Yesterday, we learned of two more tragic deaths in our capital city. In the early morning, a man in his 40s living in a tent in the shadow of Leinster House was found dead. He had been living there for some time. Later in the afternoon, another man died in accommodation run by a well-known charity. We do not know the full circumstances of these tragic deaths but it is clear that both men were homeless. This brings the number of such deaths reported in Dublin this year to more than 52, which represents a significant increase on the number of deaths of those sleeping rough or in emergency accommodation in 2019. There have also been increases in the number of such deaths reported in the cities of Cork and Galway. I express my condolences to the family and friends of both men. Their deaths are a tragedy.

It would be a mistake to see these deaths as isolated incidents. People experiencing homelessness, who often have acute addiction or mental health needs, are at a greater risk of dying prematurely. The exact causes of death vary. It is sometimes an overdose, suicide or hypothermia or, in rare cases, murder. The interaction of homelessness, mental ill health and addiction dramatically increases the risk of such deaths. Are we doing enough to reduce this risk and prevent such deaths? Is our emergency accommodation system fit for purpose? Are the mental health and addiction supports available to these very vulnerable people adequate? Are we moving people into long-term secure tenancies fast enough? Are we learning lessons from such deaths and improving the supports for vulnerable people in order to reduce the risk of future deaths?

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, announced a review, to be carried out by the HSE and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, of the dramatic increase in deaths. I welcome the review but it is not enough. Will the Tánaiste commit to putting in place an immediate emergency response and to increasing supports for those experiencing long-term homelessness with the explicit aim of reversing the rise in the number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness in the coming months?

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. I was very saddened to hear of the deaths of those two men in recent days. At any time of year, although particularly in the run-up to Christmas, the deaths of people who are homeless fills us all with sorrow. As I understand it, there have been media reports concerning the deaths of two individuals in Dublin between the evening of 24 November and the morning of 25 November. One of these deaths was of a man who had a tenancy in long-term supported accommodation. The second man was found in a tent in Dublin 2. The circumstances of his death have not yet been fully established. These deaths are tragedies for the families involved and we extend our sympathies to those families and to all who knew them. Out of consideration for the families of these men, people should respect their privacy and should not speculate as to the individual causes of their deaths.

On the evening concerned, the DRHE outreach team worked through the night, as it does every night, to bring rough sleepers into emergency accommodation. A total of 31 people came into emergency beds on that night while 32 spare emergency beds were available to homelessness services in Dublin city. No person should die on our streets because of the lack of a bed. There were beds available and there were support workers on the street encouraging people to come in that night. The death of people who use homelessness services is taken very seriously. As the Deputy has mentioned, the HSE and the DRHE have commissioned a detailed review of all recent deaths in homelessness services. This was agreed on 10 November. Although we already know a great deal about this matter from previous work, it is important to get a more current picture to help us to understand why the number of homeless people who are dying is rising while the number of people who are homeless is falling.

Each case is different and has a personal story behind it. We should respect that and not engage in gross simplifications. I appreciate that the Deputy did not do that. He spoke about the interplay between homelessness, addiction, mental health and all of the other issues that make this such a difficult problem to solve. It is important to ensure that the Government fulfils its duties to protect our vulnerable and to reduce homelessness in our cities and towns. It is vital that we continue to deliver appropriate measures to ensure that all individuals experiencing homelessness are helped to exit homelessness and move into permanent housing and that those with complex health and mental health needs are provided for.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to expanding the Housing First approach, which has been successful to date. This approach is based on understanding that the best way to deal with people's underlying problems, whether these relate to their mental or physical health or other issues, is to make sure that they have a roof over their heads. That has worked quite well so far and further investment will be made in it. The Government is also acquiring more one-bed homes. There is a real shortage of one-bed social housing units in Ireland at the moment. So many of those who are homeless are single men and they need such accommodation in combination with the required support services. As of the third quarter of 2020, 459 people have been housed under the Housing First programme. This is making a difference and we will continue to build on it.

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. We all remember that Mr. Jonathan Corrie died on 1 December 2014 while sleeping rough in a doorway opposite Dáil Éireann. The tragic death of the 43-year-old father of two caused widespread public concern and anger. His daughter, Natasha, told RTÉ in an interview that, in her view, those in power failed her father. She said: "He could have been helped a bit more, like they didn't help him the way they should have helped him." On the basis of the very significant increase in the number of deaths among those who are either sleeping rough or in emergency accommodation, it seems that little has changed and that, in fact, some things are getting worse.

We need to increase funding for mental health and addiction supports, particularly for this vulnerable cohort, as a matter of urgency. We need to end dormitory-style emergency accommodation and we need thousands, rather than hundreds, of Housing First tenancies. We also need adult safeguarding reviews to ensure that we learn lessons from past mistakes. Will the Tánaiste commit to raising these issues at Cabinet? Will he push for an emergency response to the growing crisis of deaths among those experiencing homelessness?

I will certainly raise the issue at Cabinet. It is discussed in Cabinet meetings in the ordinary course of events but I will raise it again when Cabinet meets on Friday or Tuesday.

As we know, the number of people who are homeless has fallen by approximately 20% in the past year. Now, that is only 20%. It means for every five people who were homeless there are now four. It is going in the right direction but it is not enough. Notwithstanding that, there seems to be an increase in the number of people availing of homeless services who experienced a premature death in the past year. That should be a matter of concern. It is always a matter of concern that people who use homeless services die early. They may die considerably earlier than average. It is of particular concern that the number of deaths is rising at a time when the number of homeless people is falling. We need to get to the bottom of that and respond to it as an emergency, as the Deputy describes it.

What is being done? Cold weather arrangements are being put in place at the moment for the winter period, including more bed capacity and 24-hour facilities with meals, continuous placement for families and enhanced rough sleeper outreach. The Dublin street outreach services are provided by Dublin Simon Community and funded by Government. This involves a broader engagement for people who are sleeping rough. There has also been an increase in the mobile health clinic. It delivers weekly services to outreach teams in co-operation with Dublin Simon Community and the Housing First intake team, which is part of the Peter McVerry Trust.