Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the homeless figures, the Minister was wrong to state certain numbers that were being accounted for without checking the full facts. That was poor on his part.

With regard to RAS, many contracts are expiring and others are being terminated. Tenants in the Dublin City Council, DCC, area, in particular, are finding that the scheme cannot deliver them another place or even deliver local authority housing. A commitment was made that those who came off the scheme would be given a local authority house or another place but that is not being lived up to. The suspicion is that some landlords are trying to sell off the houses because the rents are restricted to a 4% increase on a yearly basis. Local authorities have tried to buy them from the landlords and, in most cases, they have failed. Some tenants are sitting it out in the accommodation when their contracts are up. In north Dublin, I am told more than 100 tenants are on the RAS list. Does the Minister take this figure into account?

When concerts or events are held in Dublin, homeless people who self-accommodate in hotels and bed and breakfasts find it impossible to do so. Recently, I had a family of four in my clinic who had been told that they could go to Carlow to get a place. They are homeless and have nowhere to go. It is crazy that this is happening. Are they included in the homeless figures? They could easily be described as not being homeless because many of them sleep on floors and couches of other people to accommodate themselves, which is terrible. The homeless section of the local authorities does not deal with many of the families that are self-accommodating; Focus Ireland looks after them. These families can only ring at 4 p.m. to find out if accommodation is available for them. They are in no man's land for the entire day and it is scandalous that this is happening. That needs to be examined. We cannot leave people day after day having to make a telephone call to find out where they can go. They are running around with their children and they have nowhere to stay. It is crazy and something needs to be done about that.

With regard to rapid builds, the target is 1,500 for 2018 but the Department is way behind and there has been a huge slowdown. A total of 16 infill units are being built in Rathvilly Park, Virginia Park and Valley Park in Finglas. Is there a resources issue or is there a shortage of firms to build them? If that is the case, a way must be found to contract builders to construct them faster. It is good quality housing and I have seen the units in St. Helena's Drive, Finglas and Balbutcher Lane, Ballymun. People have praised them. The Minister needs to ratchet this scheme up.

There is a big problem when people end up on the HAP homeless list. The time they are on the list is a problem. If they end up homeless, is the time they are on the list backdated? A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a person who was seventh on the DCC list but that person is now 60th on the list, which is crazy. At that rate, people will never be housed.