Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I wish to express my sympathies to the family of Donal Walsh, a very brave young man. I learned of his death on Sunday night from my younger daughter who, like a lot of young people, got the information on YouTube and Facebook. On Sunday night I sat down and watched his YouTube video on his life and I also read his account of his experience with cancer. He has motivated practically every second level student in the country to raise money for the children's hospitals. In his long writings he stated that when he relapsed the second time with cancer and had to return to Crumlin children's hospital that as he re-entered the ward it struck him that nothing had changed since his first stay. He discovered that the conditions in the ward, in terms of the facilities available, were just as they were when he developed cancer and sought treatment the first time. If his death does nothing else it proves to me that our decision to prioritise the building of a new national children's hospital was not just necessary but long overdue. Much as I appreciate the efforts of young people to raise money for our hospitals, such fundraising should not be necessary in a developed country.

Yesterday, I was very proud to attend the opening of an Access housing unit in Cork with the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. It is an innovative new service that will house homeless people by moving them out of long-term homeless accommodation into homes, principally in the rental sector. It was established in response to the unfortunate growing demand for emergency accommodation and a growing incidence of homelessness. The prioritising of homelessness makes sound economic sense for the State because its prevention saves it a significant amount of money. We spend €23,000 on every single person in emergency homeless accommodation. It is in that context that I again ask the Leader to arrange a debate on homelessness, particularly the shortage of housing.