Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be as brief as I can. First, I acknowledge the work that the Department has done in terms of what it has achieved, such as 3,000 exiting homelessness. Equally, however, we must acknowledge that the cumulative effect of homelessness is continuing to rise. While 3,000 exit, another 3,000 plus replace them.

On the use of hotels as emergency accommodation, is there evidence to show that we are expanding outside Dublin and using hotels in the neighbouring counties to address the homelessness crisis in Dublin? I am getting anecdotal evidence from my county that is in fact the case and that we are now moving people out of Dublin into, for example, rural areas in County Wicklow.

I agree with the policy shift to direct building housing by the local authority. However, are we just moving the same funding from one source of supply to another source of supply? Will it deliver additional housing units or is it just that the method by which they will be delivered has changed?

Why did we create the transfer list in the first place? Is it that we are trying to present figures in a different way, which makes the crisis worse, because their long-term housing needs have not been met?