Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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336. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total annual spend in each of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 on homeless accommodation. [4432/22]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total annual spend in each of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 on homeless accommodation in Dublin. [4433/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 337 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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.

My Department does not fund any homeless services directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards these costs. Under the funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of these funding arrangements with my Department. Therefore, the exact spending by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the types of services, are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homeless Consultative Forum, as provided for under Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.

Exchequer funding for homeless services is provided through my Department to housing authorities on a regional basis. The funding provided for 2018 to 2020 is set out below:

In 2020 additional Covid-19 costs were met as well as expenditure carried from 2019 when homelessness peaked at 10,514 persons.

Certified financial reports, which provide a breakdown of expenditure for each region, are published annually on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/#local-authority-regional-financial-reports.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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338. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total percentage and total value of homeless accommodation that was not put out to tender in Dublin in each of the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. [4434/22]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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339. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if ethics compliance committees are in place to monitor or regulate the procurement of homeless accommodation. [4436/22]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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340. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total percentage of homeless accommodation in Dublin that is tendered to private operators. [4437/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 to 340, inclusive, 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. My Department does not fund any homeless services directly but contributes to the overall expenditure incurred by housing authorities in the provision of these services.

The procurement and tendering processes carried out by each local authority and compliance with procurement rules in relation to same, are directly a matter for the relevant Chief Executive. Local authorities are required to ensure compliance with all statutory obligations in terms of the use of public funds. Details of the percentage or total value of emergency accommodation tendered by local authorities are a matter for the relevant local authorities.

Part 15 of the Local Government Act 2001 sets out an ethical framework for local government that imposes a statutory duty on all persons in the local government service to maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct and concern for the public interest. The main requirements are that councillors and employees avoid conflicts of interest. Councillors and certain employees must submit annual declarations of interests. As Minister, I may issue Codes of Conduct to further inform councillors and employees of the standards of behaviour that are expected. Each local authority appoints its own internal Ethics Registrar to oversee compliance and complaints of ethical breaches must be directed to the Ethics Registrar in the first instance.