Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Yes there is. The real judge of the effectiveness of Government policy is how quickly one can turn these people around. Homelessness is the safety net for every other situation in life. It is not whether there are 50 or 150 persons sleeping rough in Dublin city, it is about how quickly they can be turned around and brought off the streets. Much good work is being done in this area. In a time when there is an increase in the house-buying age group, we are bound to be under pressures. With the policies the Government is pursuing, we can get on top of the matter.