The Government amendment to the motion is an insult to the more than 7,000 families who received notices to quit in the first three months of the year and the thousands of families who received such notices at the end of last year. Those people are facing eviction and do not know where they will be in four, five, six, seven or eight months' time. They are asking where they are going to live and where their children will play and go to school. The Government claims the figures in March were not as bad as previously. It pats itself on the back in relation to tax breaks for developers and speculators who have apartments that already were profitable. Can the Minister of State imagine how those families feel hearing that? Where is the justice and fairness? I can imagine how those 7,000 families felt when they read at the weekend that the CEOs of some of these development companies earn and take bonuses of €41 million. Where is the fairness in that? A mother contacted me to say, "Every day, I search for somewhere for us to live and, every night, I lie awake and wonder what will happen to my little boy if I cannot find a home in time". How must she feel hearing about that €41 million? I have heard from a pensioner who has worked all his life and is now facing eviction. How can we live in a country where people work all their life and are made homeless when they come to pension age? How can that be right? Another man who contacted me is working two jobs but cannot keep a roof over his head and does not know where he will go when his eviction notice expires. There might be a gravy train for developers, speculators and investment funds but where is the gravy train for ordinary people? In fact, they do not even want that. They are just looking for a roof over their head. We want to put people first. If Sinn Féin were in government, we would stop homelessness and stop this craziness. We put families and people before investors. It is as simple as that.

Sentiment score: -0.02