Latest: The government has lost a vote calling for a better response to the housing crisis.

The Dáil vote was lost 83 to 43 with Fianna Fáil supporting the motion - which calls for the housing crisis to be declared an emergency and for rent controls to be introduced.

Opposition parties passed the motion which also says there should be an end to evictions into homelessness and an increased amount of public and affordable housing.

Myself & @bridsmithTD just signed voting sheet after our emergency housing motion in #dail was passed 83-43. big victory for 12,000 people who joined the #RaisetheRoof #HomesforAll protest- piles pressure on FG/FF to deliver money & radical change to housing policy in #budget19 — Richard Boyd Barrett (@RBoydBarrett) October 4, 2018

All of the opposition parties and the Independent TDs who are not in government including Peter Fitzpatrick who was in Fine Gael at the start of the week voted with the motion.

The motion does not have to be acted on but the vote is likely to put additional pressure on the government.

However, the vote is unlikely to lead to any substantial change in government policy.

Earlier: Leo Varadkar: Housing crisis is now an emergency

There were heated exchanges in the Dáil as the Taoiseach admitted that housing has become an emergency.

Leo Varadkar faced sustained questioning on the Government’s record on housing and homelessness with Opposition leaders attacking him on a lack of action.

He was also challenged to meet the thousands of people who had gathered outside the Dáil in protest.

Thousands of students from around the country taking part in #RaiseTheRoof rally in Dublin pic.twitter.com/NywizQhuLk — Colm Hand (@ColmHand) October 3, 2018

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin described the level of homelessness as an “appalling blight on our society”.

Mr Martin highlighted the “farcical situation” where local authorities must submit plans for any build that will cost more than €2m to the Department of the Environment.

“It is also the case with any development of more than 10 houses and it takes nearly 50-odd weeks to deliver those houses.”

“These bureaucratic delays at local authority level are farcical and they mean local authorities have an inability to get schemes off the ground,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said the Government is now spending €60m a year to put people up in emergency accommodation and has brought in a system to fast-track planning.

But he added: “Calling it an emergency does not actually solve the problem. What solves the problem is building houses, new homes and new apartments that people can live in.

“Nearly 20,000 new homes and apartments will be built in Ireland this year. That is up from 15,000 last year and 10,000 the year before.

“Fifty thousand or 60,000 people will get the keys to a new house, be able to live in it, and free up accommodation for others. That is real delivery,” said Mr Varadkar.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said the Taoiseach is living in a “fool’s paradise” and his Government had not delivered one affordable home in three years and has no affordable housing targets for next year.

“That is some fact. We propose the delivery of 4,500 affordable homes and we must call a halt to the rental crisis.

“We propose the introduction of a temporary tax relief for renters and a three-year emergency rent freeze,” she said.

Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson says the Raise the Roof housing protest 'marks the beginning of a mass movement demanding change' pic.twitter.com/wZqrkGaGE8 — RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 3, 2018

After Mr Varadkar dismissed Sinn Féin’s proposals, Ms McDonald called on the Taoiseach to join her outside the gates of Dáil Éireann to meet protesters and “to test who has credibility” on the housing issue.

Solidarity-PBP TD Bríd Smith called on the Taoiseach to instruct TDs in his party who are landlords to abstain from the cross-party motion on housing which was debated in the Dáil.

“There are at least 30 deputies who are landlords and who benefit in no small measure from the subsidies that have grown to a shocking €700m this year, almost €1bn, and probably rising,” she said.

Mr Varadkar said that the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is not a subsidy but a “payment that provides housing for people who need it and until such a time as we can build enough social housing to replace that it will be necessary”.

Calling on Government to accept his motion to have the right to a house enshrined in Bunreacht na hÉireann, Donegal TD Thomas Pringle said: “Fine Gael’s reliance on the private market and refusal to intervene has led to private interests being prioritised over the needs of individuals in this State.”