Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be on the committee. I want to make sure everyone is clear that homelessness is not confined to Dublin. It is also an issue in the regions and small towns. I agree with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan that we do not need to talk about what the problems are. From now on, we need to try to come up with a few solutions. It will not be easy, but if we all work together and put our collective brains together, we should come up with something to help matters. While we need to concentrate on the short term, we also need an overall policy for the future. Housing should not be provided as a knee-jerk reaction to demand; it should be planned for with an eye on what will be needed in the next ten years.