Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 904: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of homeless people in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway; the number of emergency accommodation places available for homeless people in each of the cities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22879/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the number of homeless households in each local authority area are published in the Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins, which are available in the Oireachtas Library and on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. The most recent published figures relate to the position at March 2005. The latest homeless counts took place in March 2008 and results will be published in due course.

Local authorities are responsible for meeting the accommodation needs of homeless persons. It is, consequently, a matter for individual authorities to determine the level and category of accommodation to be provided, having regard to the need for such accommodation within their areas. The number of emergency accommodation places fluctuates from time to time due to the demand-led nature of emergency accommodation. Information received from the Homeless Agency indicates that the current number of emergency places available in Dublin is 1,987. Information from the relevant local authorities indicates that the numbers of emergency accommodation places available in Cork, Galway and Limerick cities are 219, 66 and 208 respectively.