Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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82. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will report on the availability of emergency accommodation, in particular the emergency accommodation that can cater for larger families that are increasingly not accepted by hotels and bed and breakfasts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26889/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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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 associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.  The matter raised by the Deputy is an operational issue in the day-to-day delivery of services and is a matter for the relevant housing authority.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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83. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the quality standards and inspection regime for all emergency accommodation. [26816/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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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. This includes operational issues such as ensuring that contracted services are delivered in a professional manner, that inspections take place and that homeless families/individuals can report issues to the relevant authority. 

In this regard, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has been overseeing the development of a quality standards framework, coordinating this work in consultation with an advisory group, which includes representation from various housing authorities, service providers, Tusla, clients and other stakeholders, with a view to having the finalised standards adopted on a national basis by individual housing authorities. The draft standards have been piloted in a number of selected services across the country and positive feedback has been received.

My Department has had recent discussions on this subject with the DRHE and I understand that the DRHE is preparing a final draft quality standards framework for formal submission to my Department.  On receipt of this, along with any recommendations with regard to implementation from the DRHE and the advisory group, I will give consideration to how such standards could be applied on a national basis by housing authorities.