Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I have three follow-up questions, two of which are related to the issues raised by Deputy Casey. One of the interesting questions about the figures on the number of people who exit from homelessness is the number who end up back in emergency accommodation. Professor Eoin O'Sullivan has produced some interesting research in which he tracks, on a monthly or quarterly basis, the number of people entering emergency accommodation who are first-time occupants of emergency accommodation as opposed to people who had presented previously. It may be worthwhile for the Department to link into and publish this research and information on people exiting emergency accommodation, for example, on how long they exit for and the propensity of people to return to emergency accommodation.

On the housing assistance payment, the Minister referred to many people liking the HAP option. I am interested in finding out on what research he bases that view given that the majority of people entering HAP supported accommodation opt to be included on the HAP transfer list. This suggests they are keen to secure more permanent accommodation.

When discussing HAP, we also need to discuss the rental accommodation scheme, leasing and rent supplement, even if the numbers of people on rent supplement are meant to be declining and leasing, because all of these schemes subsidise private rental accommodation. By the end of Rebuilding Ireland, more than 100,000 people will be living in the private rented sector and receiving social housing support subsidised by the State. The figure will be the highest in the history of the State and will account for one third of the total social housing tenancies if one includes all the social housing that will be added to the existing stock. Part of the problem is that the legislation is designed in such a way as to indicate that the social housing need of these households have been met, which suggests it is permanent, whereas the experience of those living in private rented accommodation and receiving social housing support is that it is temporary.

As I state probably every time we discuss the HAP, I do not propose to get into an argument with the Minister about the scheme because we have fundamentally different views on it. However, if he accepts that people can move into council housing from HAP supported accommodation, he should ensure they are given access to choice based letting and the principal means of allocating social housing. This would clearly show whether people want to move out of HAP supported accommodation.

At what point will the Minister be able to provide figures on the cost of the affordable housing units in Dublin that will benefit from the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF? While I accept that contractual and confidentiality issues arise, I am sure the figures will be provided at some point. Can the Minister provide them now or must we wait until a later stage?