Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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338. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will outline the future plans for the medically supervised shielding units created as part of the HSE and Dublin Region Housing Executive Covid-19 response in Dublin and if his Department intends to continue funding these units as permanent facilities post Covid. [16447/22]

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 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. This includes the provision of units or properties required for self isolation or shielding units for those medically vulnerable to Covid-19.

The ongoing need for such services is an operational issue for consideration by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) in consultation with the HSE. From a strategic perspective, in the context of the overall response to Covid-19, my Department is in regular contact with local authorities to ensure sufficient bed capacity is available to facilitate the isolation of suspected or confirmed cases that arise in homeless services.

Over the course of the pandemic a strong collaborative working relationship has been established between the HSE and the DRHE which was successful in reducing Covid-19 transmission. It is important that this collaborative way of working continues post-pandemic to ensure that service delivery is appropriate to the needs of those in emergency accommodation.