Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In short, yes. I spoke to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, with regard to this. In the next while, pending the establishment of an agency, this is a very serious issue. That list is priority urgent needs in certain counties and certain areas. I would like to accelerate the provision of refuge places, using local authorities in the interim, while we get more national structures in places to simplify and streamline the provision of refuge places and centres. The current system is that an entity has to apply to become an approved housing body, AHB, and so forth which, in my view, can be cumbersome. If we can do it faster then we should.

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