Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their questions. We have seen a huge increase in the budget for mental health services for children and young people and an increase in staff. There is of course also an increase in demand. We have challenges getting staff and some deficiencies in the system regarding how the services are deployed and best used. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and Minister, Deputy Donnelly, will want to talk about this more on another occasion.

Deputy McAuliffe asked about the north-east inner city project. There is an overlap, without doubt. Both programmes will answer to assistant secretary general Liz Canavan, so she will have a certain degree of oversight of both. We thought of combining them but I took the decision that they are best kept separate because the north-east inner city project is about more than children and child poverty. We thought one might dilute the other if we put them in the same office, so we are not doing that, but they will answer to the same assistant secretary general.

Deputy Murnane O'Connor welcomed the allocation of free schoolbooks to all primary schools in Carlow. I welcome that too. It is a major step forward. It was an issue proposed by Barnardos a long time ago. I remember meeting with Barnardos. It was piloted under the former Minister, Deputy Joe McHugh, in the last Government. I am pleased that the Minister, Deputy Foley, is taking it forward under this Government and extending it to all primary schools. We will see how it goes. If it goes well, I would like to see it being extended to secondary schools at some point in the future. Let us see how it works in primary schools first. I hear what Deputy Murnane O'Connor has to say about the occupational therapy service and the deficiencies that exist in Carlow. I know that must be causing a lot of distress for parents in the county. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is aware of the issue already. I will take it up with her too and see if there is something we can do to improve the situation.

Regarding children experiencing homelessness, the most recent figures, as Deputies will know, show that approximately 1,600 families are in emergency accommodation. About half of those are one-parent families, with just over 3,000 child dependents. In the vast majority of cases, it is for a matter of months but in some cases it is for longer than that. The Government recognises that helping families and children experiencing homelessness involves a multi-agency approach. Housing for All, the Government's housing plan, is committed to the enhancement of early intervention services for children and their families through a multi-agency, co-ordinated response. That includes prioritising exiting families from homelessness, preventing families from going into homelessness in the first place and providing sufficient help for families experiencing homelessness.

It is important to say that €215 million, a 10% increase in budget, has been allocated for this year. That has been allocated to local authorities and NGOs. That is to provide homelessness prevention services because the most cost-effective way of dealing with this issue is preventing homelessness in the first place. The plan also provides emergency accommodation and other services for families experiencing homelessness. Our target is to create 1,300 new Housing First tenancies. The programme office will also provide a focus on how other assistance can help to prevent homelessness and help those in homeless services to transition out of them.

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