Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has just survived a motion of no confidence in the Dail.
The Minister was saved by TDs who voted by 56 votes to 53 against the motion, with 35 TDs abstaining.
It is the second time in just over a year that opposition politicians have called for his head through a motion of no confidence as homeless figures soared to their highest level ever.
There are now a record 10,514 people homeless in Ireland, including over 3,800 children.
Murphy is now facing mounting calls to quit. Tony Walsh, the founder of the Feed Our Homeless charity, said: “These latest figures are disgraceful to say the least.
Month on month year on year the numbers of individuals and families and also children entering into homelessness has constantly risen.
“Nowhere near enough housing units are being built to meet the needs of people and families who are desperately waiting on a place to call home.
“The numbers of homeless children living in hotel emergency accommodation for long periods of time is totally unceptable. Thousands of homeless children will spend this Christmas in a hotel room which is unacceptable.”
Mr Murphy survived through a combination of Government and some independent TDs voting against the motion, along with Fianna Fáil crucially abstaining.
