Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the child focus of the national action plan on housing and homelessness; the number of children currently being supported; the ways in which, for example, transport, more nutritious meals, if living in hotel accommodation, and so on are being supported; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33331/16]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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As the Minister is aware, a few weeks ago there were almost 2,500 homeless children throughout the country, with over 2,000 of those in Dublin alone. In July, the Minister held a summit of agencies working on the front line with homeless families, including Focus Ireland, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, ISPCC, and Barnardos. She promised a whole series of concrete and costed supports, including free transport, more nourishing food, crèche placements and so on. Last month we heard from Focus Ireland that the Minister has delivered on virtually none of those steps and my experience representing families is that the Minister has delivered nothing.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I appreciate Deputy Broughan's question.

Homelessness among children and families remains a serious problem. In September there were 1,173 families in emergency accommodation, including 1,568 adults and 2,426 dependants. I am committed to supporting the implementation of Rebuilding Ireland: the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. We have made some progress in this regard, but more remains to be done.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, is working to provide free public transport for family travel and school journeys for those homeless families in the Dublin region that are residing in hotel accommodation. Each family is being given five 24-hour family Leap cards, which will be valid for use on all Dublin transport systems, allowing for family days out at weekends or during holiday periods. Distribution of the family cards is almost complete. This will be quickly followed by the distribution of the school journey cards.

My Department is funding research, commissioned by Focus Ireland, to identify issues regarding access to food and potential nutritional impacts on families in emergency homeless accommodation. My Department is also enhancing access to early years services for homeless families through a new community childcare subvention scheme for homeless children. It will provide part-time childcare for children up to six years of age. It is planned to launch the scheme next January.

Also, I recently secured the agreement of the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government that the provision of accommodation for young people leaving State care would be eligible for funding under the capital assistance scheme operated by his Department. My Department and Tusla will work to ensure that any accommodation proposed, and ultimately delivered, will be provided with the appropriate levels of protective factors for the young person making the transition to independent living.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I welcome the Minister's comments about transport and the weekly child care subvention.

The Minister promised action on developing a voluntary safety guidance code for hotel staff. She was to work with the ISPCC to develop this code. Children are using locations where there is no Garda vetting of staff or visitors who are coming and going. Not that long ago there was an assassination in one of the large hotels on the north side where homeless children live.

The Minister also promised to co-ordinate with the Department of Health to provide additional child care support workers to work with the homeless children and to develop care plans. How many of those support workers has the Minister and the Department of Health managed to put in place? She also promised action on supports for children with disabilities as well as action on the particular problem of families fleeing domestic violence.

I note what the Minister has stated about nutirition but the reatlity is that people often depend on McDonald's, Burger King and so on because they have no cooking facilities. This is one of the reasons we need urgent action.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire had a supplementary question.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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It was recently reported that Edel House, a shelter in Cork that deals with women and children, had to turn away 281 children last year. This reflects how serious the problem is in Cork. A number of families have told me that they are worried about registering as homeless, particularly those that are in contact with Tusla, be it for whatever reason. Good families, doing the best for their children, are worried about registering as homeless and availing of emergency accommodation because they fear how Tusla will view it. Will the Minister assure the House that the Department and Tusla will contact emergency homeless services and ensure that they will make every effort, in all circumstances, to house family units together?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister has a minute to conclude.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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On Deputy Broughan's questions, the DRHE is best placed to advise on a safety guidance voluntary code for child safety in emergency accommodation. I understand it has worked with Tusla and that there is a draft national quality standards framework to cover this area of the action plan and that an information guidelines booklet is also being developed in line with this objective. We are also working with the DRHE, which is in the process of identifying the most appropriate accommodation setting for services assisting pregnant women who are homeless.

It is intended that a model of extended service provision will then be developed and most likely rolled out on a phased basis once such premises have been secured. We have provided two workers to work with Focus Ireland in assisting families in emergency accommodation. In terms of the budget for 2017, I am working with Tusla on identifying if we can provide additional support workers in that regard. I am also discussing this matter with the Department of Health.

To respond to Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire's question, I can give the assurances he seeks.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for responding to one or two of the issues I raised. The reality, however, is that at least 2,500 children will be homeless on Christmas Day. Since the Minister's appointment, the number of homeless families has increased by 80 per month. While the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, has primary responsibility for homelessness, the Minister has a duty of care for the children in question. She made a commitment that hotels, guest houses and similar types of accommodation will not be used to accommodate vulnerable families and children. Is the Government remotely on target to fulfil this commitment? In the interim, is it possible that all the commitments given to the key agencies last July will be delivered?

On a separate matter, women who flee domestic violence and abuse with their children are often co-tenants or co-owners of a house, which means they find it impossible to immediately access homeless services. Will the Minister take up this matter?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Deputy's final point is an important one which I will take up.

On the overall impact of the plan for rebuilding Ireland, I am aware that the number of children who are homeless is increasing. I am also aware of the efforts being made by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to address this issue. He set a very ambitious objective at yesterday's committee meeting regarding reviewing the progress made on the housing plan. There are two key elements involved in meeting the targets that have been set out. The first will be the success of the rapid build programme. Some 1,500 rapid build housing units are to be delivered by 2018. Approximately 350 such units are advancing or will be on site by the end of 2016 and a further 650 units will be initiated and delivered in 2017. This as something to do with the increase.

Another aspect of trying to reduce the increase in homelessness will be the reform of the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme. A HAP homeless pilot has been operational since February 2015. Reforming the HAP to ensure it is more effective will result in the creation of approximately 550 tenancies by the time it is completed.