Over 1,000 children are homeless and living on the streets in Ireland.

Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Children Affairs, Sandra McLellan TD, was commenting on new figures published by the Department of the Environment, which revealed an increase of over one fifth since the beginning of the year.

She said: "The numbers show that there were 3,081 homeless people in the state in March. 1,054 were children – practically a third. This is an outrage. And yet, very little coverage has been given to this shocking news.

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"It's a shameful indication of where this Government's priorities lie when we have this many children, possibly more, living without a home. We know that the greater Dublin area has twice as many homeless people as the rest of the country.

"This is in the context of Government's proposed changes in rent allowance which are due to come into force next year. Merchant's Quay Ireland (MQI) has warned that this will inevitably increase numbers without a home. The damage caused to children as a result of being moved from pillar to post with zero security is detrimental to their social and educational development."

(CD/JP)