The impact of Storm Lorenzo is on some people's minds today, particularly those in the west. It is also of concern to a number of people who are homeless tonight. It is all right that the Government's message is to stay high and dry but Irish citizens all over this country today and tonight will not have a choice because of a lack of beds. Storms such as this may become more frequent and this Government must ensure that proper funding can be put in place to ensure we have enough emergency beds for rough sleepers.

The great homelessness problem is a major issue and people have a right to housing and a home. Rough sleepers in Dublin may not get a bed until 11 p.m. and they will be put out at 7 a.m. This is not acceptable at any time.

However, when we have bad weather, similar to what is promised, it acutely focuses our minds on the numbers of people who are homeless and whom we continue to let down. I commend the local authorities which are preparing for Storm Lorenzo and putting things in place this morning.

Hear, hear.

We need to be mindful of the costs involved. Mayo County Council is stating it will have an overrun of €3 million this year. There is a serious lack of funding for the local authorities to engage in the core activities that need to be undertaken. When one adds the expenses necessary to deal with a storm such as Storm Lorenzo, the costs rise. We need a full debate in this Chamber on local authority funding. It is not just the case that we must rely on the local property tax, it is about much more than that. Local authorities need to be funded to carry out their core functions. They have not been funded adequately for a long time in the way they need to be.

Today's announcements on tariffs will have an impact on farming. There is almost a perfect storm hitting the agriculture sector with Brexit, tariffs and storms. We need to do everything to protect the sector and farming in coastal areas. Farm families are absolutely living in dread because they are living on such low margins and producing at a loss. They are not getting fair prices, as we saw in the beef protests. We need to do much more to support the industry.

I commend local and regional radio stations. At a time like this they play an important role in communicating with people, particularly those who live on their own in isolated areas and are fearful because of Storm Lorenzo. We need to acknowledge this in funding and supporting local and regional radio stations, in particular.

I concur with Senator Conway-Walsh in her comments on homelessness. We are all worried about getting home during the storm, but one only has to walk around the streets of Dublin or Cork, with which I am very familiar, to see people living in makeshift tents. I hope they will be safe. I have just come from a briefing given by the Simon Communities of Ireland. They are operating at capacity or beyond in their shelters. When I was chief executive, there were 44 beds available. My happiest day will be when we have enough housing in order that nobody will need to be in a shelter. The shelters are overcrowded, with 50 people each night. It is catastrophic for those who have to rely on emergency services and would rather be in a house. There was a very good report published this week by Cork Simon on people getting back into work. Time was when someone had a job, it was the pathway out of homelessness. Now, owing to the unavailability of housing, people in a shelter are working. That is a shocking state of affairs I take the opportunity on the Order of Business to ask the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to come to the Chamber after the announcement of the budget to see what settlement has been made on housing, particularly for organisations working on the front line.

The all-party Oireachtas group on dementia have had three cracks at the budget and got nowhere. We have tabled Commencement matters and had meetings with Ministers. We have packed out Oireachtas venues such as the dining room and the AV room. Everybody is in agreement that dementia is a major issue. Most Members have a family member who is directly affected by it, yet we have made no progress. We made modest requests last year and promises were made, but nothing came of them in the budget. I concur with Senator Horkan in requesting the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, to come to the Chamber to make a statement on the allocation to be included in budget 2020 for dementia services. People cannot wait. A modest sum of €7.5 million would bring services up to a minimum standard in providing access to home care and day services. A modest sum of €1.6 million would enable us to make a start in providing an infrastructure of dementia advisers. When people receive a diagnosis of dementia, they are sent home without any support. They do not know what to do. They are left with a significant diagnosis and no signposts or supports in dealing with it. We would like to have a network of dementia advisers in every part of the country. We want regional centres of excellence for people with Down's syndrome who develop dementia at a much higher rate and a much earlier age. We also want homecare services. There is a lack of such provision which means we are failing people all of the time.

To recap, I would like the Ministers for Housing, Planning and Local Government and Health to come to the House to make statements on housing and services for those with dementia.