Sinn Féin junior spokesperson on Housing, Dessie Ellis TD, has said that the government must take immediate action to address the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.

Figures recently published by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government show a record high of 6,525 people now in emergency accommodation.

Speaking today Deputy Ellis said:

“These figures are further evidence that the housing and homelessness crisis is getting steadily worse. The number of people in emergency accommodation has increased by 40% since last year.

“Worse still, there are now 2,348 children in emergency accommodation and 1,130 families. This is year-on-year increase of 70 and 72% respectively.

“These are damning figures. While the government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness contains initiatives to provide supports for families with children in emergency accommodation, how these supports will be funded is not clear.

“Though the plan was launched with much fanfare in July, it needs to be implemented with immediate effect as the crisis continues to spiral out of control with every passing month. Our most vulnerable citizens deserve to have their right to housing met.”

Sinn Féin TD for Dublin North West, Dessie Ellis, said that “Greyhound waste management company is leading Minister Coveney and their customers on a merry dance in relation to their price plans”.

Deputy Ellis highlighted the fact that some customers will have to pay twice in one calendar year for a yearly contract with Greyhound, going against the agreement to postpone proposed bin hikes in June.

Deputy Ellis said:

“In a reply to a Parliamentary Question that I asked last month, the Minister said that Greyhound’s approach is “out of step with the arrangements made by other collectors in the industry”. The Minister also said that he was “informed that a large number of customers have already been in contact with the company to indicate that they wish to retain their current price plan arrangements”.

“While this is true, it denies the reality for the majority of their customers. in terms of fees. The company in question is crediting customer accounts for fees pre-paid for the period after 1 July 2016, while at the same time requesting customers to enter a new annual contract from 1st  August 2016.

“By crediting customers again on August 1st, Greyhound are not charging extra, but the result of this is that customers will have to pay twice in one calendar year for a yearly contract.

“So in reality, any customer who paid their yearly charge last January now needs to enter another yearly contact in August, and pay now to continue their current plan – which they are compelled to honour until August 2017. More importantly it places a burden on those who can’t afford to pay.

“With no option for instalments or no bin waiver, many people including pensioners who have budgeted and paid their waste charges for the year last January, now have to find another sum of money to stay on their existing plan and cannot shop around for a better price.

“As the Minister said in his answer to me, this approach is out of step with other collectors. I would contend therefore that it is out of step with the spirt of the agreement entered into with the Minister himself.

“What have Greyhound to do to force the Minister to act to stamp out these sharp and customer unfriendly practices? It’s time the Minister called Greyhound to heel and force them to engage properly in the agreement agreed in June. “