Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not have the figures for the numbers that presented to Garda stations but I can certainly try to get them for the Deputy. There is no reason for people to spend a night in Garda accommodation. There is no reason for it whatsoever. There are a lot of service providers and €120 million was spent this year directly on homelessness services. People are placed in emergency accommodation. Sometimes people present as homeless late at night and the services are not there and they end up in Garda stations. There is no need for it. In the stories that were reported in the media at the weekend, people said they knew they were going to be homeless. They would not need to go to a Garda station. The services are there. A lot of people are moving through emergency accommodation and placed in homes. Last year, the number was 4,700. There has been a lot of movement. The numbers are still far too high. We all accept that. It is untrue to say that the numbers presenting have been increasing in Dublin. They have been decreasing. Overall the figures nationally are still far too high. We are dealing with that but it is not true to say there has been an increase in presentations in March and April.

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