Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with many of the comments Deputy John Curran has just made. I understand exactly what is being asked for in this amendment. I think those Deputies who have got to know me as Opposition spokespeople will know that I have no problem talking about data, reports and assessments and setting targets and trying to meet them. However, to insert in the legislation a requirement for a once-off review process to conclude within three months in some ways misses the point a little. We have a very complex series of matters we need to solve, including homelessness, the private rental market, social housing, the construction industry, the planning system, the interaction between my Department, local authorities and a series of different State agencies in order to consider how we use national land banks. We are carrying out an audit on all of this. All of this complexity is encompassed in the Rebuilding Ireland action plan, which is constantly being monitored and will constantly be updated and upgraded as we need to adapt to changing realities and challenges and so on. I do not see the sense in the idea of having a kind of once-off review three months after this legislation is enacted, nor in the suggestion that this will change things fundamentally. I need to be accountable on a weekly basis in this House for a whole series of things, some of which are mentioned in this amendment, but there are many other issues. A number of Deputies have mentioned Apollo House. I am only reading on my phone now what has been developing there. There is nobody more aware than I am of the challenges homeless families and individuals face right now. We have more than 1,800 emergency bed places in Dublin. I am assured by the Dublin Homeless Executive that there is a bed for everybody who wants one in Dublin in emergency shelters, which are kitted out and staffed for this purpose.

I understand that the aspiration of the group in Apollo House is to accommodate approximately 30 people in that facility. We have opened two new hostels in the past ten days and a third hostel will be open within days as a result of today's court decision to remove a stay on the opening of a hostel on Francis Street. The combination of all three will provide an extra 210 beds for the system, which is important because we do not have enough beds and we have not had enough beds. I was asked a number of months ago to add an extra 120 or 125 beds to the system to increase capacity for the winter. I made a decision to go way beyond that. When one considers that a further 30 beds will be available in an emergency fall-back facility if it is needed in extreme weather, the actual number of additional beds that will be available will be 240.

I understand the frustration of people in Apollo House. Homelessness is my first priority in my brief. We are pumping a lot of extra money into it. I have made it clear to Dublin City Council that money is not the issue. I commend the team in Dublin City Council on its response to what I have asked of it in recent months. Work on moving into three premises started on 1 November and the addition of 210 extra beds, with staffing, medical and wraparound supports to ensure these are safe places to stay, was completed by 9 December. While I understand the frustration and motivation of those who are trying to occupy a building and put such supports together in an ad hocway, I do not think it is how this issue should be dealt with. As the responsible Minister in this area, I am very accessible to the CEOs of homelessness organisations like Focus Ireland, the Simon Community, the Peter McVerry Trust and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The CEOs have my phone number and can call me directly at any time. They know that if they ask for more resources and more beds, they will get them. That is why, following the opening of the Francis Street facility in the next few days, we will have an extra 230 beds in place before Christmas.

I recognise the frustration that other people have expressed. People sometimes feel that immediate action is needed to take a stand. When it comes to solving the problems of people who have nowhere to go at night, the answer is to sit down and work out sustainable solutions. When that is done, the State will invest the resources needed to ensure supports are provided. It has been an extraordinary year for homelessness. I refer to the number of people who have come into homelessness. It has also been a record year in terms of the number of people who have been taken out of homelessness. This year, there will be 2,700 solutions found for families and individuals. That is approximately 500 more solutions than in any other previous year, including last year, which was a record year.

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