Ms Niamh Randall:

In terms of the very immediate crisis, and homelessness in particular, the Senator may be familiar with the homelessness oversight group, which reported in December 2013. It recommended that the budgets for social protection, health, the HSE and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government be increased to 2013 levels.

We recommend that two of the budgets be brought up to 2013 levels, but without a shadow of a doubt the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government budget must be increased in light of the problems, particularly homelessness.

Before coming here, I was chatting to colleagues and there must be investment of €250,000 or more in social housing. While we must move on in terms of having some output, which will take two years, some of our focus is on what we can do with the existing social housing provision. We recommend an wider inventory of voids and some of it could be liaising with approved bodies or the voluntary sector regarding taking some of them on if the local authorities do not have the funding or resources to do so, and examining allocations and transfers. We should seek a mechanism to ensure people who are most vulnerable, and the homeless in particular, are prioritised.