Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this topic. I submitted it yesterday but it was not selected for debate then. In the intervening period, the use of Lynam's Hotel has ceased. However, the question remains as to how a decision was made to allow seven children and eight adults to be accommodated in essentially a construction site with faulty electricity, no running water in some parts of the building and, most seriously of all, padlocks on the fire doors. At any time this would be a disgrace, but following the Grenfell Tower disaster it is all the more shocking. For anyone looking at them, the pictures of the padlocked doors would call to mind the Stardust. I do not think we should ever forget the lesson we were taught on that occasion.

We are potentially inviting a similar tragedy by not prioritising safety and quality when accommodating families whose only choice is either to take the risk or sleep on the streets. On Wednesday, Dublin Fire Brigade shut down Lynam's Hotel but on Monday somebody in the emergency accommodation section of Dublin City Council made a decision to put those families in harm's way. When questioned, Dublin City Council said it used the building - it is not quite so much a building as it is building site - when, after 10 p.m. on Monday, there was nowhere else to put families. The housing and homelessness crisis has got so bad that council officials are knowingly putting families with young children in harm's way. Thankfully, Dublin Fire Brigade has shut down Lynam's Hotel. My information is there have been 22 other instances where it has recommended units be closed down but where families have continued to be housed in them while remedial work is being undertaken.

Another point which must be made is that while the physical conditions in Lynam's Hotel were bad enough, there were also no properly trained staff available, no support workers for parents who found themselves sleeping in dangerous buildings with their young children and no linked services such as those provided by Tusla. Lynam's Hotel is being developed as a future family hub. There is a whole other debate regarding why we are investing in hubs and not houses. An urgent review of the criteria used to assess unsuitability for use as emergency accommodation is urgently required. This must include the provision of support services to those who find themselves having to use such units.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. One of the key commitments contained in Rebuilding Ireland is that, by the middle of 2017, hotels will only be used as emergency accommodation in limited circumstances. My Department, housing authorities and approved housing bodies have been working hard to deliver on this very ambitious commitment. As Deputies will be aware, statutory responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities, which, at present, are advancing a range of housing solutions that will accommodate homeless families. These solutions include supported family hubs, which offer families a safer and more secure living environment.

Tackling homelessness is clearly the key priority for the Government at present. It is intended that the long-term housing needs of homeless households, including those families currently accommodated in hotels, will be met through a range of housing supports, including the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme and general social housing allocations. Significant outputs are being achieved in this regard. Housing authorities achieved over 3,000 sustainable exits from homeless accommodation into independent tenancies during 2016, a record level of delivery in a calendar year. It should be noted that it is the responsibility of the relevant local authority to comply with all legislative requirements in respect of building works, including the provision of accommodation for homeless families and individuals and related services.

Building regulations apply to a wide range of works to existing buildings, including material alterations and changes of use. A building control authority may, if it considers it reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, grant a dispensation from or a relaxation of any requirement of building regulations in respect of buildings or works which are situated in the authorities functional area. A fire certificate is required for certain works to existing buildings to which the requirements of Part B of the building regulations apply. This triggers the provisions set out in the building control amendment regulations of 2014 for certificates of compliance and an assigned certifier.

In relation to the Deputy’s specific query regarding families being accommodated in a certain hotel in Dublin, the position is that Dublin City Council has contingency beds in place, which are part of a harm-reduction measure to ensure that families do not sleep rough. The hotel, which is currently undergoing transformation, forms part of the response to meet the growing demand of families presenting late at night and who are unable to source accommodation. Ten rooms at this property have been identified as suitable to accommodate families in this emergency situation only. To enable the use of the rooms as contingency beds, Dublin City Council and an independent fire consultant put in place all necessary precautions and requirements to ensure the safety of any families placed there, including the appointment of two fire marshals who are on duty while families are there overnight. Children have not been put in harm's way.

Dublin City Council met Dublin's fire services yesterday, 21 June 2017, and will be working with them over the next few days to implement further precautions to enable the facility to continue to be utilised for contingency purposes following the completion of works on the additional precautions. The priority is always the safety and welfare of families placed in all emergency accommodation. I assure the House that when advancing accommodation for homeless families, local authorities are required to adhere to current building standards, and there are strict quality controls in place to ensure that all facilities are fully regulated with regard to fire and disabled access requirements. There are also space standards in place that have been developed with my Department. Accordingly, support spaces such as dining and play areas are designed in accordance with the number of occupants who will reside at the premises.

Returning briefly to the premises named by the Deputy, an order was not put in place to close those premises last night and, thankfully, no families had to be accommodated there last night.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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Did the Minister see the photographs of the chain on the fire doors?

I cannot imagine an independent fire consultant approving a situation where fire doors are chained. I wish to hear more about that. Dublin Fire Brigade has indicated that there are 22 other premises about which it is concerned. According to the council's building register, the completion certificate for the refurbishment works has not been filed and works are still ongoing, so the hotel is still technically and practically a construction site. We all understand that there is a serious homelessness problem but the last thing we want is for that to end up in a tragedy.

The Minister referred to the housing assistance payment. In many cases, part of the reason these people have ended up homeless is that they cannot find accommodation to rent. This case relates to Dublin City Council but that is the situation in many more locations, including my area. It is simply not possible for people to find rental accommodation. The housing assistance payment, even though a large amount is allocated for it, is still below the rents being sought, and the amount of accommodation available to rent is less than the need. Saying that a housing assistance payment is being provided to deal with the homelessness problem might well be technically true but, in practical terms, one cannot find any place to rent and if one does find a place the housing assistance payment will not cover its cost in many cases.

I referred to the other 22 premises. The Minister said nobody was accommodated in Lynam's Hotel last night. Is it still the intention to use it? Will the Minister consult Dublin City Council and the fire brigade about those premises? Can he confirm that an independent fire consultant would approve a situation where there are chains on fire doors? I do not know if the Minister saw the photograph but I did.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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This hotel will eventually become a hub. A hub is not a permanent form of accommodation. It is just a first response to make sure we can get families who are homeless out of hotels, because they should not be in hotels. I had an opportunity to visit one of the hubs that is under construction at Mater Dei, where 50 families will be housed. It is a fantastic facility with play areas, a playground, a media room for children and homework clubs. It will have all the necessary supports for families who find themselves in these incredibly difficult situations to move on quickly from the hub to other more permanent and sustainable accommodation solutions. While they are making that transition, however, they will at least be in the hub, a new environment with all the supports required, rather than being in a hotel, which is not the appropriate place and does not have the type of certainty, even day to day, a family would need.

The hotel in question would not have been used but for the fact that a choice was faced by the local authority, not last night but previously, as to whether families that presented would have to sleep rough. This hotel was made safe so they would not have to sleep rough. It was only ten rooms at the property on one floor. It was only for an emergency situation. I do not mean the emergency situation for all families that are homeless and in hotels, but an emergency contingency. Dublin City Council and an independent consultant put in place all the necessary precautions and requirements to ensure the safety of any families placed there. That included the employment of two fire marshals who were on duty while the families were there overnight. Those precautions and measures were put in place when there were families at the premises. There were no families there last night. Dublin City Council met with Dublin fire services yesterday and will be working with them over the next few days to implement further precautions to enable the facility to continue to be utilised for contingency purposes only following the completion of works on the additional precautions.

The Deputy mentioned housing assistance payments. These are only one part of the solution. There are other parts. I should also mention the new HAP homeless payment which was implemented earlier this year. That gives even greater flexibility in terms of negotiating a sustainable rent. The HAP homeless solution is working and it is being rolled out to other parts of the country.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I can give the Minister a list of people for whom it is not working.