Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank all our guests for the briefing they provided. My questions relate to standards of reporting and the practice of refusal, and they are for the providers. Ms Leahy spoke to the standards of accommodation being provided by both private and public operators. In her view and from her experience on the ground, are they safe environments in which privacy is given where needed and where the needs of people with disabilities and mental health issues are met?

Turning to Mr. Kenny, with respect to standards in private and NGO homeless accommodation, are inspections carried out to ensure that standards are met? If not, are accommodation providers being sanctioned? Can the DHRE provide annual reports that include financial statements with details of capital and overhead spending? This is vital for transparency and accountability.

On refusal, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the programme for Government are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to accommodation when requested. Last week, however, "RTÉ Investigates" illuminated the issue of people being refused accommodation for not being from the area or county. Can Mr. Kenny speak to this? If someone is not regularised or is without a PPS number, or for whatever reason is being refused either one night-only or long-term accommodation, what can the DHRE do to ensure that these people have safe accommodation?