The Minister for the Environment is being asked to urgently meet Dublin City Council and release funding for homeless accommodation.

The City Council has pledged €56 million to tackle homelessness while the Government had pledged around €50 million, or 90% of the local authority's total.

However, the Council is now understood to be facing a deficit of €18.5 million in the Government's contribution.

There are fears it will lead to some emergency accommodation for homeless people being cut by the end of the year.

Fianna Fáil's Group Leader on Dublin City Council - Councillor Paul McAuliffe - says the Government has reneged on a funding commitment:

Sinn Féin Councillor Daithi Doolan is the Chair of Dublin City Council's Housing Committee.

He is optimistic of an early meeting with Environment Minister Alan Kelly:

Sinn Féin's Críona Ní Dhálaigh was elected as the capital's new Lord Mayor at a meeting of Dublin City Council last week.

The new mayor said she wanted Dublin to be a "city of equality" and that tackling the housing crisis would be a top priority.