Alan Kelly warned Enda Kenny of Christmas homelessness in October

Environment Minister Alan Kelly warned the Taoiseach in October that failure to tackle the country’s unprecedented level of homelessness would leave families without a roof over their heads for Christmas.

Mr Kelly issued the warning two months before Enda Kenny told the Dáil there was no reason for anyone to sleep rough in Dublin over Christmas unless they wanted to. Despite Mr Kenny’s assurances, charities estimated 1,000 children under eight were left homeless over the holidays.

In a letter to the Taoiseach on October 2, Mr Kelly and junior minister Paudie Coffey said there was no indication that the crisis would ease before the end of the year and warned that while intervening in the property market was not without risk that “the risk of doing nothing is far greater from a social and economic perspective”.