I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority, and the increase in homelessness figures is a concern for the Government. Budget 2026 allocated €513 million in current funding to ensure that individuals and families experiencing homelessness are provided with emergency accommodation and other supports. The key objective is to support families to exit homelessness to a secure home. In Dublin, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive provides Leap cards to families to ensure access to free public transport for essential school journeys. Deputy Gould has referred to that. This scheme was introduced in Dublin due to the numbers of families in emergency accommodation and the difficulty in providing emergency accommodation to all families close to the area where the children were in school. The Department is committed to considering all measures necessary to support children and families in emergency accommodation nationwide. The Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, includes a strong focus on measures to eradicate homelessness. A key measure in the plan is the development of a child and family homelessness action plan. The plan will set out new measures to provide enhanced supports for children and parents experiencing homelessness, as well as measures to accelerate exits and reduce the time spent by children and their families in homeless emergency accommodation. My Department is working closely with the Department of the Taoiseach as well as a range of key stakeholders on the development of this plan. A public consultation was launched in January and 60 submissions were received from a range of organisations involved in providing supports to children. An in-person event was then held at the end of last month with more than 100 individuals in attendance. These included representatives from a range of organisations, including Government Departments, State bodies, local authorities and NGOs, as well as adults and children with lived experience of homelessness. The feedback and recommendations received during the consultation process are being assessed. My Department and the Department of the Taoiseach will continue to engage with key stakeholders to agree a series of actions which will have a real impact in addressing child and family homelessness. The issue of transportation was one of the points raised during the consultation process and will be further considered in the preparation of the action plan. The Deputy has raised a specific issue in relation to Cork. It is anticipated the plan will be published by the end of June 2026, after which a steering group will be established to drive delivery of actions within the plan.

Sentiment score: 0.24

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. I reiterate that resources and funding are not an obstacle to the urgent efforts required. More than €563 million has been allocated to homeless services in 2021. On the specific point raised in respect of the Leap card, the Government's new housing plan includes a strong focus on measures around homelessness and a key measure in the plan is a child and family homeless action plan. There was a public consultation in January and 60 submissions were received. That was followed by an in-person event last month at which 100 people were in attendance. The feedback and recommendations are currently being assessed. The Department and the Department of the Taoiseach will continue to engage with key stakeholders to agree a series of actions with real impact on addressing child and family homelessness. As the Deputy said, the issue of transportation was one of the points raised during the consultation and will be further considered in preparation of the action plan. I will bring back to the Minister and Department officials the specific points of Cork, the Leap card and families experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, of the funding being provided, €513 million is current spending for homeless services this year. There is €50 million in capital to support delivery of high-quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness. This will be kept under ongoing review throughout 2026. I will bring to the Minister's attention the specific point of Leap cards for families experiencing homelessness outside Dublin in the area Deputy Gould represents in Cork, apart from the consideration taking place.

Sentiment score: 0.17