Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am making the point that I hope it does not slip down the agenda. I have not heard much discussion of the issue recently. The political system needs to wake up to the fact it is an issue and to take account of the reality for many people.

While the figures produced recently by the Minister of State, who has responsibility for housing, are very accurate, they Minister and the Government must wake up and deal with them. We need action. A recent special Consensus report on homeless persons in Ireland indicated that some 3,308 people are sleeping rough or in accommodation designated for the homeless. Of these, some 2,539 were male and 1,269 were female. The Minister of State spoke about choice, equity across all housing tenures and delivering quality outcomes for resource investment. Part of dealing with that means the Government must dig deeper into the causes of the problems for the homeless and people seeking housing.

When we examine the facts in the report we see that more than one in four of homeless people aged between 15 and 59 did not have a qualification higher than primary level, as compared with 8% of the general population of the same age. Some 1,439 homeless people did not have an education qualification beyond lower second level, representing 48.5% of the homeless population aged 15 to 29, as compared with one in four in the general population of this age.

Another issue that is never heard about or discussed in this debate is the issue of health and disability among the homeless. Almost one third of the homeless population indicated its general health was fair, bad or very bad, as compared with 10% of the general population. A total of 1,581 homeless persons had a disability, representing 42% of the total, in sharp contrast to the general population where the rate is 13%. In dealing with and attempting to resolve the issue of homelessness, we must face up to the reality that some 42% of the homeless population has some disability. This is something that has been ignored. The rate of disability among the general population is approximately 12.9% or 13%. The most common type of disability among the homeless population is a psychological or emotional condition, with almost one in five indicating he or she had a disability in that category. It is important to consider this in the context of this legislation and to prioritise it.

I am pleased the Minister of State is present for my contribution and I would strongly like to receive her support.

I refer to a health issue that has emerged in the past couple of weeks, particularly in Dublin. I do not know about Limerick or Cork. The rate of TB among homeless persons has increased to such an extent that it is a potential epidemic. A group of GPs who work with homeless persons have suggested this issue can be resolved at a cost of €50,000. The provision of two tranches of €25,0000 - one now and one six months from now - would allow them to eradicate TB among the homeless population. If we do not take such action, there will be serious trouble among homeless persons and a public health issue will arise. I am making this point from a compassionate humanitarian perspective, but I am also making an economic argument. I am sure the Minister of State will agree that early intervention saves more money for the State and citizens in the long term. If €50,000 was made available now to tackle the incidence of TB among homeless persons, it would prevent many people from ending up in accident and emergency units and a crisis 13 months from now. That is important.

The Simon Communities of Ireland has stated 4,090 people who access its services have been homeless for over five years. Therefore, this problem has been ongoing for five years. Before the last general election, the Government signed the Simon pledge on homelessness. I hope it is not a broken promise like the promise made with regard to education services. Perhaps the Minister of State might confirm who signed it.

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