I support Senator Ivana Bacik on the joint motion. I also wish to refer to the RTE programme broadcast last night. As Fine Gael spokesperson on local government and housing, we should hold a debate on the issue to show what is being done. As the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, said, it is a serious issue. Anybody who watched the programme last night could not help but be moved for the people and children featured in it, but we must ensure we are realistic in what we are discussing. The Government has taken and is taking the homelessness issue most seriously. It is its top priority.

I thought health was.

We were speaking about rough sleepers and - Lord have mercy on him - Jonathan Corrie. The number of rough sleepers has gone down by 46% since November. That is 46% too high because we want to do more about it. This morning Mr. Cathal Morgan, director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, said the supply of local authority housing was still at a low level. Obviously, we are starting from a nil base. Senator Paschal Mooney referred to what we had spent in 2008, but social houses were not built. We had a sub-prime mortgage issue in 2008 that actually drove lending. Money was thrown at people who should never have been landlords in the first place. The sub-prime mortgage market was totally out of control. That led to the reckless lending of the banks which led to the downfall which led to housing problem we are now correcting.

It was done with the full support of the Senator's party.

Everyone has to play his or her part. Mr. Morgan said this morning that we had to accept modular housing. I want to comment on the development in Limerick. I read in the Irish Examiner in November that Councillor Gilligan in Limerick had welcomed the Government's provision of €3.8 million for 21 social housing units. Deputy Willie O'Dea then got up and said "No," that we could not have it.

Is the Senator looking for a debate on the issue?

I am looking for a debate and a review on what is actually happening. We cannot build houses overnight, but we should all co-operate and work together. When 21 social housing units are to be provided and €3.5 million put into housing in Limerick, we should all come in behind it. We cannot have ex-Ministers saying, "Not in my back garden.". We need a long-term solution. We have 35,000-----

The Senator is way over time.

A review and a debate on what we are actually doing would be welcome to let the people know that we are working on this issue and that it is a priority.