Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

NAMA told us this morning that in Cork city, of 500 units, 309 were confirmed for demand but only 285 were delivered. In Limerick, NAMA identified 145 and 55 were confirmed but only 16 were delivered.

There seems to be something wrong with the local authorities as regards placing people in certain areas. It came up this morning that some of them were not suitable for different areas. Maybe that is something we could go back to NAMA on. It is happening in Dublin as well.

Regarding people who are sick with long-term illnesses and are homeless, something definitely needs to be done about bringing them into a nursing home situation. It is very wrong for anybody to have to spend the last moments of his or her life in a hostel. The committee should look at this as part of its overall brief.

I am very familiar with Brú Aimsir - it is in the Digital Hub. Although the committee's role is not to intervene in these things, we should not be closing hostels when they are needed and are giving a service. I would be in favour of pursuing the matter with Dublin City Council and arguing that this hostel should be left open until something else is provided in its place. I am familiar with the demand for it.

Would many of the homeless people accessing Crosscare link in with the Merchant's Quay project, which has doctors, nurses and dentists and all that? I think the Merchant's Quay project is a really good model.