Ms Mary Hurley:

I will speak on two pieces before I hand over to Mr. Kelly to talk about the Garda stations.

On self-accommodation, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is very clear and strong in saying that we need to reduce the amount of self-accommodation. We need to bring that right down. We are all agreed on that. That is why he has been driving a very ambitious hub programme, particularly with the Dublin local authorities over the past few months. We are working with the Dublin local authorities to try to put in place a robust programme around hubs. That means that when families present they are not going to try to self-accommodate themselves or directly into a hotel. We are all agreed that self-accommodation is something we need to bring to reduce and bring to a close.

On capacity during August, the Minister put in place a working group around the Papal visit. We knew we were going to come under significant pressure during August in respect of accommodation and visitors and tourists coming into the city. We put in place and brought forward a number of contingency rooms and beds for people who would present. They are still in place so there is capacity. Only this week we discussed this with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, which has confirmed that there is capacity for families who present at the moment. That additional accommodation we brought in during August is still in place. It is saying it can accommodate people who present now. If people present early, it makes it easier to place them. It is the late presentations that create significant challenges to the system, when somebody comes in late in the evening, and people are trying to find accommodation for them. There is spare capacity in the system at the moment, as confirmed by DRHE. The working group the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, established around additional accommodation and beds has really paid off because we have retained the accommodation in the system so there is capacity. I checked this morning and there is those spare rooms in the system.

I will pass over to Mr. Kelly now. We are all on the same page as to self-accommodation which is why the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is driving the ambitious hub programme. As to capacity, nobody should have to spend the night in a Garda station as we have the capacity in the Dublin region at the moment in terms of beds, and that is where the pressure is.