Sinn Fein has said the government's housing policy is "ruining people's lives".

President Gerry Adams TD made the comments after 12 families and 30 children presented themselves at Garda stations on Tuesday, 23 May, as they had nowhere else to go.

Mr Adams said "the next Taoiseach must listen to policy alternatives for ending the housing crisis".

He said: "The government likes to pretend that the crisis is a natural occurrence, beyond the influence of government. That is nonsense. The problem was created by the actions of government. It can be resolved by the actions of government.

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"The next Taoiseach must set such an agenda within government. That is his duty.

"He must end the pretence that policy alternatives for addressing the housing crisis do not exist. He must realise the government's approach is wrong and that it is ruining lives. He must listen to what is being said, not just by Sinn Féin, but by housing advocacy groups.

"These solutions are being put forward in the Dáil on weekly basis but the government chooses to either ignore those proposals or to actively quash them.

"This is why you have families and children presenting at Garda stations with nowhere else to go. It is heart-breaking and unacceptable that children as young as nine are now reminiscing about a time when they had a home."

(CD)