Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In dealing with pillar 1, the Minister talks about trebling the amount of rapid-build and modular units. In the short time between this proposal and the completion of the units, it has not proven to be the silver bullet promised. We were told they would cost in the region of €100,000 per unit, but the actual cost in Ballymun is €240,000.

We were told they would be provided quickly, once construction commenced. They are taking six months to provide. They are no different from conventional build. Regarding cost, time and numbers, what improvements does the Minister envisage or are provided for that will ensure they can have the desired effect originally intended, which has not proven to be the case to date?

Second, with regard to the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme and the reliance on that in the policy plan, as we all know, there is a fundamental design flaw with HAP. It forces families to make a perverse choice about whether to be immediately housed in temporary rental accommodation or hold out in the hope of a permanent home. The fact that they come off the waiting list again forces them to make a decision they should not be faced with, and we should not be in a position whereby we are putting this scheme up in lights, so to speak, and suggesting it will improve the position for many people, which it does not and cannot.

Regarding the supports for families, and particularly for children, the action plan lists a number of proposals that provide new supports for children. In particular, for the first time it suggests the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla can have a critical role to play in providing co-ordinated supports for the approximately 2,350 children in emergency accommodation as of July 2016. However, it would appear there is very little substance to such proposals. Tusla has no statutory requirements or responsibilities to co-ordinate welfare services for children and families in emergency accommodation. Is it the case that the Minister will put in place in-reach plans to allow it to co-ordinate and integrate all social services for vulnerable families in terms of managing them and reducing the risk of a period of homelessness, which has the potential to have a long-term damaging effect on a child's upbringing and further development.

A previous speaker alluded to Housing First and long-term homelessness. The Minister set out an ambitious target, which we welcome, support and hope to see realised, to triple Housing First tenancies in Dublin, for example, from 100 to 300 by 2017. It states that this will require co-operation of the Health Service Executive and increases in budget allocation, especially in the HSE service plan for 2017. Can the Minister inform the committee how much funding will be required specifically because the HSE budget for homelessness has been cut by 20% since 2012 and the drugs initiative budget has been cut by 37% in the past six years? What increases in HSE funding will be required for the Minister to meet the targets contained in this plan?

Regarding emergency shelters, the ambition in the plan is to greatly increase capacity in emergency shelters but there is nothing in the report on whether there will be new investment in emergency shelters or whether, as expected, new beds will come from better bed management, such as the Housing First initiative. Those are some questions on the first pillar.