Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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640. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of disbursements made from the dormant accounts fund since the abolition of the Dormant Account Board; the total disbursed in each instance under each of the following headings, educational disadvantage, disability and socio-economic advantage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12840/14]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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641. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to publish a dormant accounts disbursement plan, in succession to the now elapsed dormant accounts disbursement plan of 2009; the legal status of the dormant accounts fund in the absence of such a plan; if the dormant accounts fund is compliant with the terms of the relevant legislation in the absence of such a disbursement plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12841/14]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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642. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the interests, outside his own Department and the civil service generally, he intends to consult in the event that he sets about preparing a dormant accounts disbursement plan in succession to the now elapsed dormant accounts disbursement plan of 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12842/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take questions Nos. 640 to 642, inclusive, together.

The Dormant Accounts Board was dissolved on 31 December 2012 and a new disbursement scheme was approved by Government in December 2013 in accordance with the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012. This was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on18 December 2013.

The National Treasury Management Agency (“the Agency”) is required by the Dormant Accounts Acts 2001 to 2012 to prepare financial statements in respect of the operations of the Dormant Accounts Fund for each financial year. The Agency is also responsible for safeguarding assets under its control. Disbursements on Dormant Accounts measures are paid from the relevant Department’s Vote in the same way as any other spending programme. The Vote is then reimbursed by the Agency from the Dormant Accounts Fund on the direction of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

During 2013 and to date in 2014, my Department, as well as the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Irish Prison Service and the Department of Education and Skills, provided funding for disbursement to beneficiary projects under the Dormant Accounts Fund under the Dormant Accounts Board Disbursement Plan 2009. The total disbursed from the Fund in 2013 (full year) across Government Departments and Agencies came to €1,486,993.

All disbursements made on behalf of my Department fall under the socio-economic advantage category. The breakdown of disbursements to the projects by Pobal on behalf of my Department during 2013 and 2014 is listed in the table below.

The 2012 Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act also provides for the preparation of an action plan to give effect to the disbursement scheme. Organisations will be able to apply for funding once the action plan is approved, which is expected to be later this year, following a consultation process with relevant Government Departments and Pobal. I have allocated €5.456 million for Dormant Accounts Measures under my Department in 2014, which includes €2 million to be used to support labour force activation measures in local authorities and the implementation of a modest action plan.

Further data in relation to the Dormant Accounts Fund are available on my Department’s website at

. Beneficiary Payments by Pobal in respect of Dormant Accounts Measuresunder the Socio-Economic Advantage Categoryon behalf of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government 2013and to date in 2014