Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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628. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will publish the service level agreement between his Department and Dublin City Council for the provision of homeless services; if he will publish the statutory documents certifying that the public money granted was used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14260/21]

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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629. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will review the procurement of homeless services contained in the service level agreement between his Department and Dublin City Council; his plans to review the statutory documents certifying that the public funding granted was used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14271/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 629 together.

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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 sets out the purposes for which costs may be incurred by housing authorities in respect of the provision of homeless accommodation and related services.

While responsibility for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis, with nine administrative regions in place. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. It is a matter for the management group of the consultative forum, in the first instance, to determine the services and the funding required to address homelessness in each region. Each region submits an annual expenditure programme to my Department and my Department approves a funding allocation. The management of the funding allocation is delegated to the lead authority in each region and is governed by a protocol between my Department and the lead authority. This protocol sets out the funding arrangements and structures to ensure adherence with statutory requirements and public financial procedures. All regional authorities are obliged to ensure compliance with the Protocol and to ensure that accounting policies are in accordance with the regulatory accounting framework in place. These are subject to oversight and scrutiny at various levels, including by the Local Government Audit Service in their annual audit.

In Dublin, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), provided by Dublin City Council, is the lead statutory local authority for funding and service provision to respond to homelessness in Dublin and adopts a shared service approach across South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

The DRHE are responsible for the administration of services at a local level and operate in consultation with the management group of the joint homelessness consultative forum that is in place for the Dublin region. This forum comprises representatives of the four Dublin local authorities, the HSE, Tusla, the Irish Prison and Probation Service, the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Justice, the Irish Council for Social Housing, Threshold, and the Homeless Network. It falls to this forum to determine the services and the funding required to address homelessness at a local level. Following this determination the procurement of individual services, contractual arrangements and associated service level agreements are a matter for the DRHE to agree with individual service providers. In procuring services the DRHE are obliged to ensure compliance with all relevant statutory obligations in respect of provision of services and use of public funds.

The protocol governing delegation of Exchequer funding for homeless accommodation and related services in the Dublin Region to Dublin City Council, which is based on the provisions set out above, is available on request and my Department recently provided a copy to the Public Accounts Committee.

The Protocol agreement also sets out reporting requirements in respect of expenditure incurred on the provision of services and includes a requirement to ensure that certified expenditure is reported to my Department on a quarterly basis. This report provides details of the expenditure incurred with the accuracy of the report being certified by the Head of Finance and the Director of Services for housing (or equivalent) of the regional lead authority. The certified expenditure report is reviewed by my Department to assure compliance with the terms of the Protocol. The certified expenditure reports from all regional lead authorities are published on the Department's website at: . Financial reports for 2020 are currently being examined and will be published shortly.

There is an effective system in place in respect of my Department’s functions for the disbursement, financial oversight and governance of voted Exchequer funds which are used by housing authorities to provide homeless services. These arrangements have regard to the statutory functions of local authorities under the Housing Act 1988 and Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the delegation to lead authorities in respect of the management of expenditure. There is a system of certification and review, and transparency in respect of publication of financial reports. These are further underpinned by audit provisions.