Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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204. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has produced a new statement of strategy since May 2016; and if so, the measures in it to support persons with disabilities. [33634/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the Public Service Management Act 1997, each Department or Office must prepare and submit a Statement of Strategy to their Minister within six months of the appointment of a new Minister. My Department has prepared a new draft Statement of Strategy which I expect will be published later this month, subject to my approval.

The draft strategy statement has been drawn up in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of the Taoiseach which note that each statement should have particular regard to the Programme for a Partnership Government (PPG). In so far as my Department is concerned, the PPG makes specific reference to the housing needs of people with disabilities and you can expect to see that commitment reflected in the new Statement of Strategy.

Once approved, the strategy will be published in Irish and English and a copy will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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205. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has received the additional funding necessary to ensure the long term funding of local authorities in respect of the increased demands being imposed upon them consequent to the Department of Health's combined policies of decongregation and implementation of the social care model for adults with a learning disability; if his Department completed projections as to the extent of the extra costs involved for local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33667/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability (NHSPWD) 2011-2016 and the associated National Implementation Framework are joint publications by my Department and the Department of Health, and set out the Government’s broad framework for the delivery of housing for people with disabilities. They were developed as part of a coherent framework in conjunction with the Government’s mental health policy and Congregated Settings Report. De-congregation is a policy matter for the Department of Health who, in conjunction with the Health Service Executive (HSE), decide which institutions close and which clients are appropriate to community living with required supports. The ongoing health, home care and other supports for individuals, under the remit of the HSE, are essential components that facilitate this objective. The provision of appropriate housing is another component of the wider strategy, and this element is supported by my Department in accordance with the NHSPWD.

Since 2013, €1 million has been provided by my Department to support the on-going transition of people with disabilities from congregated settings and I have secured equivalent funding for 2017. In addition, to help accelerate progress, my Department has provided ring-fenced funding of €10 million in 2016 under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), specifically for the provision of housing for people with disabilities who are moving out of congregated settings into community based living arrangements. CAS funding will also be available to provide housing for people with disabilities in the community more generally that is not specifically targeted at deinstitutionalisation. The CAS provides funding of up to 100% to Approved Housing Bodies for the provision of independent living accommodation to meet the needs of people requiring specific categories of needs, including those with disabilities. Further capital will be available in 2017 for housing provision for people with disabilities. This is additional to capital funding which is being provided separately by the Minister for Health.