Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the representatives of the Peter McVerry Trust. I am a great admirer of the work it does. I welcome the clarity it brings to the issue and the points the representatives made.

I agree with the point made about the debate we had with the Master of the High Court. To summarise what he said, there is nothing that cannot be done by the Government if it so decides in the public interest in addressing the issue of homelessness. I agree with what Deputy Barry Cowen said about the provision of legal advice. I think I also said it. If we insert that proposal as a recommendation, we will all stand behind it because it is what has to happen.

I agree with what was said about the Traveller community. What is happening is appalling. It is appalling that some counties have refused, certainly in the past three years, to spend any money on the provision of Traveller accommodation. It is a major issue and it has happened in my county, which I very much regret. We should change the law to provide that members of the Traveller community should not be moved from their accommodation unless there is a better place for them to go to that would better meet their needs.

In my community there is an increasing number of middle-aged males who have separated from their families. They have nowhere to go to and live in very poor accommodation. Some of them have family issues, while others have alcohol problems. In saying this I am not being judgmental. Although they comprise a large cohort, they have a very low priority because they do not have partners or children living with them. However, many of them certainly want to keep in touch with their children and, possibly, their spouse. I do not know if the representatives have thought of this group. They are a separate special cohort whose needs we have to address.

Another issue that concerns me constantly is that of the huge number of people who contact politicians about their need for housing. Because of the numbers involved, the local authorities do not have the capacity to advocate on their behalf. We need advocates for people living in towns and cities who are in need of housing. I am not talking about politicians but individuals who could make a professional assessment of their medical and social needs and so on. A much more integrated approach must be taken. We need to provide a far more professional service for those who are seeking housing. Do the representatives have a view on this? It is an important issue to raise. I do not want people's personal details, but I tell them that if they have a medical issue, they should get their doctor to write not to me but to the council about it. The totality of a family's circumstances is often not articulated and the local authorities as not best placed to understand this because of the pressure they are under.

As I stated earlier this morning, on the 200,000 vacant premises in the State and the 70,000 the Government has stated it wants to be made available through the rental sector, we must encourage such a move. I do not have a problem with a penalty being imposed, although I believe it was said an incentive should be given where it is not done. If we could encourage people with empty houses to sign a five-year lease to make them available under the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme, we might be pushing an open door and the houses could be released to those who need them immediately. I hope in four or five years we will have ramped up the housing construction programme to allow the people concerned to find a permanent home elsewhere if they so wish. I do not know if the representatives have a view on this suggestion.