Austin Deasy
Question:57 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, during his discussions with the British Prime Minister on Wednesday, 26 February 1992, the plight of the thousands of homeless Irish people in Britain was discussed.
Written Answers. - Emigrants in Britain.
The Taoiseach informed the House on 3 March of the wide-ranging discussions which took place with the British Prime Minister and his colleagues at the meeting in London on 26 February. As this was the first opportunity for the Taoiseach and myself to meet Prime Minister Major since our coming into office it was not possible on this occasion to cover all of the issues of concern to both Governments.
I would however like to assure the Deputy that the position of Irish people who find themselves homeless in Britain is a matter of very serious concern to the Government. The Embassy in London maintains contact with the appropriate statutory authorities on this and a wide range of social issues of concern to the Irish community in Britain. The DÍON Committee, which is chaired by the Labour Attache of the London Embassy, advise the Minister for Labour on grant allocations to Irish support groups in British cities. In recognition of the problem faced by the homeless, the DÍON Committee has this year decided to give priority to applications from organisations for projects concerned with the provision of accommodation for the homeless. Despite the fall-off in net emigration in this year, and budgetary cutbacks in many areas, it has been possible to maintain the funding of the DÍON Committee at IR£0.5 million, in recognition of the continuing needs of emigrants arriving in Britain.