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The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will be remembering those who are working this Christmas Day.<\/p>\nThe Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will be remembering those who are working this Christmas Day.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said he was grateful to all who were toiling during the festive holiday.<\/p>\n
He said they would do their best to ensure anyone who needed shelter received it, in reference to the homelessness challenges.<\/p>\n
He said in the last year 20,000 new homes and apartments had been built.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there will be 20,000 families around the table on Christmas Day in a home that didn\u2019t exist a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fine Gael leader said he had a target of building 25,000 homes next year.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach added: \u201cI\u2019ll be doing something on Christmas Day but I\u2019m not ready to talk about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Christmas was a day of work for many.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people need to work Christmas Day for lots of reasons. I am grateful that they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has said the Government had introduced rental reforms and is increasing and expanding wrap-around supports in homeless family hubs.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year he said. \u201cRents are too high but we are increasing supports, which is showing results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Murphy survived a vote of no confidence in the D\u00e1il earlier this year, staving off an early General Election.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il abstained in the vote as part of the confidence and supply agreement but has renewed its attack on the Government\u2019s record on tackling homelessness.<\/p>\n
Recently the tally of homeless people increased to more than 10,000.<\/p>\n