Dismissive attitude from Taoiseach on being asked about children living in homelessness
Dismissive attitude from Taoiseach on being asked about children living in homelessness - The Labour Party
Labour leader Ivana Bacik TD said the failure by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to act to protect homeless children is deeply problematic.
During Leaders’ Questions, the Taoiseach said that he has no issue in “looking at” Labour’s bill to protect children from entering homelessness – but this is 8 years after it was first introduced.
Deputy Bacik said:
“On Friday we expect the Department of Housing to publish the most up to date figures of the number of people living in emergency accommodation. But already we see shameful levels of homelessness with 4,775 children in emergency accommodation. Far too many families are living in hotel rooms – and Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have failed to tackle this emergency or offer any hope to struggling families facing eviction.
“Labour introduced our Homeless Families Bill in 2017, a bill to prioritise children’s rights when it comes to families vulnerable to eviction. Not a silver bullet by any stretch of the imagination, but it would provide some help for families at risk of homelessness.
“This Bill is ready to be passed, and we have had years of supportive words about it from Government Ministers.
“Yet today, the Taoiseach says he is only willing to “look at it”, despite the fact that his party supported it in the 2016-2020 Dáil, and the most recent 2020-2024 Dáil.
“The Taoiseach, his Housing Minister and the Government seem to have thrown in the towel on any hope of addressing homelessness. The Labour Party has not been found wanting when it comes to offering constructive solutions to address this crisis, but neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil have been brave enough to take up our proposals or develop policies of their own that will really tackle the crisis.
“This cannot go on. No child should grow up without a home, and no one should be forced to sleep in emergency accommodation because of Government inaction. We need a renewed sense of urgency, and we need it now.”