Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The point the Deputy has raised has been raised with me and the Government by a number of Deputies from all parties. I was on Merchant's Quay some time ago with Deputy Catherine Byrne where I met some of the homeless community. I understand the pressures they are under. Deputy Joan Collins is well aware that almost 100,000 houses were built in Ireland during the so-called Celtic Tiger years at a time when we needed 25,000 to 30,000. Today 7,000 or 8,000 houses are being provided when we need 25,000 to 30,000. What the Deputy has said is true. It is not only those who are single who are on the streets because of one problem or another but families also. There is pressure on families who are not homeless but who are cooked up in apartments and want to move to detached homes. This is part of the discussion the Government is having on the construction sector which is too small and not contributing either to the economy or employment. This needs to be rectified. The issue is how to deal with derelict units that should be renovated for the provision of adequate units for homeless people and families. The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is dealing with this issue. Recently there was approval for the cross-departmental group dealing with homelessness. As the Deputy is aware, it is a Government priority and part of the programme for Government that the problem of long-term homelessness be eliminated by the end of 2015, which means that there is not much time left. The issue requires a good deal of concentration and it is my intention to call in the agencies, with the Minister, to see what is included in the programme. I recall seeing a picture of a homeless man featured in one of the Irish newspapers before Christmas.

He had been homeless for ten years. Given the extent of the public funding of these agencies, I just do not understand how that can be. We have got to find out the answers to these questions. People are entitled to have a roof over their heads, a home they can call their own and be able to get on with their lives. Some require attention, assistance and support because of a variety of complications, as the Deputy is well aware. Her question is valid but I want her to understand the Minister of State is focusing on this and will report to the Government. She will meet representatives of the homelessness agencies in the near future to determine what precisely the programme is, how we can get to a point where Dublin City Council can assist with vacant, dilapidated and decrepit buildings, what the social housing provision will be and the figures pertaining to families who are homeless and obviously caught in the trap of pressure and demand. Rents are now increasing all over Dublin and this is causing serious pressure for some of the families.

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