Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If the tragic death of Mr. Jonathan Corrie is to mean anything, it has to be a catalyst for change. Anyone who saw the place where he had tragically passed away could not have been untouched. One cannot be untouched by the sense of desolation, loneliness, coldness and sadness he must have experienced in the hours before he passed away on Sunday night or Monday morning. If that does not make us angry, touch us and make us determined as a people to address the issue, absolutely nothing will. The measure of the Government's response and ours as a people is not the holding of an emergency summit, welcome though that is, or a special Dáil debate on homelessnes; rather, the measure of our response will be what changes will be made and what will be done differently to prevent something like this happening ever again. That is where the focus needs to be. The alarm bells on the issue of homelessness have been ringing for some time. In the past two years alone, the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin has doubled. This year the number has increased by about 30% and it is not just a Dublin problem. The annual report of the Cork Simon Community refers to the fact that in the past three years there has been a fourfold increase in the number of homeless people in Cork city. Not only is homelessness an immediate issue but State policy is also resulting in a pipeline of people who could well become homeless in the months ahead. Homelessness is a complex problem. We all accept that it is not all about money. I heard Mr. Mike Allen of Focus Ireland confirm on "Morning Ireland" today that there would not be enough emergency beds in Dublin tonight if every homeless person was willing to take one. What short-term actions is the Government committed to taking to address the immediate crisis and what longer term steps does it intend to take to ensure the pipeline of people who are on the way to becoming homeless will be cut off immediately?

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