Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Adams for raising a matter that is of concern to a great number of people throughout the country. Deputy Adams is right. This is not a good situation or one that one can say is by any means satisfactory.

Last winter I walked the streets of Dublin with the then Lord Mayor on a number of occasions to deal with the homeless people who were sleeping rough. The Government responded on that occasion by providing extra money for the agencies and to provide extra beds, and by opening the night café, as well as by making arrangements whereby the vast majority of people who were then rough sleepers in Dublin - except those who really wanted to be on the streets - were housed and given an opportunity to have a bed at night.

The situation has been exacerbated now because of other homeless families. As Deputy Adams points out, 3,372 adults were using state-funded emergency accommodation during a particular week in August of this year. Those figures identified 707 families, consisting of 959 adults and 1,496 dependants. This is not a satisfactory situation. It will not be solved until we increase the supply of accommodation.

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