Written answers

Monday, 9 September 2024

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Departmental Funding

Photo of Violet-Anne WynneViolet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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888.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide an increase of current expenditure to Clare County Council to meet the specified requirement (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35803/24]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh 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 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 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. While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. Counties Clare and Limerick are included in the Mid West region for the purposes of homeless administration, with Limerick City and County Council as lead authority.

A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each of the nine homeless regions in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. Decisions on the range of emergency accommodation services, additional capacity requirements, and funding required in each region are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.

Each region is required to submit an annual expenditure programme to my Department and my Department approves a funding allocation. The annual expenditure programme includes both services that are operational and new service proposals. My Department is in regular discussion with each housing authority in relation to the cost of proposed services, and the funding requirements to meet their homeless services programme during the course of the year. I have made it clear to all housing authorities that additional funding for all required homeless services will be kept under review over the course of 2024.

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