Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Can I move on to two issues, namely, the one-bed units and HAP. The one-beds units are crucial to resolving this issue. All of us know that. We are aware of very successful cases in which homeless people have been placed in senior citizen complexes, particularly in the Dublin City Council area. Will the city council use the new single-stage approval process, for up to €6 million, to provide single-bed, senior citizen-type accommodation, particularly aimed at homeless people but also for the sector more broadly?

On the second issue, Dr. Burns might be able to comment. Half a billion euro is being spent on the housing assistance payment, HAP.

It is amazing that the people we use to negotiate that procurement are the most vulnerable in our society - the people with least capacity. I am taken aback that the State, the local authorities and some of the agencies have not come together to use HAP as a vehicle to fund more permanent accommodation. Has that been explored? I appreciate that HAP is not a solution and needs to be phased out. As a way of immediately funding the development of homeless accommodation it would be an available tool.