Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister appreciate the difference between eligibility and accessibility? Currently, there are 5,000 to 6,000 homeless people on the streets of Ireland. While some of them may be eligible for the service, clearly, they are not accessing it.

Does the Minister agree that the rent supplement is inadequate particularly in certain areas? It has been pointed out that it is impossible to obtain rental property in Dublin 1, Dublin 2 and Dublin 13 based on the current rental supplement. In view of his answer, and given there are 1,400 children homeless, how does the Minister intend to address the issue of homelessness? I am sure everybody in this House would offer their sympathy to the family of Kevin Fitzpatrick who was found in appalling circumstances a fortnight ago. In response to that incident, homeless people have said they know of many people who sleep in wheelie bins in cities around the country. If what happened to Kevin Fitzpatrick happened to an Irish person in London we would be up in arms. What steps does the Minister intend to take to ensure there are no further such people found on the streets of Ireland with no access, as opposed to eligibility, to services?

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