Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion. I welcome the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and thank him for coming to the House to participate in this debate.

I submitted this topic for discussion on a number of occasions last week and decided to try one more time before I left the House last Friday. Little did I know then that by the time the issue had been selected for debate, Mr. Jonathan Corrie would have died not 50 m from Leinster House. May he rest in peace.

I am aware that the issue of homelessness is complex and that one must factor in issues such as alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illness and the breakdown of relationships. The Oireachtas and the Government cannot wash their hands of the issue or leave it to those who work daily to solve the problem. I have in mind organisations such as the Simon Community, Focus Ireland and Inner City Helping Homeless. Emergency accommodation must be provided as a short-term solution.

I welcome the initiative announced by the Minister today to invite a number of stakeholders to attend an emergency forum on homelessness. The figure indicating that 168 people are homeless in Dublin may be the tip of the iceberg as more people slip into homelessness every day. There are also many layers of homelessness and many reasons for it. I am aware of homeless people who travel many miles to Clondalkin every day to keep their children in education. We can only imagine the additional distress this causes.

Short-term emergency solutions are needed. The problem, as the Taoiseach and the Minister noted in statements today, can only be solved by implementing long-term solutions. For this reason, I welcome the Minister's initiative and the ten actions announced by the Government which include the refurbishment of vacant units, the provision of increased funding for housing and emergency beds, as well as the housing first service and other initiatives. This approach provides a way forward in the long term. However, we must also ensure an emergency programme is introduced to solve the problem for those who are sleeping on the streets before Christmas.

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