James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am acutely aware that homelessness is very disruptive to normal family life and it is a major issue that this Government is intent on tackling. My colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, with the local authorities, is working hard to address this problem. We have a social policy Cabinet committee which meets regularly and this item is invariably on the agenda. I attend those meetings because I am concerned about children and the impact this has on them.

I agree fully with the Deputy. The example she describes is a classic example of the disruption caused. It is all very well to say accommodation is available. However, it is one thing for a child living in Portmarnock to make the journey to attend school in Baldoyle but to travel from Donabate is another thing entirely. I consider this issue to be a very serious one and central to it are the efforts to end the need to use emergency accommodation. I have always been a strong believer in prevention being better than cure. I assure the Deputy that I am acutely aware of the problems this is creating for families and the negative impact it is having on children. As are many of my Cabinet colleagues, I am working towards getting this problem sorted because we are, as Deputy O'Sullivan quite rightly states, storing up trouble for the future.

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