Mr. David Kelly:

I thank the Senator for the questions. To clarify, the Department's role is really around policy and funding. Consequently, the location and how services are delivered are matters for the local authorities. Local authorities are structured on a regional level and for each region there is a management group with the local authority, the HSE and other stakeholders. It is a matter for that management group to determine how the services will be provided and who will deliver them. One of the challenges in some areas, and Ms Hayes can elaborate on this, has been getting the NGOs to open additional services and supported temporary accommodations, STAs, and that has probably led us to more private emergency accommodation rather than NGO-led services. In response to that challenge, it is about making sure we put the supports into that PEA. Ms Hayes and her team have done a huge amount of work to make sure that there are supports there. The HSE similarly needs to make sure that we have in-reach supports going in to the PEA in order that we are providing similar levels of supports and services that go into the STAs.

On the concentration in Dublin city, again, it is a matter for the local authority, as the housing authority and the planning authority, to determine where those services will be located. Sometimes that is around the availability of properties, where can we access properties and where can we locate service providers. The Department does not have a role in determining where a service would be located but we are aware of concern in respect of the concentration around the Gardiner Street area and in particular around the north-east inner city. That is something that the DRHE will be looking at.