Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. It is my first time doing it so I am not entirely sure what happens and what is going on. I wish to raise the issue of the shocking "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night on the issue and area of homelessness. It would be worthy and worthwhile if we had a Bill in the House on this matter. People and viewers were shocked when they saw that people were turned away from homeless beds despite beds being empty in the city at the time. It is worthy of a response and the Minister with responsibility for housing should come in here. He pledged that nobody in the course of the pandemic would be turned away from a bed when there are rough sleeper beds available. We see from last night, however, that that is not necessarily operational on the ground. In the "RTÉ Investigates" programme, 27% of people who were spoken to said they had been turned away from a bed because they are not from Dublin and, to use that awful phrase, we cannot house everybody who is homeless in Dublin. It is important, particularly in the middle of a viral pandemic where we have a population with so many underlying health conditions, that we ensure nobody is left to sleep rough.