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

There was no attempt to hide anything and if there had been, I would probably have waited until 1 or 2 January when there would have been no focus on the figures at all. Instead, we published them before then.

Normally, we get the figures towards the end of the third week or so of the month after the one for which we have data. Most of the time, we try to get the figures out as soon as we can, but I must ensure that I can stand over them and that they are verified and so on.

Regarding the Deputy's reference to a seven-point plan that was agreed with the Home Sweet Home campaign, I will put what actually happened on the record. We had a long conversation about a number of those points and there was agreement on them, but it is important to point out that I did not see that seven-point plan press release in its final draft, never mind approve it, before it was announced and released. It was a reflection of the approximately seven-hour conversation on a range of issues that we had held on the previous Friday. At the end of that conversation, an attempt was made to have an agreed statement, but it was not agreed. The following Wednesday or Thursday, an announcement was made as if I had made an agreement in writing with the Home Sweet Home campaign. That simply was not true.

What is true is that much of what was in the statement was agreed at our meeting. Unfortunately, people were claiming credit for certain things. I am not really interested in that. Rather, I am interested in the accuracy of the change that is happening in terms of supporting homeless people. It is true to say that we will have an extra 100 emergency beds in Dublin in the coming weeks, probably through two or three new hostels. It is true to say that we will look after the short and long-term needs of people who are accommodated outside Apollo House. It is true to say that we will improve community services for homeless people. It is true to say that, by the middle of this year, we will not allow families to be accommodated in commercial hotels. I understand that there will be a monthly meeting, if Home Sweet Home wants one, with Dublin City Council.

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