Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I note that COPE Galway, the organisation dealing with housing in Galway city, has stated that Galway's homeless are so for longer than they should be. However, it is not as serious a problem as it is in Dublin and that is the reason I concentrated my remarks on Dublin in particular. The Minister and the Department should consider the question of who conducts the weekly street counts on the number of people sleeping rough in the city centre area in particular, because the Simon Community has stated that the figures could be higher, as the count does not include the hidden homeless who stay in hospitals, Internet cafes and squats. The answer to the question I put to the Minister is that perhaps we do not know the real figure for homelessness. This is the reason I noted at the outset of my contribution that a longer Dáil debate on this issue is needed. The time available to raise a matter in a Topical Issue debate is very short, but this is a major problem for families and the organisations that deal with the homeless. Perhaps the Minister of State might indicate whether the oversight group established by the Minister to monitor and measure progress has come up with any suggestions as to what might be done. He might also deal with the question of youth homelessness, which is a serious matter.

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