Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senators for their comments. It can be seen from the Bill as amended that the views of Senators and their contributions were well analysed by my Department and the officials. While not everything has been included, I am pleased that the intentions and wishes of Senators have been considered and there has been an acceptance of the wishes of Members.

The matter of the budget is vital and I was very conscious of this when I launched the strategy in August 2008. This is one of the few areas of Government expenditure that received an increase under the 2009 budget. The allocation of money for the homeless in 2009 is €62 million, an increase of 5% on the 2008 figure. This is topped up with approximately €30 million from the HSE for the care programme for the homeless which is an important part of the homeless area.

I refer to the main areas of work. An extraordinary amount of consultation has taken place and I place on record the contribution of the agencies involved and the Make Room campaign, which I thank for its very forthcoming and clear statement, in which it welcomed the content of the new chapter of amendments published by me and included in the Bill. My Department officials and I held discussions with the Make Room campaign on this issue and the campaign is pleased the amendments are reflective of that dialogue.

The dialogue was necessarily extensive because as Senator Fitzgerald remarked the implementation of the plan is vital from here on. It cannot be achieved by one person or group. There must be a collective contribution involving people working together to implement the plan and to meet the aims of the strategy, which are very clear and simple. The aims include the target that people will not be left in emergency accommodation for longer than six months and that the need to sleep rough will be excluded. These aims are to be in place within two years. We are committed to that and I assure the House that work is already in progress on these issues. People are actively working towards these ends. We did not wait for the legislation to pass fully through the Houses and we are already in the process of implementation. Large numbers of people have been identified who are moving from temporary accommodation. As I have stated previously, there have been people in temporary accommodation and bed and breakfast accommodation for seven and eight years, which I find totally inappropriate. I vowed this would not continue. People are entitled to remake their lives, to enter new relationships and to have a second start. They cannot do so if they must be out on the sidewalk at 9.30 a.m. or 10 a.m. The programme is extensive and there is a responsibility on the local authority and all the different agencies involved. It is working co-operatively and it will not always run smoothly but if people keep focused it will eventually deliver the desired result which is the strategy announced last August. I thank Senators from all sides of the House for their interest in this important area which is now being given its entitled legislation. There was debate in the House about whether there should be a legislative framework and I gave an undertaking in the House that I would give a legislative backing to sections of the implementation plan and this is in the Bill.