‘You only care now because a man died outside the Dáil’

A man claiming to be homeless for eight years interrupted Environment Minister Alan Kelly as he promised to tackle the crisis last night, telling him those in power only cared now because "someone froze to death outside the Dáil".

David Finn, from Clondalkin in Dublin City, made the protest as Mr Kelly promised to ensure all rough sleepers in the capital were in accommodation “if they want it” by Christmas — and did not rule out asking Nama to fill the void.

As Labour’s deputy leader spoke to reporters outside the Custom House after five hours of intense meetings with homeless charities, opposition TDs, state agencies and local council representatives, Mr Finn shouted him down, insisting that the fact it “takes a man to die” before the homeless crisis was taken seriously was “disgraceful”.