Mr. Liam O'Dwyer:

Yes, that is right. I will deal with the last one first because it is the easiest. As for the pledges, the figure of 35% represents just over 3,000 vacant pledges. Then there are more than 6,000 shared pledges. The figure, therefore, is in the vicinity of just over 9,000 homes available in one shape or form.

The vacant ones are available and accessible now. That is where the immediate success will come. While adults can be put into shared accommodation, the Garda vetting slows the pace down. It has to be done but it will take time and it is difficult to ascertain precisely when that will come to fruition. The withdrawals are normal. People respond immediately. The generosity of Irish people is extraordinary that way. They immediately respond and then their circumstances change, or they did not discuss it with their family first, or they decide they cannot do it for six months. We look for a minimum of six months and some people will decide to take a step back then, particularly for shared accommodation. It is better in a way that people take a step back at that point rather than having somebody in the house and then saying it is not working. Having someone, or even two or three people, in the house for that period of time takes some thinking through.

The community fora were one of the great things that came out of Covid. I know that is an awful thing to say but they brought a lot of communities together, and different players within those communities. They gave the local authorities a different focus. That is something I had not seen in local authorities before but it worked extremely well. We can see that at the moment with the Ukrainian people coming in. They are in fact benefiting from that because the various organisations are working together locally. There are some wonderful examples. There is a convent in Templemore and the community, the Red Cross and the local authority are involved in getting 30 or 40 refugees moved in there this week. It is the same up the road in Fethard, where there are 60 people. The schools have taken the children in and the local employer, Coolmore, has taken people in. Local businesspeople have funded it and then the Department is also providing funding. There is a community involved in each of those cases. That is the way to go.