John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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115. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he has examined the relevant legislation in relation to provision of homeless accommodation in England (details supplied); his plans to introduce similar legislation here; if not, the reason therefor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6438/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with section 37(2) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services, including the provision of accommodation, rests with housing authorities. As I am satisfied that housing authorities are making every effort to make the most suitable accommodation available to homeless households seeking emergency accommodation, I do not believe it is necessary to introduce legislative amendments in this regard. Accommodating family units in commercial hotel arrangements is inappropriate for anything other than a short period of time. Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessnessfully recognises that the period of time that families spend in emergency hotel accommodation should be minimised. This is reflected in the commitment that, by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families. Full details and timeframes in relation to the range of actions to address family homelessness are set out in Rebuilding Ireland, which is available on the www.rebuildingireland.ie website.

The increases in Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment levels from 1 July 2016 will play an important role in the achievement of this overall objective, in terms of supporting families to remain in rented accommodation. However, where families do find themselves in homelessness situations, there are a range of solutions in place and bring progressed. These include the Housing Agency programme to acquire 1,600 units and the expanded HAP Homeless Pilot Scheme in Dublin, where some 800 homeless HAP tenancies were entered into by end-2016 and a further 1,200 tenancies are targeted for 2017 across the Dublin Region. A rapid-build programme is also in place, with over 350 rapid-build homes advancing at end-2016. My Department engages with the Dublin Region local authorities on a regular and on-going basis in relation to the delivery of these initiatives.