Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Will the Minister accept that as the scheme operates, community welfare officers are put in an invidious position, given that sometimes they have to decide between making a person homeless or allowing that person to continue living in substandard accommodation? Often these are the two choices available to a community welfare officer. The inspection of accommodation is very important and needs to be continued and supplemented as very few inspections take place at present. There is a need to drive standards up. As the system operates, that is the choice open to community welfare officers and it is a difficult position in which to put them. Will the Minister consider whether a different approach can be taken where community welfare officers would be empowered to suspend the payment pending the landlord getting his affairs in order and raising the standard of the accommodation? Alternatively, the Minister may wish to allow community welfare officers to take a case conference type approach to dealing with cases such as this so that there can be co-ordination between the community welfare officer and the other agencies involved.

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