Vol. 521 No. 4
68 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will respond to the recent information which has been published regarding the level of homelessness among the Irish in London; the problems facing the Irish community in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17183/00]
Shelter, a voluntary association in Britain which advises and supports people with problems regarding housing, recently published a fact sheet entitled "Irish People and Housing" in which it is stated that it is estimated that 11% of people sleeping on the streets of greater London are Irish. This estimate is based on statistics for the year ended 31 March 1999 by ethnic group compiled by the Housing Services Agency, an official body which provides resettlement services for homeless people in London. Those figures show that 57.2% of the "rough sleepers" were English, 11.5% were Irish and 11.3% were Scottish. I am concerned that there are Irish people in Britain without accommodation at night. There are many reasons why this is so. One reason is that too many young people still go to London and other cities in Britain inadequately prepared. The Government and voluntary organisations in Ireland are doing what they can to assist intending migrants in this regard. The Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs supports voluntary groups such as emigrant advice who give pre-departure advice and information. FÁS, the training and employment authority, makes available comprehensive information about coping with problems of living and working abroad.
Through the Díon committee, based at the embassy in London, the Irish Government gives financial support from the Enterprise, Trade and Employment Vote to voluntary Irish organisations in Britain which advise and assist homeless Irish people there.
The Shelter fact sheet mentions that most single people do not qualify for local authority housing as they are not in priority need categories. A report for the British Commission on Racial Equality in 1997 confirmed the existence of discrimination against Irish people there, including when claiming benefits such as public housing. Taking up this point, the fact sheet states that "the failure to recognise Irish people as a distinct group means that disadvantages and discrimination may not be recognised. This in turn makes it difficult to develop policies and practices to tackle past and present discrimination". In the next census in England and Wales in 2001, Irish people will be able to describe themselves as a separate ethnic category, a development which should in due course assist in better identifying their problems.
The social and health problems of the Irish in Britain are currently receiving special attention from the interdepartmental committee on emigration. Irish and British officials are considering the possibility of special action, in the context of combating social exclusion, to address the particular social and health problems of Irish people in Britain, including homelessness.
