Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I stated to Deputy Martin, the Government has allocated €55.5 million of taxpayers' money towards dealing with homelessness. I also pointed out that time limits have been set for bringing into use rooms and vacant homes that are currently being repaired for homeless people. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government meets senior officials at 9 a.m. every Monday morning to discuss the progress being made on this issue.

The issue is not only about the allocation of money - there is more money than ever - but about how one gets a response from that. My immediate concern is the people who have been sleeping in doorways around this city, some of whom I know, having spoken to them over the years. Some of them have complicated problems and do not want to stay in accommodation. The nature of their problems makes the issue very difficult. The Minister has called together the chairs of the local authorities, senior officials, the Lord Mayor of Dublin and Archbishop of Dublin and non-governmental organisations to ascertain the reasons we have not done things better and 160 rough sleepers were recorded in the latest count.

Once the meeting on Thursday has finished, the Cabinet sub-committee will deal with its outcome and make decisions at Monday's meeting. Perhaps we could have a debate in the House on this day week focusing on the outcome of these decisions and on how to get a better result and effect from moneys that are being provided to NGOs, which do very good work in very difficult circumstances. That is my immediate concern.

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