Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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23. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 348 of 1 April 2014, the current position on the new dormant accounts disbursement scheme which was approved by Government in December 2013 in accordance with the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012 and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 18 December 2013; if he will confirm whether this was his first public mention of this fact; the reason that there was no announcement of same on 18 December 2013; if he will now place the new dormant accounts disbursement plan on the record of Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19453/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I refer to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 348 of 1 April 2014. The Dormant Accounts Disbursement Scheme 2013-2016 was prepared after consultation with various Ministers as appropriate, including the Minister for Health, the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Social Protection. The scheme was approved by Government in December 2013 and was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 18 December 2013 in accordance with the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012. Under Standing Order 176 of Dáil Éireann Standing Orders all documents laid before the Dáil are considered public.

The 2012 Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act also provides for the preparation of an action plan to give effect to the disbursement scheme. My Department is currently in consultation with the Minister for Health, the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Social Protection and other Ministers as appropriate, in order to finalise a Dormant Accounts Action Plan for 2014.

Organisations will be able to apply for funding once the action plan has been approved. 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 .

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