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

The day of households is decades behind us now. We have people - kids - living two or three years in emergency accommodation or locked up in hotel rooms. I appreciate and understand what Mr. Egan is saying. I fully get that he does not set policy. However, it does strike me that 20-odd years on from the first child sleeping in emergency accommodation, the Department has had plenty of time to incorporate them into the data by whatever means. I understand the need for consistency, but if the CSO had been including them 20 years ago, we would actually have a consistent picture. These are the kids who are absolutely forgotten about, and for the very reason that is contributing to their poverty and the way they are forced to live, which is the fact that they do not have a home. Those kids are the ones who are left out. Therefore, Mr. Egan can see why I would have an issue, although I think I am not the only one who would have an issue with, it to be fair.

In terms of the Department's engagement with the CSO on this specific issue, has Mr. Egan had discussions or meetings with it and made a request that it would include it or is it just not possible? Is there another way to do it? How could that be done?