Parents with partial custody have no rooms for kids

Almost 900 separated parents living in council homes in Dublin do not have a spare bedroom to accommodate children over whom they have part-time custody because of the shortage of housing in the city.

Dublin City Council has admitted it cannot provide extra space to “access households” because of the pressure of tackling numbers living in emergency accommodation. It is estimated there are currently 895 “access households” in the city.

The council’s deputy chief executive, Brendan Kenny, said they had to have regard to the housing available to them and to secure the most beneficial, effective and efficient use of such limited stock.