Professor Eoin O'Sullivan:

When we were originally devising these monthly reports on emergency and temporary accommodation, there were two essential criteria. One was whether it was section 10 funding for homeless services, while recognising that section 10 does more than just emergency accommodation, and the other was the nature of the tenancy. If people were licensees, they were counted. If they were in a hub or a hotel, they were licensees and were counted, irrespective of the nature of the physical construction of the dwelling. It is the nature of the tenancy that counts. If they were licensees, our view was that they were in emergency and temporary accommodation and should be counted. To answer the Deputy's question, the people to whom he refers are homeless according to the original definition, that is, being section 10 funded and being a licensee. Whether it is own-door accommodation or a hub does not matter. It is the relationship that the person has in terms of his or her tenancy. If the individual is a licensee, he or she is in temporary and emergency accommodation.

On the suggestion that the data be moved to a quarterly basis, there is no reason that the monthly data could not continue to be published.

There is a detailed report every quarter utilising the performance and financial reports and the monthly data to provide a comprehensive report in a way the DRHE does at the moment anyway. As such, it will be a matter of collating the data from the other authorities. There is no reason the two cannot happen. The data are being collected currently and if Ms Hurley is saying it is being enhanced, that is all the better. I still take the view, however, that the monthly data provide a useful snapshot of trends.