Mr. Ollie O'Connor:

I thank the committee for allowing us to make this address today. I am accompanied by Mr. Derek Ryan, a member of the board of directors, and Mr. Richard Dillon, house manager of our largest residential home in Smithfield in Dublin.

Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann, the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, ONE, is the oldest established veterans organisation in Ireland. ONE was established in 1951 with the amalgamation of the National Federation of Irish Ex-Servicemen and the Association of Regular Ex-Servicemen with the original intention of forming a single organisation to advance the general welfare of former members of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Currently there are currently approximately 1,400 members in over 40 branches throughout Ireland and overseas.

There were a number of tragic deaths of ex-servicemen on the streets of Dublin in the winter of 1988-89. As a result of these deaths a change in focus in ONE was needed and the decision was made to establish a residence for homeless ex-service personnel. This goal was achieved with the opening of the first Brú na bhFiann, a 20-bed home in Queen Street in Dublin in 1994. Since then further homes have been opened in Letterkenny, which is a seven-bed home, and Athlone, also with seven beds. A number of drop-in centres have been opened or are in development to cater for welfare issues of the ex-service community and their families. The home in Queen Street was replaced in 2005 with a new 40 en suite bedroom Brú na bhFiann in North King Street. This currently serves as the ONE headquarters as well as our premier home.

ONE was incorporated in 2000, Reg No: 328824, and is a company limited by guarantee without share capital. ONE is a registered charity, with Revenue No. CHY:13868 and regulatory authority No. RCN: 20044268. As a limited company, ONE accounts are audited and published annually. Audits of the local branch accounts are held annually by external auditors along with directors of the ONE.

The main object of ONE is the welfare of ex-service personnel, by way of providing accommodation to homeless, elderly or disabled ex-service personnel in need of such domestic accommodation and shelter and any other assistance required.

The charity has a number of subsidiary objectives - namely, to promote social, cultural and athletic activities; to develop a spirit of comradeship between serving and retired members of Óglaigh na hÉireann; to foster public interest in Óglaigh na hÉireann; to maintain liaison with organisations of ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen in the European Union; and to do all such other things as will assist in achieving the above objectives and aims.

On the issue of funding, ONE funding is mainly achieved through fundraising. Our main fundraiser is the Fuchsia Appeal, which runs throughout the year, with the main push taking place in July, the month in which the national day of remembrance takes place. The fuchsia is intended as a generic emblem of remembrance to honour those currently in service and as a fundraiser. The fuchsia was chosen as it is apolitical, grows widely throughout Ireland and is known in the west of Ireland as deora Dé, or God’s tears. Two Irish Defence Force soldiers, Patrick Mullins from Kilbeheny on the Limerick-Tipperary border and Caomhán Seoighe from Inis Oírr, did not return from overseas service in the Congo and Lebanon, respectively, and are still officially listed as missing in action. All of the foregoing were considered when the fuchsia was chosen. The first Fuchsia Appeal was launched in 2009 and raised €14,000. The 2014 appeal raised €56,000. This year, the amount is similar. It is our intention that the fuchsia will be adopted as the official emblem of remembrance, and we want to see it worn widely by the Defence Forces, those in the public service, politicians and the media in the month of July, similar to the wearing of the poppy in the UK, and more recently in Ireland, during the month of November and le bleuet de France, the cornflower.

Other fundraising methods include a weekly lotto, a Defence Forces race day, raffles, flag days, church gate collections and other events. These events are organised and run by our members within branches throughout the country. We also receive support from some serving and retired service personnel in the form of fixed donations through their salaries or pensions.

As a charity providing accommodation within three local authority areas, we receive some funding. However, it is disappointing that the level is so low considering the number of homeless ex-service personnel that we cater for. Each bed in emergency accommodation in Dublin costs approximately €28,000 a year, with beds in supported temporary accommodation costing approximately €29,000. These figures are from the State's most recent homeless implementation plan. The nightly cost per person is approximately €75. Brú na bhFiann receives €182,850 in section 10 funding annually from Dublin City Council. This equates to approximately €16.69 per person per night. We do not receive any funding on an ongoing basis from Westmeath County Council.Custume House received €1,000 in grant funding in 2015. This equates to approximately 39 cent per night. We do not receive any funding on an ongoing basis from Donegal County Council.Beechwood House received €350 in grant funding in 2015. This equates to approximately 14 cent per night. These figures are shocking. However, all three local authorities provided substantial capital funding to the homes during the refurbishment and purchase stages.

ONE has a very close relationship with other veteran organisations, in particular the Irish United Nations Veterans Association, IUNVA.In conjunction with IUNVA and the Association of Retired Commissioned Officers, ARCO, ONE advocates of behalf of veterans. All three organisations meet regularly and hold discussions with the Department of Defence officials and other Departments as required. ONE and IUNVA also host training courses together, such as welfare case worker training courses, two of which were held in 2015. A veteran’s affairs policy has been agreed between the three ex-service personnel organisations and it is hoped this will form the blueprint for the future of the State's response to ex-service personnel issues and their interaction with the Department of Defence and the military authorities while no longer serving.

There are a number of aspects to ONE. As a unique organisation and based upon the loyalty and comradeship that is fostered in the military, ONE ensures that there is a social aspect to the organisation. Therefore, at national level, it regularly organises overseas trips to historical sites, and weekend and day trips to places of interest within Ireland are organised by the various branches. These events are all self-financing and moneys raised for charitable purposes are used for that purpose only.

ONE takes part in various ceremonial events nationally and locally, such as the annual Niemba ambush remembrance ceremony, which is hosted by ONE, and the national day of remembrance. These events are an important part of our business. Military service can be arduous and people have given the ultimate sacrifice both at home and on foreign service. Therefore, we organise remembrance events that families and former colleagues attend to remember those who have passed.

To conclude, we are primarily a charitable organisation catering for and advocating on behalf of the needs of homeless ex-service personnel within our society. To do this we fundraise and depend on donations and grant aid from the State. This grant aid is much appreciated, but it needs to be increased substantially. As can be ascertained from the figures above, we provide 16,060 bed nights per year to homeless ex-service colleagues. This is a substantial figure to cater for, considering the implications if these people were still living in the various hostels and overnight accommodation available nationwide. We therefore are continuing during 2016 to engage and lobby the State and other bodies for funding and resources to enable us as a charity to shoulder the burden of housing those ex-service personnel, thereby relieving the already strained Exchequer of direct responsibility. We seek this committee's continued support and help in raising our profile and creating public and State awareness of issues with regard to homeless ex-service personnel.