Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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1043. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's policy on how moneys allocated in the budget by Dáil Éireann to his Department are allocated; if he will provide details of such allocations from his Department for the past three years; if any policy changes are envisaged in the way persons who are not sleeping rough but who are homeless and who are supported, such as those persons in homeless accommodation such as Drogheda Homeless Aid, the Simon Community, etc. are supported; how local authorities and other agencies account for their allocations. [37412/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Funding for homeless services from my Department is provided to housing authorities on a regional basis. The regional approach is considered more effective as it brings a more strategic perspective to bear on action to address homelessness, including avoidance of over-concentration of homelessness services in certain centres and promoting appropriate regional availability of services, consistent with need. Funding has been allocated to housing authorities over the past three years on the basis of established patterns of expenditure while my Department engages with housing authorities on an on - going basis with regard to the needs of the various regions. Details of the Exchequer funding provided under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 for the years 2013 and 2014 , and allocated for 2015 , by my Department to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services are as follows:

- 2013 - €45,000,000

- 2014 - €49,205,774

- 2015 - €52,849,125 (allocation)

As confirmed in the Budget 2016 announcement, I have secured funding of €70 million for homeless services in 2016, which is an increase of approximately 32% on the 2015 allocation. The appropriate allocation of the 2016 homeless budget will be considered and finalised in due course so as to ensure that the funding contributes to meeting the needs in the various regions.

My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities and, under section 10 funding arrangements, responsibility for rigorous assessment, appraisal and decision-making in relation to the need for, and funding, of particular services rests with the Management Group of the region led by the lead housing authority. In this regard, housing authorities enter into Service Level Agreements with non-governmental service providers in respect of required services.