A man with psychiatric problems who has been homeless for more than 20 years has been further remanded in custody until next Tuesday as no suitable accommodation is available for him.
Thomas Corrigan (65), has been barred from a number of hostels in Dublin because of his difficult behaviour.
Mr Corrigan was remanded by the Dublin District Court last Friday to Cloverhill Prison as no bed could be found for him.
He faced a number of public order charges but was remanded initially last month "for his own safety".
Representing Mr Corrigan yesterday, Mr Niall O'Connor said that the issue was being addressed by the Health Service Executive.
A representative from the HSE was present in court and said it hoped a bed would be available for Mr Corrigan in the psychiatric unit of St James's Hospital on Tuesday.
Mr O'Connor said this was not a long-term solution, and Mr Corrigan's wish was to return to the hostel in the Liberties area where he had been living since 1984.
The court was told the HSE and the de Paul Trust, which manages the hostel, are working towards a plan to reintegrate Mr Corrigan back into the hostel.
Groups working with the homeless, including the de Paul Trust, have criticised the lack of appropriate services for elderly homeless people, particularly those with mental health problems.
Alice Leahy of the Trust said it was inappropriate for an elderly man with difficulties to be sleeping rough while huge sums of money were given to agencies to care for homeless people .
The Homeless Agency said it was "working towards case management" of individual cases of elderly, homeless people.
A number of difficult cases had "fallen through the gaps", it said, and elderly people with mental health issues were particularly complex.
