Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I am not trying to raise any old issue and the Ceann Comhairle has had no difficulty with me regarding being in order on matters. This is not something that passes lightly. It is not about maintaining existing services. Additional services must be provided to achieve the homeless strategy by 2010. What happened was that plans and the various projects were all in place and the HSE, presumably on the direction of somebody in Government, pulled the financial plug. I simply want an assurance from the Tánaiste — I am quite happy if he wants to check out the facts and come back to me on the matter later in the day — that it will not happen. I want an assurance that the homeless of this country will not be the first to feel the wallop of tightening economic times.

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