Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1324. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason Leap cards are only being given to homeless families during school terms despite the fact that many of the families in emergency accommodation are placed in hotels and hubs far from their family and support networks and have the same travel requirements during school holidays as during term time; and if he will reconsider this policy. [35632/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Arising from the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, my Department is funding an initiative to provide homeless families residing in hotel accommodation and family hubs in the Dublin Region with access to free public transport for essential school journeys.  

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is overseeing implementation of this initiative and, working in partnership with the National Transport Authority, has put arrangements in place for the provision of Leap cards to homeless families under this initiative. Given that Leap cards have an inbuilt value limit, the cards are being made available to homeless families on an on-going basis throughout the academic year, via Focus Ireland’s State-funded Family Homelessness Action Teams.  Outside of this arrangement, the Community Welfare Service of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection considers, on a case-by-case basis, providing for costs associated with the transport needs of homeless families under the Exceptional Needs Payments scheme.