Former minister of state and key Fianna Fáil adviser Martin Mansergh has died aged 78.

Mr Mansergh was elected as a senator from 2002 to 2007 and as a TD for Tipperary South from 2007 to 2011.

He served as minister for state with responsibility for the Office of Public Works.

Tánaiste Simon Harris paid tribute to Mr Mansergh and said he was a person of great integrity, saying fewer people were “as consequential in shaping Irish Government policy on Northern Ireland”.

He added that “few on the Irish side were more crucial to the Peace Process, whether through his role as an intermediary or his work to craft a new political and intellectual framework for peace”.

“On a personal level I knew Martin to be a warm, generous with his time and insights, and a person of great integrity with incredible commitment to peace on our island,” he added.

Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams also paid tribute to Mr Mansergh.

“Martin Mansergh was a key figure in the efforts to build the peace process and the success of the negotiation leading to the Good Friday Agreement.

“He was one of those who met with Sinn Féin in the late 1980s on behalf of Fianna Fáil and we retained a close relationship since then,” Mr Adams said.

“Martin served a number of Taoisigh and his crucial role, along with other senior government officials, and John Hume, and Sinn Féin representatives, was in the build up to the negotiations at Good Friday in 1998 and in the work that was done after that.

“I value very much the numerous engagements that we had and the relationship that we developed as a result of that.

“I wish to extend my sincere condolences to his wife Elizabeth and his five children,” he added.

The number of homeless people in the State has climbed to another record high, now standing at more than 16,300, including more than 5,100 children.

The latest data, published on Friday by the Department of Housing, shows there were 11,208 adults and 5,145 children in homeless accommodation during the week of August 25th-31st.

These children were included in the 2,391 families registered as homeless last month.

The figures do not include rough-sleepers, those in domestic violence refuges, or the “hidden homeless” such as those sofa surfing.

The figures represent an increase of 295 people since July, when 16,058, including 5,014 children, were homeless.

In August 2024 there were 14,760 people, including 4,561 children, listed as homeless. The latest figure represents an increase of 1,593 homeless people in a single year.

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In Dublin 11,782 people, including 3,813 children, were counted as homeless last month – up from 11,567 people including 3,719 children in July 2025.

The figures for last month show that Irish-born people account for just over half (51 per cent) of all homeless adults, with the rest coming from either the EU or the UK (20 per cent) or farther afield (29 per cent).

Some 252 people living in emergency accommodation last month (2 per cent) were over 65 years of age, while 53 per cent (5,956) were aged 25-44.

A further 3,050 were aged 45-64 while 1,950 were aged 18-24.

Most homeless adults (60 per cent) were men.

The number of homeless single adults stands at 7,170, of whom 4,971 are in Dublin.

Catherine Kenny, chief executive of Dublin Simon Community, said it was not too late for those in power to take “decisive action” on the issue.

“Once again, we are witnessing record-shattering homeless figures. Tragically, we are at a stage where we have come to expect these increases,” she said.

Ms Kenny said Budget 2026 must include a clear, cross-departmental plan to tackle homelessness as a “housing, health and social emergency”.

“This cannot be solved in one year – what we expect is the start of sustained investment over the coming years. We cannot expect different results if we continue acting the same way, with housing, health, and social departments working in silos,” she said.

“We can no longer accept seeing the homeless figures climb upward every month. This has been a crisis for some time and it needs to be treated as the emergency it is.”

[ Children have ‘borne the biggest brunt’ of homelessness crisisOpens in new window ]

Pat Dennigan, chief executive of Focus Ireland, said the upcoming Government plan on housing and homelessness, due to be published in October, must be a “turning point.”

“We need more than modest adjustments – it must deliver a bold and transformative shift in housing and homelessness policy.

“The scale of the crisis demands a strategy that is ambitious, targeted, and capable of delivering real impact for the thousands of people currently without a home, and in particular the 5,145 children who are growing up in emergency accommodation,” he said.

Social Democrats TD and housing spokesperson Rory Hearne described the latest figures as “another shameful milestone”.

He noted that the figures showed 1,559 families with 3,273 children had spent longer than six months in emergency accommodation, a 246 per cent increase since 2022.

“The legacy of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments is one of complete failures to prioritise ending homelessness.

“The Coalition has failed to protect families and children from evictions and skyrocketing rents, to deliver sufficient social and affordable housing, and to invest in prevention,” he said.