise in numbers accessing emergency accommodation is of serious concern to me and to the Government. I am working with the national homeless action committee to ensure we address the prevention of entries into homelessness and exits from homelessness as a matter of urgency. I chair that committe…

No, it was in January.

Sure, this is the biggest single issue we are tackling and supply is key to all of it. Deputy Gould knows this as well. To give some facts, and to look at last year, 5,478 exits from homelessness were achieved by way of tenancies being created or else people exiting into social housing. We had more people exiting in the last quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year into permanent social housing because we are building up this stock. People enter homeless emergency accommodation for many reasons. It i…

Sinn Féin would not reinstate the eviction ban and the party has changed its position on this issue three times. It has changed the dates. It has said it would extend it to Christmas this year, then 1 March, then December and then January. The reality is that the eviction moratorium gave us the opportunity to deliver more accommodation, which we did. We have debated this issue. In the last full quarter, before the introduction of the moratorium, 1,947 households and individuals presented as homeless to homeless eme…