Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to reports of extreme difficulties being experienced by those persons who have become homeless; the proposals he has to combat this problem. [29105/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I am deeply conscious of the difficulties experienced by people who are homeless and I have given very high priority to addressing the issue. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with the housing authorities and the HSE has responsibility in relation to health and care services for homeless persons. My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin action to address homelessness at local or regional level. Substantial work has been carried out in this regard during the past 2 years and a comprehensive range of measures has been put in place to support the role of housing authorities and other agencies in addressing homelessness.

The overall national policy framework to address homelessness is set out in the Government's homelessness strategy, The Way Home, which was published in August 2008 and the National Implementation Plan for the strategy, which was published in April 2009. Implementation of the homelessness strategy at local and regional level will be carried out through the framework of statutory homelessness action plans adopted by housing authorities under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.

Total funding for homeless accommodation and related services was increased in 2009 by 5% and in monetary terms to €62m, which represented a higher increase in real terms. Notwithstanding unavoidable retrenchment in State funding generally, this higher level of funding is being maintained in 2010, which is indicative of the priority that I and the Government attach to addressing homelessness.

The process of implementing the provisions relating to homelessness in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 is well advanced, with the establishment of regional homelessness consultative fora and the development of the statutory homelessness action plans. These provisions further reinforce the role of the housing authorities, working with relevant statutory and non-statutory agencies, in the planning, implementation and oversight of homeless services and action to address homelessness as effectively as possible at local and regional level, in accordance with the objectives of the homelessness strategy.