Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I have two sets of questions and I would be grateful if the Minister were to let me back in halfway through my time to ask the second round of questions. I will not interrupt him while he is responding. On 7 December, the Minister, speaking on the "Morning Ireland" radio programme, categorically denied that anyone was being turned away from emergency accommodation. Four days later, "RTÉ Investigates" filmed this cruel and inhumane practice taking place when Joe Nolan, a Carlow man, was refused access to emergency accommodation and had to sleep rough in a car park, as he had been doing for quite some time. That happened on a night 75 emergency beds were lying empty. Since the "RTÉ Investigates" programme aired last week, this practice has continued on an ongoing basis. In addition, people who have fled domestic violence have also been refused access to shelter based on these rules. Keeping it under review is simply not good enough. It is not good enough for people who were sleeping rough last night or for those who will do so tonight. Does the Minister acknowledge that, in spite of what he has said, the practice of turning people away from emergency accommodation is continuing? Will he issue to local authorities and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, explicit instructions leaving no room for discretion that they are to stop turning people away? Will he now act to end this cruel and inhumane practice?

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