Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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290. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of a safety guidance and voluntary code for child safety in emergency accommodation. [49364/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures relating to the provision of emergency accommodation and the range of supports to be provided to households experiencing homelessness.

Arising out of a commitment made in Rebuilding Ireland, a specific course on child protection was developed in partnership between the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) and Tusla.  The DRHE has been providing Child Protection training to Private Emergency Accommodation staff, which covers their legal responsibilities under child protection legislation, reviewing the reasonable grounds for concern and the thresholds for reporting and reporting concerns where appropriate.  Child protection booklets have been distributed to operators of private emergency accommodation.  Child safety is an integral element of the National Quality Standards Framework for Homeless Services, which is fully operational in Dublin and is being rolled out nationally over a 12-month period from 1 July 2019.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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291. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of a new facility with accommodation for pregnant women who are homeless. [49365/19]

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 for the provision of accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.

Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. One of the measures is to provide a new facility in the Dublin region for pregnant women who are experiencing homelessness. This facility is now operational and has capacity for up to six women.  In addition, a number of family hubs operating in the Dublin region have accommodation and supports designated for pregnant women.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of tenancies provided by housing first teams in Dublin in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date 2019. [49366/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help them maintain their tenancies.

The National Implementation Plan for Housing First, published in September 2018, which puts the programme on a national footing, is designed to provide this response, by delivering permanent housing solutions and associated supports for rough sleepers and long-term users of emergency accommodation. It extends the delivery of Housing First nationally, with the introduction of targets for each local authority. The Plan includes an overall target of 663 tenancies in the period 2018-2021.  The implementation of the Plan is a joint initiative of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Department of Health, the HSE and the local authorities.

The Housing First programme has been operating in the Dublin region since 2014, following a successful pilot. A total of 34 tenancies were created in 2016, 106 tenancies in 2017, 83 tenancies in 2018 and 94 tenancies up to October 2019.

Following a tendering process by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, the Peter McVerry Trust will operate this service to deliver a further 400 Housing First tenancies over the next three years.