Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I apologise for being late, but the Cabinet meeting did go on a bit.

Last week Senator Jennifer Murnane O'Connor spoke about the homeless persons in hotels targets not being reached. Obviously, it is one of the first issues I have had to confront since being given this brief. The first target is to ensure new families who find themselves in the precarious position where they have to present as homeless will not be accommodated in hotels. That should not be the first response for them. The other target we have to meet is moving those families who are currently homeless and in commercial accommodation out of hotels. We have two competing targets which we are trying to meet.

I met the local authorities last Friday to again go through the numbers of new presentations this month. We spoke about finding a pathway for families who were still homeless and in commercial emergency accommodation. At the end of May, the figure was around 650 and I wanted to see what the solution for each of them could be. To understand it, I will continue to engage with the local authorities every day this week. I am due to meet them again tomorrow. There are a few commitments I have asked them to meet in working with me to have further clarity and provide more certainty for those families who find themselves in this difficult position. Up to 50 families will be accommodated in the Mater Dei centre. That is a first, not a last response. It is far superior to families being in hotels and emergency accommodation. Once we have them in a hub, we can provide wraparound supports and see them progress towards a more permanent solution which is more sustainable for them.

Senator Jennifer Murnane O'Connor said rural Ireland had been forgotten in the provision of housing in general and that the level of homelessness was just as bad outside Dublin. Unfortunately, when we look at the figures for homeless families, 85% of the problem is in Dublin, but that is not to say there are no supports available through the local authorities. If the Senator believes her local authority was falling down in a specific area, be it in the case of the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme, families or homeless persons with certain needs, she should let me know. Because of the constant interaction I have to have, if I have intelligence from Members, it would be helpful. We have schemes such as the buy and renew and the repair and leasing schemes, with which the Senator is familiar. I have looked at the figures for these two schemes and there is scope for significant improvement. In the coming months we can get the word out about them, linking with similar schemes which will come through under the vacant homes strategy which will be published later and as part of which, there will be a focus on the direct supply time measures.

The provision of hubs is being advanced in Limerick, Cork and Kildare. The housing assistance payment scheme for homeless families was rolled out recently in Cork where a place-finder was also put in place. There is no intention to have a hub in Carlow specifically. We are using other social housing mechanisms and the housing assistance payment scheme in this regard. If the local authority wants to approach me about the creation of a hub and believes it is necessary to do so, I am open to it. Again, the first target we need to meet is ensuring families who present as homeless are not accommodated in hotels.

I am very much open to that if it believes it is necessary.

The first target we need to meet is making sure families who present as homeless are not being accommodated in hotels. If there is a feeling in the Senator's local authority area that a hub is needed so families do not have to go into hotels, let us explore that.

Concerns were raised about the HAP scheme in general and about people being able to avail it. Considerable work has been done on this in recent months in regard to the new supports. I believe 350 people or households have been accommodated each week through the HAP. We launched an education initiative on the HAP for landlords so they could gain an understanding of their obligations and responsibilities, in addition to the benefits that accrue for them under the scheme, including greater resources in respect of what the market price might be and also the consistency that can be achieved in terms of the tenancy because of the payment being made through the local authority. As with everything, we keep these matters under review. If the Senator is worried about a particular issue in her local authority area, it is very easy to deal with specifics and to get working on them.

The Senator referred to a women's refuge in Carlow. That is the responsibility of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.