Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We do not intend to continue to rely on the private sector but have had no choice in that regard. Although money is being put back into public housing and other schemes, it takes time to get that accommodation up and running and we must, therefore, work with and rely on the private sector to a large extent in the early years. However, it is to be hoped that as we invest far more taxpayers' money into various housing solutions, we will not have to rely upon the private sector to the same extent and it will not have as much power. Senator Kelleher is correct that the figures indicate that quite a high number of families who are on the homeless list or in emergency accommodation are from a Traveller background. That is certainly the case in the greater Dublin region. It has been particularly difficult to get accommodation for those families and that is a reality with which we must try to deal.