Ahern says warm climate causes homelessness

Minister for Housing Noel Ahern commented, during a discussion on homelessness at a debate in Trinity College that "it's too cold to sleep rough in Sweden".

Noel Ahern explained the remark "wasn't a slag of homeless people as such; it was a slightly flippant remark in relation to why Sweden was popping up so often."

Why is the Minister for Housing making flippant remarks about homelessness at Christmas?

When he flies by the homeless in his Ministerial Mercedes does he look out the window at these people and wonder if only it was colder there would be no homelessness?