Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

It is important to identify the categories of homeless and long-term homeless. There will be homelessness and nobody can prevent that. It is happening on an ongoing basis for many reasons. I will not go through them in detail but Members will be aware that it arises as a result of family disputes, health problems, substance abuse and so forth. We are focusing on people who are more than six months in short-term accommodation. I am anxious to move these people on so they can build a new life. I have set out supportive measures for the local authorities and the approved bodies in that area. Not only have I provided €66 million in 2010 but I also recently approved €60 million. I have set up two support mechanisms. In Dublin, the Dublin Simon Community will deal with people who might need some assistance for the first six or 12 months to go into a home. I have set up another group in Galway under the COPE Galway, which got the tender to deal with the issue there.

Of course, I am dependent on the local authorities and the voluntary bodies to provide the units of accommodation. I am providing funds to purchase some of those.

I am pushing to reach the target. I have great faith in the Homeless Agency, local authorities and voluntary bodies and, at the end of the year, we will see what they have done on that figure. One of the encouraging figures is that up to October this year, we had signed up 724 tenancies. A great deal of good work has been done and whatever the difficulties in this work, the people at the coal face are putting their shoulder to the wheel and I will continue to work with them.

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