Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is more on the database. All of those replies say that in terms of the third round of recategorisation - the July-August one - these folks are in temporary accommodation. They do not have tenancies - they are still accessing homelessness services and they are still counted in PASS. How, if all of that is the case, can they not be counted as homeless? I simply do not understand that.

Can Professor O'Sullivan, as somebody involved in this at an early stage, confirm that emergency accommodation, as in the monthly reports, includes those two types, namely, night-to-night and licensed own-door accommodation? Can he give the committee some detail on the kind of transitional accommodation that has always been included in those figures? In his opinion and that of Ms Gleeson, if I lose my tenancy and am in temporary accommodation provided under licence, accessing homelessness services, and am on the PASS system, am I homeless or not? That is the fundamental question.

The inter-agency report refers to the potential move away from the monthly figures and the need for this more comprehensive report. The witnesses rightly point out that we have a quarterly report which provides much of that data, the difficulty is that not many people pay too much attention to that, to the frustration of many of us. Do they think it is a good or a bad idea to lose the monthly reporting, and how could we improve on it?

Ms Gleeson mentioned the 210 families who seem to be in this gap between homelessness and secure tenancies. When Brendan Kenny, the head of housing at Dublin City Council, was on 'Morning Ireland' some months ago and was pressed on this question, he stated quite clearly that these people have homeless priority. They are accessing homelessness services and in his view they are homeless. Does the DRHE agree with that?

I will ask the same question I asked Professor O'Sullivan. If I lose my tenancy and I am in temporary accommodation, provided through whatever means, on the pathway accommodation and support system, PASS, and accessing homeless services to get me into permanent accommodation, am I homeless or not? That is what this committee wants to know. I may have a second round of questions, depending on the answers given.