Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 294: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that voluntary homeless groups believe there to be over a thousand children homeless in the Dublin area alone; the breakdown of the exact figures of homeless children on a local authority area basis; and her plans to address the issue of child homelessness as the new revised Government strategy will only address adult homelessness. [14495/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to those young people who have been identified as being homeless on an individual basis and not within their family unit. The most recent figures collated by the Health Service Executive indicate that in 2005 approximately 378 (This figure is a national figure but does not include figure from the south western area in Dublin region) children nationally were identified as being homeless. In relation to the breakdown of these figures on a HSE regional basis, I have requested the HSE to forward the latest available of this information directly to the Deputy.

The Government has shown significant commitment to tackling youth homelessness. It has done this by targeting significant resources at the youth homeless service in the context of the development of the broader child welfare services. In 2001 the Youth Homelessness Strategy was launched. The Strategy provides a strategic framework for youth homelessness to be tackled on a national basis. The goal of the Strategy is "to reduce and if possible eliminate youth homelessness through preventative strategies and where child becomes homeless to ensure that he/she benefits from a comprehensive range of services aimed at reintegrating him/her into his /her community as quickly as possible." In 2005, my office, the Office of the Minister for Children (OMC) requested that the HSE undertake a review of their action plan, to ascertain the extent of its implementation. My Office is continuing to work with the HSE with a view to identifying youth homeless service needs and in determining future policy in this area. My Office has also been liaising with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the context of the review of their existing homeless strategy and the development of a new adult homeless strategy.