Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Oct 1994

Vol. 446 No. 3

Written Answers. - Voluntary Organisations' Non-Capital Funding.

Tony Gregory

Question:

200 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment the non-capital funding grants, excluding national lottery funding, available to voluntary organisations who provide emergency, outreach and residential services to adult homeless people for day-to-day running expenses, management and administrative costs. [1983/94]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Mr. Stagg)

Local authorities have powers under section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988, to make arrangements with approved voluntary bodies to provide accommodation, including emergency and residential accommodation, for homeless persons. My Department recoups 90 per cent of expenditure of a non-capital nature incurred by local authorities in contributing to voluntary bodies towards the cost of providing or arranging accommodation for homeless persons. In 1993, my Department recouped £901,888 to local authorities and a provision of £1.2 million is included in my Department's Vote for 1994 for such expenditure.

In addition, grants are paid by the Department in respect of the administrative and general expenses of certain approved organisations with representative, advisory, information, training or research functions in the housing area. A number of these organisations also provide services to homeless persons. The amount available for the payment of such grants in 1994 is £373,000. Funding for the provision of outreach services for homeless persons is not a matter for local authorities or my Department.