Tony Killeen
Question:63 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for the Environment if he will provide funding to local authorities or voluntary bodies to provide emergency or sheltered accommodation in each county. [4927/95]
Written Answers. - Sheltered Accommodation.
The Public Capital Programme for 1995 allocates substantial funds to my Department for the provision of accommodation, including emergency or sheltered accommodation, by local authorities and voluntary bodies as follows: local authority housing construction programme, £155.5 million; capital assistance scheme, (voluntary bodies, £15 million.
The type of housing provided by local authorities under their housing programmes, and the needs to be catered for, are matters to be decided by the individual authorities within their authorised programmes and capital allocations. Each authority has already been notified of its authorised programme for 1995 and I expect to make the corresponding capital allocations shortly.
The local authorities are also responsible for the administration of the capital assistance scheme. It is open to an authority to promote the provision by voluntary bodies under this scheme of accommodation designed specifically to meet particular housing needs in its area. In addition, my Department recoups local authorities 90 per cent of their expenditure on providing, or assisting with the provision of, emergency accommodation for the homeless. The 1995 provision for this purpose is £1.5 million.