Sinn Fein has hit out at Housing Minister Simon Coveney after he "looks set to break a key action plan commitment that pledged to end the use of emergency hotel accommodation for homeless families".

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD said the Minister is "unlikely" to meet his own deadline to ensure ensure that all homeless families would be out of hotel accommodation by 01 July.

He said: "Just over two weeks out from this deadline and we still do not know where and when the 695 families currently living in hotel rooms are going to be housed.

"Instead of investing more money in finding a permanent solution to the growing problem of family homelessness by turning around vacant homes, the Minister is now scrambling to identify any building that could be used as a family hub.

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"When the number of families in emergency accommodation continued to rise and the idea of developing family hubs as a solution to the lack of suitable state accommodation was first floated, I asked the Minister if there were plans by his Department to re-designate unsuitable hotels as family hubs.

"He did not answer my question on this last April and now via a drip feed of information in the media we know that some unsuitable hotels may be used as family hubs.

"I have consistently called on the Minister to publish in full his department's plans to house families in hotel accommodation. This plan should include a detailed timeline and should also include details on how this government plans to stem the flow of families into homelessness.

"No one should have to live in emergency accommodation for more than six months. Unfortunately, as it stands some children have spent up to two years living in unsuitable, cramped accommodation."

(CD/LM)