Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

To comment on today's homelessness figures, it is Orwellian in the extreme to suggest that there has been progress. The Minister is right the number of families in emergency accommodation in Dublin has fallen by a total of eight but the number of children in emergency accommodation in Dublin has increased by 37. That is not progress. The total number of adults, children and families across the State has increased and we now have approaching 8,500 adults and children in emergency accommodation.

I asked the Minister three simple questions. The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive has already presented the outworkings of its quality standards framework to the Department some three or four weeks ago. The questions are: when will it be set up, how much money will it get, how many staff will it get, will it be fully independent of the local authorities and the Department, and will all emergency accommodation, including commercial hotels and bed and breakfast establishments, be included? I would appreciate an answer to at least some of those questions.

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