Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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14. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of homeless services that are operating to the national quality standards framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33464/21]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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This question is about quality standards for homeless accommodation. It is important that national quality standards are applied by all providers of accommodation for people experiencing homelessness. How many providers are applying these standards? Why are the private for-profit providers not applying these standards? When will they be applying them?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for the question for his interest in this matter. As the Deputy will know, statutory responsibility for the provision of homeless services rests with each individual housing authority. My Department's role in homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and, importantly, the funding to underpin the role of the housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Thankfully, as I said earlier, we are seeing significant improvements in that area year on year, with a significant reduction in homelessness. It is still a high rate but the trend is good in that regard.

All emergency accommodation, whether provided by local authorities, NGOs, voluntary bodies or privately, are required to comply with standards and these standards are monitored. The national quality standards framework for homeless services is in place nationally for local authority and NGO-delivered services. Local authorities also carry out inspections on facilities that are not covered under the framework. This regime operates in parallel with, and is based on, the national quality standards framework.

The standards and facilities teams in the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, oversee all emergency accommodation in the region and seek to ensure that all relevant guidelines, policies and procedures are complied with in order to deliver a safe and comfortable place for people to stay. The DRHE has an inspection regime in place to deal with complaints and to ensure accommodation is appropriate and safe.

I ask any Deputy who knows of specific instances of breaches or who has concerns to raise them directly with me or the DRHE. Separate to the service standards expected of providers according to service level agreements, all homeless service providers must meet the requirements of statutory codes, in particular the requirements of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and, indeed, the Fire Services Acts.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. Much work and consultation went into the creation of these standards and they are good. It is an issue that they are not being applied to the private providers. These services are funded by the local authorities and are in receipt of funding through the Minister's Department to provide accommodation. We have some serious issues. Hostels that were shut down by non-governmental organisations, NGOs, because of poor standards have been reopened by private, for-profit sector providers. People who are experiencing homelessness are being put into rooms without windows. Hostels have been shut down because they were not meeting minimum fire safety standards. I have met, as I am sure the Minister has, people experiencing homelessness who tell me they feel safer sleeping on the street than going to some of these providers because standards are so low. Why are some of the providers not applying these standards? What specifically is the Minister going to do about it?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Anyone who is aware of a specific instance of a breach should bring it directly to my attention. I want to make sure that those who are in emergency accommodation are only in it in the short term. It is not a permanent solution for them or their families. The use by families of emergency accommodation, particularly in hotels, has, thankfully, reduced by 80% year on year.

I do not mind telling the Deputy that I have had discussions with the DRHE about the national quality standards framework, NQSF, and how it may be applied. We have, effectively, a parallel system whereby the same standards are applied to private emergency accommodations, PEAs. I want to see a reduction in our use of PEAs, which is happening. I have met with the new chief executive of the DRHE about this matter and I have been assured that detailed inspections of private accommodation facilities are taking place. We want to make sure that the standards applied are the same in public and private accommodation. I will come back to the Deputy with more information in my supplementary reply.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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These standards were drawn up to apply to all providers of services, be they funded by the local authorities or private, for-profit or not-for-profit entities. The standards are not being applied to the private providers. There is talk of parallel standards but when it comes to the inspection forms, the NQSF is a detailed inspection form of 12 pages that touches on many issues and contains many good standards whereas the forms for inspections of private accommodations reflect a bare, minimal process. Much of the good stuff that is being applied to not-for-profit accommodation is not applied to the private providers. I am bringing to the Minister's attention the fact that all the private, for-profit providers are not being inspected to the national quality standard as was the intention. When is he going to sort this out? It is not good enough that people experiencing homelessness are living in substandard accommodation, at times, and that those accommodations are not being inspected to the national minimum quality standard.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I reiterate that the responsibility for the provision of homeless services is with the housing authority in each of the local authorities. We provide the policy framework and funding for them to do it. That is important because each local authority and its staff know an area better than a central authority would. The issue is acute in Dublin because that is where the majority of homeless people present. Dublin also contains the majority of homeless services.

I regularly meet with representatives of the DRHE, Dublin City Council and others on this matter. Standards are applied to private emergency accommodation. They are parallel standards to the NQSF. I have discussed with the DRHE the benefit that would potentially accrue from applying those standards across the board. We need to get there. It is a detailed and complex process. We have improved the services in PEAs. I believe that the standards and services anyone in emergency accommodation receives should be the same regardless of which type of accommodation a person is in. It is something at which I am actively looking. The Deputy has showed a particular interest in this area and has regularly questioned me about it. I have taken those matters up with the DRHE and I will report progress to him.