Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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39. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses that are currently providing homeless accommodation; the number of beds being provided to homeless persons in hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses; the cost of such emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32913/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department publishes a detailed monthly report on homelessness, based on data provided by housing authorities. The Report outlines details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. The Reports are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/.

My Department does not collect data on the number of hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses providing emergency accommodation or the number of beds provided in such accommodation. However, the monthly homelessness report does include information on the number of adults accommodated in Private Emergency Accommodation (PEA) which includes hotels, B&Bs and other residential facilities that are used on an emergency basis. The most recently published data showed that there were 3,950 adults accessing PEA nationally during the April count week.

In relation to the cost of emergency accommodation, my Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988. Under Exchequer funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Exchequer funding arrangements provided by my Department. Therefore, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the type and operation of homeless services are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.

Financial reports from each of the regional fora, setting out total expenditure on homeless services including emergency accommodation are published on my Department’s website at the following link; www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.