If the tragic death of Mr. Jonathan Corrie is to mean anything, it has to be a catalyst for change. Anyone who saw the place where he had tragically passed away could not have been untouched. One cannot be untouched by the sense of desolation, loneliness, coldness and sadness he must have experienced in the hours before he passed away on Sunday night or Monday morning. If that does not make us angry, touch us and make us determined as a people to address the issue, absolutely nothing will. The measure of the Government's response and ours as a people is not the holding of an emergency summit, welcome though that is, or a special Dáil debate on homelessnes; rather, the measure of our response will be what changes will be made and what will be done differently to prevent something like this happening ever again. That is where the focus needs to be. The alarm bells on the issue of homelessness have been ringing for some time. In the past two years alone, the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin has doubled. This year the number has increased by about 30% and it is not just a Dublin problem. The annual report of the Cork Simon Community refers to the fact that in the past three years there has been a fourfold increase in the number of homeless people in Cork city. Not only is homelessness an immediate issue but State policy is also resulting in a pipeline of people who could well become homeless in the months ahead. Homelessness is a complex problem. We all accept that it is not all about money. I heard Mr. Mike Allen of Focus Ireland confirm on "Morning Ireland" today that there would not be enough emergency beds in Dublin tonight if every homeless person was willing to take one. What short-term actions is the Government committed to taking to address the immediate crisis and what longer term steps does it intend to take to ensure the pipeline of people who are on the way to becoming homeless will be cut off immediately?

Nobody can disagree with the sentiments expressed by the Deputy. I am sure nobody in this House could describe the feelings of a person who has to fend for himself or herself on the streets of this city or others around the country. How can one describe the feelings of Mr. Corrie in the years, months, weeks and days before he passed away? The same applies to the families who find themselves homeless and who have to move to bed and breakfast accommodation or hotel rooms, or who end up on the streets. The situation to which the Deputy referred has been brought to light by the death of Mr. Corrie, but there has been a categorisation of the different elements involved, from those who are homeless and sleeping rough to those who have become homeless because of rent increases or a lack of space in terms of the availability of rooms, apartments and houses.

The longer term solution is as I outlined yesterday for the Deputy's party leader. The Government has reflected on and made decisions on this issue for some time. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, has outlined the allocation of €2.2 billion for social and affordable housing, including direct provision accommodation by local authorities, voluntary housing agencies and so on, to deal with the issue by 2020. He also set out the timelines and targets for what was to be achieved.

In the shorter term for some months Dublin City Council has been working on bringing back into use over 1,000 rooms and facilities which are, as it calls them, "voided". I understand 265 are being worked on and that targets have been set for others to be brought back into use. I outlined yesterday the number of emergency rooms which would be brought back into use between now and Christmas. In cases in which individual circumstances warrant an increase in rent supplement local authorities can deal with the matter.

The answer in the medium and longer term is not a general increase in rent supplement. We have to deal with the question of supply. That requires taking into account the processes for planning, as well as income streams for contractors and those who will buy affordable housing. We need to be able to drastically increase the supply, which is why the Government has made decisions and allocated money in that regard.

I agree with the Deputy that an emergency debate will not answer this question, nor will committee meetings, but they are part of a process in making decisions to put things into effect. As I said yesterday, in this day and age the vast majority of people in this city and others who sleep rough should not have to do so. Deputy Michael McGrath will be aware that some cases are very complex and that the circumstances that apply in each individual case are different. As he knows, Mr. Corrie was offered accommodation on many occasions, but, as was his right, he chose not to accept it.

I do not get a sense from the Taoiseach's response that he grasps the seriousness of the crisis, how urgent it is and what it means for those who find themselves in this situation. The reality is that the profile of people in this country who are becoming or are about to become homeless is not like it was before; it is not all about drug and alcohol addiction.

The banks.

They are, of course, factors in many cases but not all. The reality is that the rental sector is completely dysfunctional and in crisis. The policy of the Government of not allowing an increase in rent caps is resulting in many families not being able to rent privately and no council houses are available for them. Such families are living in emergency accommodation and many of them are, in effect, homeless. That is what it happening. None of us knows what is going on in the mind of somebody who is homeless, but I have listened to those who are at the coalface, who represent people who are homeless and are dealing with them day in and day out. They have said this is a national crisis. The Government could reconsider the issue of rent supplement caps, but it has dismissed the idea. A change would allow many people who are locked out of the private rental accommodation market to access a home, but the Government has refused to do this. Will the Taoiseach, please, explain why?

Rent supplement plays an important part in the provision of accommodation. There are 71,800 persons in receipt of rent supplement, of whom 19,000, or 26% of the total, were awarded it this year. At the end of November, approximately 29,000 rent supplement recipients were on the live register, representing 8.2% of the total number. The Government committed funding of €344 million to the rent supplement scheme in 2014. It is not true to say money has been not been forthcoming. The current limits came into force on 17 June 2013, introducing some increases in Dublin and Galway. The limits in Dublin were increased by a weighted average of, I understand, about 9%.

Rents have increased by 17%

The current review of the scheme has practically been finalised. Deputy Michael McGrath knows the answer to his question. If rent supplement is increased across the board, the only beneficiaries will be landlords.

If it is done without increasing the supply of houses, it is meaningless. The local authorities have the right to increase rent supplement in individual circumstances where they believe it is appropriate.

They are not doing that either.

I already pointed out for the Deputy the numbers in receipt of rent supplement this year and the fact that €344 million has been allocated for this. If we increase the rent supplement generally across the board without increasing the supply of houses, we do not deal with the fundamental issue, which is supply.

We need both.

That is why €2.2 billion has been allocated by the Government for the next number of years to deal with this.

The Taoiseach is way over time. There is a time limit on Leaders' Questions.

One second please. "To get a job you need a base and you need a good three square meals a day as well, to be honest, and you need some good sleep - and you won't get it on the street so you just can't grab a job on the street when you're in a sleeping bag." Those are the words of Jonathan Corrie two months ago. I am glad to see the unemployment figures have dropped to 10.7%, but that is still too high. In these kinds of cases, we will never deal with the situation until we have a proper supply of accommodation.

Why is there not a proper supply?

The emergency accommodation, the void and empty units are all being considered now. I hope the meeting tomorrow will bring about some focus from all of the agencies working in this area.