Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and commend him on all his efforts in resolving homelessness and the housing challenge in general. I welcome the fact the Minister is establishing an inter-agency group to look at homelessness, because we need more coherence in the sector. Does he have detailed levels of funding that are being provided to local authorities, approved housing bodies and the various agencies and NGOs? I am conscious that a lot of resources and funding are being put into the sector, and it would be helpful if we had a breakdown of that as well as guidance as to how we can improve on the delivery of the service to maximise the impact of that funding. That would be critical.

The second point I wish to make concerns housing in general. I am concerned about a cohort of our citizens who are essentially falling between two stools. First, they do not qualify for mortgages because their wages are not up to it and, second, they do not qualify for social housing. They are struggling to meet the rent due to rent pressures, especially in the rental pressure zones, RPZs. Are new initiatives being brought in to address and assist these people? The Minister mentioned affordability. I am hopeful that these affordability mechanisms, whether through purchase or rent, will be introduced to help this cohort of people. The number of them out there, and we all know them, is bringing pressure in the rental pressure zones and having a knock-on impact right throughout the housing system. If we could do something to address that cohort, it may reduce or relieve some of the pressure on rent in the RPZs.

I wish the Minister well and offer my support in anything he does.