Ms Mary Hurley:

I will deal with Deputy Jan O'Sullivan's queries first. From the Department's perspective, the principle of her Bill - the prioritisation of the protection of children and families - is a key objective. What I have tried to set out are the protections and provisions in existing legislation. The 1988 Act enables local authorities to deal with families with children who present and place them in accommodation. We meet regularly with the local authorities and the regional heads to discuss the operation of the legislation, under which the local authorities are able to meet the needs of families and place them in emergency accommodation. However, the thrust of the Bill - it will be a matter for the Oireachtas to debate it - in seeking to look after families and ensuring they are in appropriate accommodation has been taken on board.

On procedures, the 1988 Act is in place and the Department issues regular guidance on how things should operate at local level when somebody presents as homeless. In Dublin, for example, the DRHE has documented procedures for what is to happen from when a person walks through the door and presents as homeless. There are various steps to be taken along the way in dealing with families who present. We work with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla and there are protocols in place, particularly on child protection. We are very focused on that issue to ensure that when families are placed in emergency accommodation, it is both appropriate and safe.

Deputy Ó Broin has raised the issue of the quality framework on several occasions and that forms part of it. The quality of the accommodation is something we focus on. The procedural operation of the Housing Act 1988 is something we focus on and the issues the Deputy raised in the Bill are ones we will work on as well in terms of the general principles. We are probably on the same page. When the Bill moves through the Oireachtas it will be up to the Oireachtas to consider it but in terms of families and children, through our work with the inter-agency group which the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, established, through the various schemes and structures with which we have to deal with local authorities and through the funding we provide for emergency accommodation, we are certainly very focused on ensuring that children should be accommodated in an appropriate manner.

Some of the questions Deputy Ó Broin raised sit well with the questions raised by Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. He raised questions about prevention in particular. With the increasing number we are seeing coming through the doors, prevention is something that we are very focused on at the moment. We are always looking at new ways of trying to prevent families from going into emergency accommodation. On the place finder service, which Senator Murnane O'Connor raised, we have offered it to all local authorities. Some 22 of the 31 local authorities have taken it up but it is there for everybody and for each local authority. We see that as being critical because with a proper place finder service in place, if people present when they get their notice to quit, they should be able to work with the place finder service to find accommodation. One of the issues I will follow up on is the issue Deputy Ó Broin raised whereby people are being told to come back a month later. That is something I will follow up on but in terms of prevention, we see place finder, and dealing with families at an early stage, as important. There are also a range of supports that have been put in place at local authority level, so that when families present there is engagement with them and with their family in situations where they are living in the family home. There are community and social supports in place as well. Prevention will certainly be something we will focus on more. There are a number of prevention actions in place at the moment but it is something the Minister is very keen that we would focus on.

On tracking the length of time in emergency accommodation, we know that 48% of families are spending fewer than six months in emergency accommodation and we want-----