Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to finish this week on a positive note. The Leader may recall the distressing story of a Pakistani national facing homelessness at Christmas. I wrote to Kilkenny County Council on the back of it. The man in question had undergone a horrific experience of human trafficking. He was living in a stable and was being treated by a vet for three years. It is a horrific story. Kilkenny County Council did write back and responded very positively to me. It took the initiative, working with Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and the Immigration Council of Ireland, to ensure the man was not homeless at Christmas. In fairness to the council, it did write and deal with the case appropriately. It acknowledged that providing an emergency bed and hostel facility in Kilkenny would in no way allow a person without legal status in the country to exit homelessness, secure supports or become financially self-sufficient, but it ensured the man was not left on the streets of Kilkenny. It liaised with the relevant organisations. I am glad to state the man has accommodation in Dublin while applying, with the Garda, to be recognised as a victim of human trafficking. We have to have a separate conversation on human trafficking, but I want to recognise today that Kilkenny County Council, in fairness to it, responded positively and in the right way.