Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

While I would welcome a clear definition of "homeless person" I am not sure if we should accept all the definitions proposed in amendment No. 32. What is the current definition of "homeless person"? Does it merely mean a person who sleeps in a night shelter or on the street? Within a half mile of Leinster House one can see ten or 15 people asleep in doorways and other locations. Is a register kept of homeless people? We should be careful in adopting legislation which gives an overly broad definition of homelessness.

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