Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1671. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the Dormant Accounts Fund; when it will reopen for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28950/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The main purpose of the Dormant Accounts Acts is to reunite account holders with their funds. Unclaimed funds are transferred to the Dormant Accounts Fund, which is managed by the National Treasury Management Agency. The beneficial owner has a right to reclaim their money at any time.

Legislation governing Dormant Accounts established an administrative framework within which Departments could apply for funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund. Since July 2017 the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht has held responsibility for this function. Under this administrative framework a 3-year high level Disbursement Scheme is put in place, which indicates broad areas for support. Annual Action Plans are developed each year which approve funding for specific measures or projects.

In June of each year Departments are asked to submit applications for inclusion in the following year’s Action Plan. A draft Action Plan is approved in September to aide Departments in their budget negotiations. A final Action Plan is agreed after the Budget once funding certainty is achieved, and it is published shortly thereafter.

One the annual Action Plan is finalised, each Department is responsible for the roll out and implementation of measures within their remit. Where measures have an application process each measure is operated by the relevant Department. As such, the timelines for applications differ for each measure and are a matter for individual Departments

Further information on the Dormant Accounts Fund, including all published Action Plans and Annual Reports, and the current Disbursement Scheme for 2023-2025 is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/769773-dormant-accounts-fund-annual-action-plans-and-reports/.