Homelessness is a major problem in London, both among the unemployed and, in some cases, those in low paid employment. I should stress, however, that the vast majority in those categories are not Irish people.
The problem of homelessness among Irish emigrants to Britain is of particular concern to me. For that reason, I went and saw for myself, at first hand, what the situation was like in London. On the basis of that experience, my advice to any young person contemplating going to London is clear and simple, as it has been over the last three years: if you do not have accommodation and a job fixed up in advance, do not go. This is a central element in the FÁS pre-emigration service.
DÍON funding was increased from £250,000 in 1988 to £500,000 in 1989 and has been maintained at that level in 1990. It is used to assist voluntary organisations helping Irish people with accommodation and/or employment difficulties. The additional funding allocated to DION has enabled assistance to be given to organisations dealing specifically with the homeless such as: Acton Homeless Concern, Cricklewood Homeless Concern, King's Cross Homelessness Project, Irish Families Project, South London Family Services Unit, Irish Women's Housing Action Group, Cara-Irish Homeless Project and An Teach. Many other organisations funded by DÍON, as part of their range of services for Irish emigrants, offer information on accommodation. I am particularly hopeful that the Cara project will give us a statistical base on which to plan future action.
I presume the question relates to the provision of funding for the construction and running costs of hostel accommodation. As I intimated in reply to a similar question on 29 November 1989, DÍON received several applications for projects involving a capital element which it was clearly not possible to fund from the DÍON allocation. I also indicated on that occasion that many voluntary emigrant welfare groups were of the view that funding of the capital costs of hostel accommodation should properly be the responsibility of the relevant local authority.
For these and other reasons I am not in favour of extending the remit of DÍON to the funding of hostel accommodation. Apart from anything else, the cost would be prohibitive and would only reduce the amount available for other urgently needed front line services which rely heavily on DÍON grants. My information is that DÍON itself would not favour such a proposal.