The environment minister has admitted it's "unacceptable" that over a thousand children, under the age of 8, will be homeless this Christmas.

Alan Kelly was reacting to preliminary figures from Focus Ireland which shows that over 1,600 children are in emergency accommodation this week.

Of those, just over 1,000 are aged 8 or lower.

Kelly's handling of the situation has been attacked by opposition parties - but he's being defended by the group who compiled the figures, Focus Ireland.

It says the figures are "deeply shocking", but believes the delay in dealing with the crisis is down to resistance within cabinet.

Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly filed this report for Today FM's National Lunchtime News: