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

I thank the Minister for the presentation and for the information. There are three sets of questions. With respect to the homeless Supplementary Estimate, is all of the additional €60 million going to the Covid-related provisions, as the Minister outlined, or is there an opportunity for some of that funding to address some of the other specific issues that have arisen this year? Obviously, there is the issue of the very significant increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness who have died, with over 50 reported so far this year. There is also significant concern about the lack of inspections of emergency accommodation, particularly in the private sector, and questions on and criticism of the quality of some of that. It is also important to say that while the Minister is right that, on paper, there is capacity in the system, part of the difficulty is that some of that capacity is in the lower threshold hostels, and people who, for example, have gone through detoxification or who have significant mental health problems may not feel safe in some of that emergency accommodation. Could some of the €60 million be used for that?

With respect to Irish Water, part of the difficulty is that Irish Water’s funding position this year was already negatively affected by a cut of almost €100 million from its capital funding for other reasons last year, and there is also the €50 million in lost commercial rates revenue. Therefore, while the additional money the Minister is providing today is welcome, as well as the stimulus, the fact is that Irish Water is €150 million worse off this year than it would have been if not for the cut and Covid, and only €72 million of that money has been replaced. We see today the EPA report which again, after four, five or six years in a row, has pointed to very slow progress on addressing raw sewage being pumped into some 34 rivers, waters and lakes. How does the Minister feel that funding is going to address those problems?

Does the Minister have a date for the publication either of the affordable housing programme or the legislation? Has he any concern about the reports in today's newspapers that Dublin City Council has proposals to deliver so-called affordable housing at Oscar Traynor Road ranging between €325,000 for a one-bed and €380,000 for a three-bed, taking into account the purchase price and the serviced sites fund. It is working in the context of help-to-buy, even though there is no guarantee help-to-buy will exist when those homes are ready.