Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 516: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he intends to take to tackle homelessness; the further steps he intends to take to aid persons who find themselves sleeping rough on the streets here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36693/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Since the introduction of the Government's homeless strategies, there have been significant developments in the provision of a wide range of additional accommodation and services for homeless persons. Since the introduction of the integrated strategy in 2000 some 1,000 extra emergency beds have been provided in the Dublin area alone. Rough sleepers have been enabled to access emergency accommodation and homeless persons have been facilitated to move out of emergency accommodation into accommodation more suitable to their needs. Increased levels of day care facilities, together with specific provisions to meet the needs of people with alcohol or drug addiction problems or who are sleeping rough, as well as homeless ex-offenders, have been put in place.

Rough sleeping is the extreme manifestation of homelessness and statutory and voluntary agencies work in close co-operation to minimise it. In Dublin, where the largest incidence of rough sleeping occurs, Dublin City Council operates a night bus service where clients are given access to accommodation and appropriate outreach services. This service, which originally operated as a cold weather response, now operates on a year round basis. An on-line system to facilitate the prompt identification of vacant emergency accommodation on a nightly basis has recently been introduced by the Homeless Agency, with funding from my Department; this will ensure optimum use of the accommodation to meet the needs of rough sleepers. Rough sleeping initiatives also operate in the other main urban areas with specific measures put in place during colder weather if considered necessary.

The Government is committed to continuing to support local statutory and voluntary bodies in tackling the issue of homelessness. My Department's expenditure for the recoupment to local authorities of 90% of the cost of providing accommodation and related services for homeless persons in 2004 was €45.73 million. The allocation for 2005 is €51 million. This brings to €240 million the total funding available for this purpose since 2000. The Department of Health and Children has provided an additional €30.2 million in the same period to meet the care needs of homeless persons.

The outcome of the review of the implementation of the homeless strategies and their associated local homeless action plans will inform future policy developments in this area.