The Government has once again been called to take action following the rise in the number of homeless people in Ireland.

Labour housing spokesperson, Jan O'Sullivan, called on the government to take "quick action" to give renters more security in their homes.

She said: "I am launching the Greater Security of Tenure and Rent Certainty Bill, in the context of the homeless figures published last week that showed nearly 10,000 people homeless in the country. The most shocking figure is that this includes 3,755 children, which is up 48% in the past year. There are 222 more families homeless than there was this time last year.

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"Most people who are being made homeless end up that way because their rents have been hiked or they have been put out of their private rented accommodation because their landlords have said that it is needed for a family member, that the place has to be done up or that it is being sold. The main purpose of this Bill is to address that issue. It is a really urgent and serious situation and this is something that we can do in the shorter term.

"The anxiety and misery endured by families and particularly children, has to end.

"The Constitution contains property rights but they are supposed to be balanced with social rights and the needs of the common good. I strongly urge that in the crisis we have with homelessness, the common good needs to be served by giving people the kind of certainty and security that their counterparts in the rental sectors in most neighbouring European states have but which they do not have. The simple legislation we are proposing would address that."

(CD/LM)