What is the Taoiseach going to do about it?

Not true.

It is always somebody else's fault.

Now you are blaming homeless people for homelessness. That is outrageous, Taoiseach.

The Taoiseach of the country is blaming homeless people for their homelessness. He is responsible for their homelessness. What a disgrace.

That is exactly what you are doing. You are blaming the victims of your own housing policy.

That is an absolute disgrace.

I do not want to be leader but I want to see homelessness fall. That is not happening under you.

I was provoked by the Taoiseach.

I have respect for the Chair-----

-----but I have no respect for a Taoiseach who misleads the House.

We know the figures. Government policy creates homelessness.

While I welcome the inclusion of these two counties, it has to be said that the scheme is not fit for purpose. It has been in operation for six years and fewer than 500 homes have been remediated. Despite the Minister's comment to the effect that so-called significant changes were made to the scheme to improve it in 2022, fewer families in Donegal and Mayo have applied for the scheme under the new rules rather than the old. It is not 100% and it is not 80%. In fact, tens of thousands of euro are required by homeown…

As the Minister of State knows, housing is the number one social crisis currently affecting the State and the cost-of-living crisis is the most immediate economic challenge. However, climate change represents an existential challenge, not just in this country but across the entire planet. We can see every single day the impacts in urban and rural Ireland as well as elsewhere in the world of the failure of governments, particularly those in wealthy countries, to meet their emissions reductions targets. As others hav…

Finally the Minister for housing says something about housing at the end of his speech. There was nothing to say about housing by the Minister for housing.

Hear, hear.

Tell that to families who are homeless

There is nothing new, record rents, record house prices.

Well said.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Housing Loans Regulations 2021 so as to allow applications to local authorities for housing loans by persons who are remaining in the family home following a divorce or legal separation and who need mortgage finance to buyout their former partner’s share of the family home. As the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, knows, the local authority home loan is a very valuable and long-standing support for people looking to buy their own home. A num…