New official figures have sparked a renewed call for an emergency response to tackle Ireland's homelessness crisis.

The Department of Housing's October homeless report shows both single person and family homelessness surge to an all-time high of 11,397 people, including 3,480 children.

Calling for urgent action, Sinn Féin representative Eoin Ó Broin TD said: "While the winter ban on evictions, introduced from November 1st, will provide some temporary relief for those who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, it will not solve the underlying problem.

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"The Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien must introduce an emergency package of measures to both reduce the numbers of people presenting as homeless and to speed up people's exit from emergency accommodation.

"Failure to do this will lead to a cliff-edge for many single people and families with children when the eviction ban ends in April.

"Any emergency package of measures must include a more aggressive tenant-in-situ scheme; up-front funding to councils to bring vacant and derelict homes into use more quickly; use of high quality modular building technologies; and emergency planning powers. 

"The aim must be to bring on-stream several thousand units of social housing in an accelerated timeframe, and then to continue to increase and accelerate the delivery of social and affordable homes."