Ms Bairbre Nic Aongusa:

The other thing we have done to address homelessness is the rapid-build approach where we have additional units over and above the units in the capital programmes of the four local authorities.

On the question of the one-stop shop, the idea of having a single authority to address housing was considered. Informally we discussed it in the Department. We considered the length of time it would take to put in place the structures for a new organisation. With agreeing budgets, agreeing structures and pulling staff in, the experience in the public service is that there was a risk that all the energy would go into creating the new structure, rather than getting on with the job.

Instead the Department without the need for formal structures has a cross-divisional team which is pulling together internally the expertise across the Department to focus on the measures required for the housing action plan and also, of course, as the Minister mentioned, pulling together all the resources across Government in the Cabinet sub-committee and the senior officials group. That is the way we are going. While I appreciate what Deputy O'Dowd said about the NBA in the past, the NBA as it existed no longer exists.