Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the pledge to eliminate homelessness; the steps he is taking in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39384/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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A new Government strategy on homelessness, The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland 2008 — 2013, was published in August 2008. The strategy builds on the strong progress made under previous homeless strategies and sets out a vision to address adult homelessness over the next five years.

The strategy recognises that homelessness involves a complex interplay between personal, economic, social and structural issues and reflects the Government's commitment to addressing homelessness in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. It was developed under the aegis of a Cross Departmental Team, comprising representatives from the relevant Government Departments and agencies, with input from the National Homeless Consultative Committee, which includes representatives from homeless service providers, both statutory and voluntary.

Central interlinked objectives of the new strategy are the prevention of homelessness, the elimination of the need to sleep rough and the elimination of long-term occupation (i.e. more than six months) of emergency homeless accommodation, by the end of 2010. A range of actions are set out in the strategy, together with implementation targets for the most significant actions. These will be taken forward through a more detailed Implementation Plan being developed under the aegis of the Cross Departmental Team on Homelessness with input from the National Homeless Consultative Committee, which will assign lead roles and more detailed timelines. I expect the Implementation Plan to be finalised by the end of the year.

Funding from my Department towards the running costs of homeless accommodation and related services is being increased by 5% in 2009 to €56 million which, together with local authorities' own contributions, will bring the total provision to over €62 million. It is essential that optimum efficiency and value for money are secured from this funding. In that context, the Homeless Agency in Dublin has undertaken a comprehensive review of services and a value for money review. The findings of these reviews, which will be available shortly, will play an important role in informing the development of the Implementation Plan.