Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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We should absolutely acknowledge that. My understanding though is that we seem to be taking a very short-term approach to this and that short-term approach is this outsourcing.

The Department would have some measure of control by having buildings it leases long-term or owns. Why has it not taken up some of the ideas put forward by the local authorities? This would require a bit of work but might provide substantial amounts of accommodation. It might also be a more secure way of dealing with things.

There are several issues here. One is accommodation. We have an international obligation in the context of the current situation, and I completely accept that. We would have to say, though, that some of the standards in this regard fall significantly below what is acceptable. We must take a longer view on this issue. It is utterly unacceptable for people to arrive here and to end up on the streets with sleeping bags and tents. We must ask what buildings local authorities have identified, and these need not be named, that have not been used and which might have a more long-term-----