Fianna Fáil has accused the Environment Minister and the Minister for Children of abdicating their responsibility after it was revealed over 1,500 children in Ireland are living in emergency accommodation.

The party's Spokesperson for Children described the figures as "appalling" and said it will have a detrimental impact on the personal development of the children.

He said: "Last July I questioned Minister Reilly in the Dáil and asked him what he was doing to assist children living in emergency accommodation. His response was to say that the welfare of these children is not his responsibility. This fly's in the face of the comments he made before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva where he expressed his concern for homeless children.

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"The lack of action on Minister Kelly’s behalf clearly illustrates that the care of these children is not a priority for him. Just who exactly in Government is responsible for addressing the issue of child homelessness?

"Fine Gael and Labour have prioritised tax cuts for the wealthy over investment in services. They have starved local authorities of the necessary funding to invest in social housing."

(CD/MH)