Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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577. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if standard cost efficiency guidelines have been issued for the procurement of emergency accommodation in privately operated hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27461/18]

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 homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.

My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services. Under the funding arrangements, funding is provided on a regional basis, whereby it is delegated to a lead authority in each region. Protocols have been put in place with each of the lead authorities, which set out the arrangements and responsibilities between the Department and the lead authorities in relation to the provision of on-going revenue funding for homeless accommodation and related service costs. The protocols provide that all funding arrangements, delegated under the funding allocation system in place, must be in accordance with statutory requirements and public financial procedures, including the Public Spending Code.

In addition, delegation is contingent on key principles and the allocation of such funding by the lead authority, within individual headings of expenditure, is on the basis that all such decisions are in accordance with Government policy and the attainment of key performance targets and objectives. Housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of any funded services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Exchequer funding arrangements that apply.