Vol. 491 No. 3
326 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the arrangements, if any, his Department will put in place to consult with the voluntary sector in relation to the methodology which will be employed in the assessment of the number of homeless persons due to be carried out on 31 March 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11643/98]
Local authorities carry out assessments of homelessness alongside their periodic statutory assessments of housing need. The next assessment is due in March 1999. Before carrying out an assessment, local authorities liaise with the voluntary bodies providing accommodation and services for homeless people in their areas and with the health boards with a view to ensuring that the assessment is as complete and comprehensive as possible. I am conscious of the need to improve the reliability of these assessments and will be paying special attention to this in the preparation of the guidelines to be issued later this year to local authorities in regard to the assessment. In view of the greater scale of homelessness in the Dublin region, I am consulting the Dublin Homeless Initiative, which represents voluntary bodies and local authorities in the Dublin region, in relation to the guidelines for the assessment and the question of whether a separate assessment of homelessness is warranted in the Dublin area.
