Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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In responding to this question, it is understood that half-way houses are facilities for homeless prisoners leaving custody. The Government's strategy on homelessness has identified the importance of co-ordinated and integrated provision of services for people who are homeless. The implementation of this strategy is overseen by the cross-departmental team on homelessness, on which the probation and welfare service and the Irish Prison Service are represented.

I am fully committed to the Government's strategy on homelessness and my Department is working in partnership with the Dublin Homeless Agency and providers in the statutory, voluntary and other sectors to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of appropriate accommodation and related service provision for adult prisoners and young offenders leaving custody. While prisoners leaving custody are eligible to access the full range of accommodation available, where possible and appropriate, they are facilitated in accessing independent living accommodation. For some, it may involve accessing accommodation in the private rented sector or local authority housing.

In some instances, it is not possible or appropriate for a prisoner to avail of independent living accommodation immediately on release, often because of their particular needs, for example, addiction and-or mental health issues. In such cases, every effort is made to facilitate access to appropriate supported accommodation, whether in half-way, transitional or longer-term supported accommodation, until such time as the person is ready to live independently.

My Department, through the probation and welfare service, provides funding to a number of organisations in the greater Dublin area which provide accommodation for homeless offenders leaving custody. Details of these are as follows: in the Cabra area of north Dublin, high support accommodation is provided for 14 adult males and supported independent living accommodation is provided for eight adult males. In the north inner city, supported accommodation is provided for six adult females leaving prison.

In the Blanchardstown area of west Dublin, a transitional accommodation facility is provided for up to eight homeless men aged between 18 and 25 years returning from prison or places of detention. In west Dublin, a house comprising five self-contained apartments with communal facilities, provides accommodation for life sentence prisoners and other serious offenders on supervised temporary release, who would otherwise be homeless. In the Chapelizod area of west Dublin, residential accommodation is available for up to 12 boys between 14 and 18 years of age who are on probation supervision from the courts or on early release from detention.

In addition, the probation and welfare service works closely with a number of organisations in both the statutory and voluntary sectors, which provide accommodation and related services to offenders and ex-prisoners. This work is undertaken in a context of ongoing assessment of need and the development of services to respond appropriately.