Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)

I really feel like the Department is missing a trick there. Bear in mind the first child who was left in emergency accommodation in the State, in a hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation or wherever the Department is putting them, was over 20 years ago. There is a big time lag there. I am very concerned that the numbers who are being excluded are actually growing. It might make the child poverty targets look a little bit easier to reach but actually that cohort are being left out. To be fair, I understand that Mr. Egan does not set policy and I completely get that, but at this stage, to be just looking at that is important. Will Mr. Egan give us an idea if he intends to incorporate those kids into any of the statistics? They really are left out.