Harris links housing lack to immigration in visit to Cork

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that while he does not wish “to be in any way divisive”, there is a correspondence between national homelessness figures and immigration.

Mr Harris was speaking to The Echo on Friday in Macroom, after record-breaking homelessness figures showed 16,766 people — 11,492 adults and 5,274 children — were in emergency accommodation at the end of October.

The Tánaiste defended the Government’s housing policies, but accepted that homelessness is “at an unacceptably high level, and there is a housing emergency in Ireland”.

Citing new measures in the revised National Housing Plan that relate to child and family homelessness, Mr Harris said while more social housing was now being provided than at any time since the 1970s, homelessness was still increasing.

“In the new housing plan is a request for local authorities to look at the allocation priorities for their social-housing schemes, particularly to target children and families in homelessness,” he said.

“Secondly, we’ve also brought in a new fund to allow the local authorities to purchase homes to take families off the homelessness list. I think those two things will make a difference.

“The third point, and I say this very conscious of not wishing to be in any way divisive, but the third thing is now we’re seeing in our homelessness figures, nationally anyway, a correspondence in relation to people coming to Ireland and wishing to make Ireland their home, and our homeless figures,” said Mr Harris.

“People who come to our country have every right to be treated with respect, but we do need to make sure we have a migration system that is functioning, because our population is growing at such a pace now at a time that we do have a scarcity of housing.”

“We do just need to make sure that there is a fairness in relation to all of these rules, and I think that some of the measures that [justice minister] Jim O’Callaghan has already considered over the last number of days will help ensure that we can really have a laser-sharp focus on helping those who come to our country and need assistance, ensure that we can continue to bring in the many people that we want to come to our country to work,” said Mr Harris.

“Indeed, they play a very important role in Cork’s economy and Ireland’s economy and our society, but also just to make sure that we’re not out of kilter with other European countries.”

In recent weeks, the coalition parties, and Mr Harris in particular, have been accused by opposition parties of a right-ward shift in immigration policies.