Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key priority for me and the Government. Critical to supporting households to exit homelessness is increasing supply. Thankfully, we are seeing supply increase substantially. At the end of quarter 1, we will have our social housing and affordable numbers for 2023 which I predict will show an increase on the previous year.

Record State investment of more than €5 billion has been made available this year to support the largest State home building programme ever, including 9,300 new build homes - that is just the new-build piece. The Government has also approved the continuation of the tenant in situ scheme, which is an important preventative measure. It has been very successful. Last year, we set out a minimum target of 1,500. I do not have the final figure on that but I can tell the House it is between 1,700 and 1,800 of concluded sales - fully closed. There are others going through the process.

I have approved, through local authorities, an additional 1,500 acquisitions where a landlord issued a notice of termination. The scheme is working and I want to ensure that continues. Initial issues with it in some local authorities have certainly been ironed out.

In relation to homelessness itself, we have a budget this year of €242 million for the delivery of homeless services. The funding will support households experiencing homelessness with emergency accommodation and wrap-around support. Anyone who finds himself or herself in homelessness will be supported by the State in emergency accommodation. We want to ensure that they are staying less time there and exiting into permanent secure housing. I will come back in the supplementary with the number of exits and preventions that had last year, which are increasing. We saw a slight decrease in December overall but we have a lot more work to do in that space, particularly around ensuring that the allocations to homeless individuals and families increase into the new social housing that I expect to see this year.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Supply, I think everyone agrees, is key. If one looks at where we have come from when this Government came into office and since Housing for All, we have exceeded our overall housing delivery targets, not only on social housing but across the board. We need to do that. We need to ensure that we have a stable private rental sector as well.

There are many reasons people fall into homelessness. I work directly with the Simon Communities. I, myself, chair the national homeless action committee and I deal with all the stakeholders. I commend them on the work that they do.

It is a complex issue, however. I noted with interest the Deputy's remarks about eradicating homelessness for over 55s. Approximately 42% of people in homeless emergency accommodation here in Dublin, which is where homelessness predominates, do not have an entitlement to social housing.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It is correct.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I ask Deputy Ó Broin to not interrupt me and let me answer the question. The Deputy can come back in.

That is correct. Effectively, what one needs is different supports for different people. We have new arrivals. We have people coming into homelessness due to family break-up, not only through the private rental sector.

I note, by the way, that the Deputy had a motion that he had tabled as a matter of urgency in relation to supports that we brought in to ensure that we were supporting and ensuring that good landlords stayed in the market. Sinn Féin withdrew the motion calling for that abolition and brought in a motion in relation to RTÉ funding instead.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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First, Deputy Ó Broin is absolutely incorrect about social housing entitlements but that never gets in the way of him making any remarks in here.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Stop interrupting, Eoin. I have just started. Let me answer.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It is the second time he has done it. I am just saying.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Sorry.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Well that is a charge that the Deputy has made here that he should withdraw. A number of weeks ago, Deputy Ó Laoghaire made a charge to this House that I had misled the Dáil when I put facts on the record. I asked the Deputy's colleague to write to me and to the Ceann Comhairle to outline exactly what was incorrect and I am still awaiting a letter from Sinn Féin.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I am still awaiting a letter from you.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I am laughing at you, Eoin.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I have never ignored the Chair’s ruling. The Deputy has continually interrupted me.

If I could answer in this regard, one could look at last year and those who exited emergency accommodation. Some 2,815 adults exited emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created and over 4,000 adults were prevented from entering emergency accommodation. One could look at some other counties around the country on a 12-month basis. Kildare is down by 29%; Wicklow by 21%; Longford by 36%; Limerick by 7%; and Monaghan is down by 30%. There is an acute issue in Dublin that we are committed to dealing with. We are increasing housing supply, as the Deputy knows, but he likes to deny that progress. He cannot deny that progress, however.