Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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611. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the average waiting time for an assessment by homeless services in the mid-west region Clare, Limerick and Tipperary when someone presents as homeless in each of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 by county in tabular form. [33010/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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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 local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities.

Under the Housing Act 1988 it is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a person is regarded as homeless and Section 2 of the Act sets out the requirements in this regard. When a household has been assessed as homeless, section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, provides that a local authority may provide accommodation and related services to that household.

Any household assessed as homeless may be placed into temporary emergency accommodation without the requirement to undergo a social housing assessment, allowing local authorities the flexibility that is essential to respond quickly and effectively to the various needs of cases that may arise.

Comprehensive national data and statistics on homelessness is routinely and regularly collated and published by my Department however the specific local operational data sought by the Deputy is a matter for the relevant housing authorities, and is not available in my Department.