Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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293. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if additional resources will be made available to councils to deal with the potential influx of tenants issued with eviction notices following the removal of the eviction ban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10031/23]

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 statutory 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. The purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988.

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.

Under the Exchequer funding arrangements in place between the Department and housing authorities, decisions on the funding, organisation and range of accommodation services to be provided are a matter for the individual housing authorities in consultation with the Statutory Management Group of the relevant regional Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum, and the Department has no function in relation to operational matters. As such the identification of the need for additional resources is a matter for the local authorities in the first instance.

The budget for 2023 makes provision for €215m in funding for homeless services, an increase from €194 in 2022. The extra funding for Homelessness reflects the priority that this Government is giving to Homelessness.

The funding will allow local authorities to continue to focus on preventing homelessness in the first instance and to provide support to those at risk of or experiencing homelessness. It will also aid in the further expansion of the Housing First approach in line with commitments made in Housing for All, provide for a planned extension of outreach and intensive engagement services to our most vulnerable and provide accommodation to those experiencing homelessness. Additionally there remains a firm focus on ensuring that pathways out of homelessness for those individuals and families in emergency accommodation are secured as quickly as possible.

The aim of the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 is to afford time for housing supply to increase and to reduce the burden on homelessness services and the pressure on tenants and the residential tenancies market. To assist in managing demands on housing services after the winter emergency period and ensure that there is no cliff edge impact on 1 April, the Act provides for deferred Notices of Termination to take effect on a phased basis over the period from 1 April to 18 June 2023.

My Department will continue to work with local authorities to ensure sufficient funding is made available to support those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.