Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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941. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of business cases for emergency accommodation providers currently awaiting a decision from counties Wexford and Wicklow; the length of time it has taken for a decision to be made for these business cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12223/25]

James Browne (Wexford, 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.

County Wexford is included in the South East region for the purposes of homeless administration, with Waterford City and County Council as lead authority. County Wicklow is included in the Mid East region with Kildare County Council as the 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 type, range and operation of emergency accommodation services including assessing business proposals for these facilities, and the 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. The latest expenditure programmes are for 2025 and contain five new funding proposals for Counties Wexford and Wicklow. There is one new funding proposal for an existing emergency accommodation service in Wexford, and four new funding proposals for emergency accommodation services in Wicklow, of which two are for existing services. My Department is in regular discussion with each housing authority in relation to proposed services, and the funding requirements to meet their homeless services programme during the course of the year.