Rose Conway-Walsh: Warns of Child Homelessness Crisis
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised the government for failing children amid a child poverty and homelessness crisis and urged urgent action. She cited record emergency accommodation figures, ESRI research on child poverty, and called for the reinstatement of tenant in situ.
Record child homelessness
The number of children experiencing homelessness reached a new record with over 5,000 children in emergency accommodation, she said. That figure does not count children living in overcrowded, impossible situations. She noted that 226 of these children come from the west of Ireland and many come from her own constituency in Mayo, and that families and children are frightened of losing their homes.
Impact on children's wellbeing
She warned about the consequences of poverty and homelessness on children's physical health, mental health, anxiety, developmental delays, education and lower attainment. She highlighted the isolation, stigma and reduced self-esteem that persist beyond age 18 and leave lasting scars and narrowed life choices.
Government responsibility and political critique
She criticised government speakers for citing economic statistics while child poverty rates reach crisis levels and show no sign of improving. She said that if the government runs its full term every child in Ireland will have been born and grown up under a Fine Gael government and asked why future generations must endure these conditions. She thanked Labour for bringing the motion to the House.
Policy plea to the minister
She urged the minister to reinstate tenant in situ, making an emotional plea and repeating "please, please, please." She called for immediate measures to stop children being pushed into poverty and homelessness and to protect families in her constituency and across Ireland.
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Minister, no child in Ireland in 2025 should grow up without a home and without hope for the future. If this government runs its full term we will have every single child in Ireland will have been born and grown up under a Fine Gael government and thousands of those children who are children now are going to look in the years ahead and they are going to ask why. Why did this happen? Why did I have to grow up in these circumstances? The government benches opposite are at pains to tell us how well the economy is doing, reciting statistics on low unemployment, on GDP and economic growth, when in reality the levels of child poverty have reached crisis levels in Ireland and show no sign of improving, in fact quite the opposite. Just last month the number of children experiencing homelessness in Ireland reached a new record with over 5,000 children in emergency accommodation and that does not count all of the children who are in overcrowded, impossible situations. 226 of these children come from the west of Ireland, many of them come from my own constituency in Mayo and the impact of all of that and the impact of what they are experiencing in being pushed into poverty and being enforced into these situations on their physical health, on their mental health, on their anxiety, on their developmental delays, on their education, on lower attainments. How in the name of God is a child who has grown up in homelessness or in impossible situations or in poverty supposed to compete with those on the other end of the scale who can afford grinds, who can afford everything else that they need in order to be able to get the best life chances? They cannot compete and the reason they cannot compete is because of the failure of the governments through all of their childhood that have pushed them into these situations. The isolation, the stigma, the impact on self-esteem of poverty and children, it does not just stop when somebody comes to the age of 18. It continues on beyond and beyond that with the reduced life choices, with the widening inequality, leaving scars on those children for the rest of their life. I want to thank Labour for bringing forward this motion today. Research from ESRI revealed that one in five children are now living below the poverty line once housing costs are factored in. Minister, if there is one thing that you can do, can you please, please, please reinstate tenant in situ. Right now I am standing here and there are children that I am dealing with in my constituency who are frightened of losing their home.
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