Written Answers Nos. 223-244
223. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of consultants Caranua has employed and the amount it has paid them since its formation on 31 March 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31880/16]
View answerCaranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. Section 7(7) of that Act provides that Ministerial approval be sought where the Board wishes to engage consultants or advisers. A number of consultancies have been approved under that section since the establishment of the organisation. The detailed information sought by the Deputy, in particular that regarding amounts paid to consultants, is not available to me as it is a day to day matter that is the responsibility of the Board. I have arranged to have the Deputy's question forwarded to Caranua with a view to having a response provided to him directly as soon as possible.
224. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason interest on loans, depreciation, etc., are treated as add backs within the student grant scheme for those who are self-employed; his plans to change this criteria given that the Revenue Commissioners do not have this specification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31886/16]
View answerThe assessment of means under my Department's student grant scheme is based on gross income from all sources. Therefore, all income is assessed from the same starting point, eliminating any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions.
Part 3 of the Student Grant Scheme 2016 deals with issues governing the determination of reckonable income. In calculating reckonable income, no account is taken of capital assets. Therefore, it follows that no deduction is given for depreciation, interest on borrowings which fund the asset, tax capital allowances or for any other capital expenditure.
225. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for a Teaching Council number by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31890/16]
View answerUnder the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is, since 2006, the body with statutory authority and responsibility for registration of teachers in this State.
The person who is the subject of the Deputy's question is currently registered as a teacher.
226. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the delegated responsibilities he has given to Ministers of State in his Department; when the order of delegated responsibility was signed; if he included his Ministers of State in direct discussions or meetings with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as part of pre-budget discussions; if so, the dates of such meetings and the attendance at each meeting; if the Minister of State was not included, the reason this was the position in view of the designated responsibilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31913/16]
View answerUnder the Education and Skills (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2016 (S.I. No. 355/2016), the Government delegated to Mr. John Halligan TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, the powers (other than the power to prosecute an offence) and duties of the Minister for Education and Skills, conferred on him by or under the Industrial Training Act 1967 (No. 5 of 1967), Section 7(1)(c)(i) of the Education Act 1998 (No. 51 of 1998), in so far as it relates to adult education, including educational disadvantage (within the meaning of section 32(9) of that Act) among adults, Section 7(1)(c)(ii) of the Education Act 1998, in so far as it relates to transport services, National Training Fund Act 2000 (No. 41 of 2000), and the Further Education and Training Act 2013 (No. 25 of 2013) (other than section 6(2), sections 10 to 13 and section 23). The order was made on the 5 July 2016.
I had two formal bilateral meetings with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in advance of the Budget, on 19 and 30 September. On both occasions I was accompanied by officials and a special adviser. The Minister of State at my Department was not in attendance as both meetings related to overall budgetary strategy for my Department, for which I have responsibility.
227. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department ever evaluated the Montessori teaching method and the subsequent education outcomes of this method for children at national school level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31958/16]
View answerUnder the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the professional regulator and standards body for teaching in Ireland. Its functions are set out in the Teaching Council Act, 2001. In accordance with Section 38 of that Act, the Council reviews and, where appropriate, accredits programmes of initial teacher education (ITE). The Council's criteria for accreditation are set out under a range of headings including Programme Inputs, Processes and Outcomes. Under the heading “Programme Inputs”, programme providers seeking accreditation are required to detail, inter alia, the way in which methodologies, pedagogical content knowledge and studies in relation to philosophy of education are integrated into their programmes.
In carrying out its statutory accreditation role, the Teaching Council seeks to ensure a level of consistency across all ITE programmes provided in Ireland. This does not imply uniformity, and it is open to providers of ITE programmes to incorporate different philosophies of education, including Montessori education, into their programmes of Initial Teacher Education. As such, there is considerable variety across programmes, and the Teaching Council welcomes this.
The Teaching Council has considered how Montessori education can be best positioned in the continuum of teacher education, and has consulted and recently met with Montessori teacher educators with the ultimate aim of supporting students' learning. It understands that a provider is currently considering a redesign to its programme so that it might meet the Teaching Council's ITE criteria, and its graduates could be eligible to register as primary teachers. The Council is happy to engage further with the provider in question, and awaits a submission applying for accreditation.
228. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide EpiPens to primary and post-primary schools (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31971/16]
View answerThe question of whether medication such as EpiPens should be made available to schools is primarily a public health matter and would therefore be a matter for the Department of Health.
229. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the delay in land acquisition for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31974/16]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, a site acquisition process in respect of a building project for the school to which he refers is currently underway.
This acquisition process is currently at conveyancing stage and is very well advanced.
230. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a SUSI application was delayed pending a document from the Revenue Commissioners despite having the document already (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31995/16]
View answerAs part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.
This service complements the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. Staff in SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe.
231. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of trainees who have participated in the SOLAS safe pass training programme in the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32010/16]
View answerSince 2013, SOLAS has advised that Safe Pass Training has been completed by the following numbers:-
|
Year |
Number of candidates completed Safe Pass Training |
|
2013 |
60,669 |
|
2014 |
93,806 |
|
2015 |
90,339 |
|
2016 (14th October) |
71,928 |
232. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for additional school accommodation by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32108/16]
View answerMy Department is in receipt of an application for additional accommodation from the school referred to by the Deputy. My officials were in contact with the school recently in the context of the enrolment level projected by the school within the application. The information provided by the school during this contact will be considered in assessing the application and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been finalised.
233. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the result of the recent patronage competition for secondary schools in County Dublin, Firhouse, Lucan, Swords, Carpenterstown, Castleknock, Malahide and Portmarnock will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32131/16]
View answerIn April 2016 applications were invited for the patronage of nine new post-primary schools to be established in 2017 and 2018, including new 1,000 pupil post-primary schools to serve the areas of Firhouse; Lucan; Swords; Carpenterstown & Castleknock; and Malahide & Portmarnock. The closing date for receipt of applications for this process was 8 June 2016. Patrons submitted with their application a parental preference template in which parents have been requested to declare their preference for their child to be educated through that patron's school model and also their preference with regard to education through the medium of English or Irish.
The assessment process is detailed and rigorous and numerous applications have been received in respect of each of the nine proposed new post-primary schools.
The New Schools Establishment Group, an external independent advisory group set up to oversee the process, is meeting this week to consider the assessment reports. Following the Group's consideration, they will submit a report with recommendations to me for consideration and final decision. I will then announce who the successful patron of each school is. I expect to receive the Group's report within the next week.
The assessment reports and the recommendations of the NSEG will be available on my Department's website following the announcement.
234. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the urgent need for a new library building at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, in view of the fact that the current building is wholly inadequate for the current student population of over 3,400 with a student-to-seat ratio of 16:1; the timeframe for the provision of capital funding for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32148/16]
View answerThe Department of Education and Skills has been made aware of the challenges faced by the third level institution in question with respect to its current library facilities.
There are many competing demands on the limited capital budget for higher education and the library development proposal will be considered within the context of competing demands. I am not in a position to commit to a funding allocation at this point.
235. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of a special needs assistant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32149/16]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE.
It should be noted that SNA allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.
Where a school wishes to appeal the SNA support allocation which has been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeal process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie. The option to invoke the NCSE appeals process is open to the school in question.
All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Contact details are also available on the NCSE website. The local SENO is also available to discuss any concerns that parents have about the present or future educational needs of their child.
As the question raised by the Deputy relates to an application for support for an individual child, I have arranged for this question to be forwarded to the NCSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
236. Deputy Josepha Madigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to accommodate students at a school (details supplied) which is set to close; when a new school is expected on the grounds of the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32151/16]
View answerThe closure of the private school to which the Deputy refers has recently been announced by the patron body.
The Patron has agreed to put appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that the current cohort of post-primary students will be in a position to complete their current cycle of Junior Certificate or Leaving Certificate to 2019. My Department has worked with the patron to support them in ensuring an orderly wind down of the school for staff and students.
The Department of Education and Skills has acquired the school campus and it will be used for school purposes in the future. While the proposed school to be accommodated on the campus has not been determined at this point, there are several school needs arising in the area and its future use will be considered in that context.
237. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will extend the slurry spreading period by an extra two weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31653/16]
View answer241. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to extend the slurry spreading season. [32230/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 237 and 241 together.
I refer to the reply to Question No. 127 of 20 October 2016. The position is unchanged.
238. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the recommendations by Cosc and Women's Aid that local authorities make special provision in their scheme of lettings for women out of home due to domestic violence have been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31959/16]
View answerI am aware that there have been calls to prioritise victims of domestic violence in the allocation schemes (formerly known as "schemes of letting priorities") of local authorities.
The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for individual housing authorities in accordance with their allocation schemes made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. Each housing authority is required to make an allocation scheme specifying, among other things, the manner of, and the order of priority for, the allocation of dwellings to households and classes of households on the waiting list. Allocation schemes may also contain provisions for exceptional or emergency cases, allowing immediate housing outside of normal waiting list priorities, should circumstances warrant it.
Victims of domestic violence who seek emergency accommodation from a housing authority are generally placed in temporary accommodation which the council itself arranges or which is operated by a voluntary service provider. It is not necessary for such persons to go on the general housing waiting list to avail of short-term emergency housing. Such support can be provided where victims of domestic violence meet the homeless definition set out in the Housing Act 1988, which is not prescriptive and in practice will generally include victims of domestic violence.
Where victims of domestic violence need continued State support to meet their housing needs, housing authorities are encouraged to work with all service providers to ensure that a victim's housing eligibility and need is assessed in a timely manner. This assessment is carried out in accordance with section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, which includes a review of the suitability of the household's current accommodation having regard to "particular household circumstances" or "exceptional medical or compassionate grounds". This allows a housing authority to consider a victim of domestic violence as having a housing need and place her (or him) on a housing list.
My Department continues to liaise with Cosc in relation to the implementation of the second national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. While there is no proposal to redefine victims of domestic violence as a specific category of prioritised housing need, Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, which was published on 19 July 2016, commits to the development and publication of procedural guidance for housing authorities with regard to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence in securing new independent tenancies. It is expected that this will be published before the end of the year.
239. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of moneys granted to rural resettlement Ireland each year since 2012; when responsibility passed to his Department in relation to this issue; the number of families resettled from an urban centre to each county for each of the years; and if consideration has been given, in view of the housing emergency, to increase that funding and to accelerate the process to help those on the cities' housing lists, in particular, to rural areas under threat of loss of local services due to falling local populations, emigration, ageing and urbanisation. [32011/16]
View answerMy Department does not currently provide funding to this organisation, nor has it provided funding since 2012. The information in relation to the number of families resettled by the organisation is not collected by my Department.
However, the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness sets out a range of measures supportive of the regeneration and renewal of towns and villages across rural Ireland and, consequently, ensuring a vibrant population in those places. It is my aim that all reasonable steps are taken to secure the re-use of vacant and under-utilised properties for residential purposes, particularly in the many towns and villages in rural Ireland that contain a significant number of empty houses. Action 5.1 of the Action Plan provides for the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by early 2017 and within this context, I intend to examine the potential to widen the geographical range of social housing location options available to persons seeking such accommodation.
The Strategy will examine the potential for bringing existing but vacant housing back into beneficial use and will also consider mechanisms to match such accommodation potential to prospective applicants for social housing, through measures such as the Repair and Leasing Initiative, which will see up-front financial assistance being made available to upgrade empty, but sub-standard, accommodation in return for leasing the property back for social housing purposes. Acquisition and leasing options are also available to local authorities to ensure that households needing accommodation may be provided with that accommodation.
As the Deputy may be aware, my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, has overall responsibility for regional and rural matters and is advancing a broadly-based rural development strategy, in the context of A Programme for a Partnership Government. In conjunction with this overarching Strategy, the development of a rural resettlement programme will be considered further in the context of taking forward the range of measures set out in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan.
240. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the cost per annum of all private sector rental schemes since 1991, including, but not limited to, the rental accommodation scheme, the housing assistance payment, the social housing current expenditure programme, previously the leasing scheme, and expenditure on emergency accommodation, in tabular form. [31606/16]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
My Department has responsibility for three current expenditure funded schemes in which units are sourced from the private rental sector for social housing use - the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) formerly the Social Housing Leasing Initiative which was initiated in 2009; the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) initiated in 2005; and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme established in 2014.
SHCEP supports the delivery of social housing by recouping to local authorities the cost of long-term lease agreements that are entered into with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) or private property owners and developers. Properties made available under SHCEP are used to accommodate households from local authority waiting lists. Leased properties are allocated to tenants, in accordance with the relevant local authority's allocation scheme.
The table below sets out the annual expenditure on the SHCEP (formerly the Social Housing Leasing Initiative) since its inception in 2009 to the end of September 2016. The annual Exchequer provision for the Programme funds the full year cost of the ongoing contractual commitments of leases and contracts, and the cost of new contracted units that become operational under the Programme during the year. €57 million was provided in my Department’s estimate for the Programme in 2016, and €84 million in 2017. Expenditure in 2015 included a self-funding element of €7.933m which was funded by local authorities from built up RAS reserves. At the end of Q4 2015, there were 7,099 social housing units operational under the Programme, and to end Q3 2016, an additional 638 new units had become operational.
|
Year |
SHCEP Outturn |
|
2009 |
€642,178 |
|
2010 |
€3,774,920 |
|
2011 |
€13,817,464 |
|
2012 |
€20,814,526 |
|
2013 |
€27,362,615 |
|
2014 |
€34,844,781 |
|
2015 |
€42,150,239* |
|
2016 (to end Sept) |
€28,165,770 |
*includes €7,933,651 which was offset against LA RAS reserve 2015
RAS, which commenced in 2005, is a targeted scheme that allows households to transfer from rent supplement to social housing if they have been in receipt of rent supplement for 18 months or more. RAS tenants can find their own private rent accommodation or a local authority can source that accommodation. The landlord tenant relationship is a three-way relationship – the landlord has landlord responsibilities but also signs a contract with the local authority to secure the use of the unit. The local authority pays the rent to the landlord in return. The tenant pays the local authority differential rent.
The table below sets out the annual expenditure on RAS since its inception in 2005 to the end of September 2016. The annual Exchequer provision for the scheme covers recoupments made to local authorities in respect of the contracted rents due to landlords, and deposits on newly acquired accommodation. €135 million was provided in my Department’s estimate for the scheme in 2016, and €134 million in 2017. Expenditure in 2015 and 2016 included a self-funding element of €14.85m and €13.4m respectively which was funded from built up RAS reserves. At the end of Q4 2015, there were 20,834 tenancies supported under the scheme, and to end Q3 2016, an additional 930 new transfers had been completed.
|
Year |
RAS Outturn |
|
2005 |
€723,280 |
|
2006 |
€6,199,980 |
|
2007 |
€27,384,837 |
|
2008 |
€53,025,430 |
|
2009 |
€83,394,513 |
|
2010 |
€100,076,430 |
|
2011 |
€115,917,365 |
|
2012 |
€125,429,966 |
|
2013 |
€130,886,608 |
|
2014 |
€133,512,889 |
|
2015 |
€136,639,464** |
|
2016 (to end Sept) |
€98,003139 |
** Includes €14.85m self-funding from RAS reserve
Under the HAP scheme, which has been rolled out incrementally since the initial pilot in 2014, households find their own accommodation in the private rented market. The local authority will make a monthly payment to the landlord, subject to rent limits depending on the household size and the relevant local authority area, on behalf of the tenant. The tenancy is between the tenant and the landlord and is covered under the terms of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended). The local authority is not a party to the tenancy. The tenant pays a rent contribution based on the household’s income; the rent contribution is calculated in the same way as the differential rent paid by a tenant of a local authority owned property.
The table below sets out the costs of the HAP scheme to my Department, which includes the cost of landlord payments and local authority administration, from its inception to the end of September 2016. €47.7 million was provided in my Department’s estimate for the scheme in 2016, and €153 million in 2017. At the end of Q4 2015, there were 5,853 households being supported under the scheme, and to end Q3 2016, an additional 8,727 new HAP tenancies had been set up.
|
Year |
HAP Outturn |
|
2014 |
€394,472 |
|
2015 |
€15,643,829 |
|
2016 (to end Sept) |
€ 29,853,881 |
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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation, and related services, for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. My Department does not fund any service directly but provides funding to lead housing authorities on a regional basis, therefore the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on emergency accommodation are a matter for those authorities.
242. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there are supports from his Department for a person who was in the process of buying a house until they were made redundant recently. [31474/16]
View answerIt is open to households who have difficulty in meeting their housing needs to apply to their local authority for social housing support. In order for a household to qualify for social housing support, a housing authority must carry out an assessment to establish whether the household meets specified eligibility requirements, including income eligibility requirements, and has a housing need, as defined in the Housing Acts.
Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions. Under section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the Minister is precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any individual case with which a housing authority is or may be concerned. The assessment of applications for social housing support is solely a matter for housing authorities, having regard to the circumstances of the household concerned.
243. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason Dublin City Council receives less than 90% of the property tax raised in its administrative area; the details of the amount of the tax raised in each local authority area each year since the property tax was introduced; and the amount allocated by his Department to that same council for each year. [31525/16]
View answerLocal authorities have retained 80% of Local Property Tax (LPT) collected in their areas since 2015, in accordance with decisions of Government. The remaining 20% is re-distributed to provide equalisation funding to certain local authorities that have lower LPT bases due to the variance in property values and density across the State. This equalisation recognises that certain local authorities, whose property bases do not provide a sufficient level of LPT, require extra financial support.
LPT is collected and administered by the Revenue Commissioners and is remitted to the Central Fund. The Revenue Commissioners publish LPT information, including details of LPT collected in all local authority areas, on their website at the following link: http://www.revenue.ie/en/about/statistics/local-property-tax.html.
In accordance with the Government's decisions in relation to local retention of LPT, my Department notified Dublin City Council of revised LPT allocations of €53,728,544, €50,661,430 and €51,653,907 for 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. These allocations take into account the passing of resolutions by the elected members of the City Council to reduce the basic rate of LPT by 15% in each year.
The LPT allocations to Dublin City Council along with details of allocations in each local authority area are published on my Department's website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/chargestaxes/local-property-tax/local-property-tax.
244. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason Dublin City Council does not receive the same level of funding from his Department to fund its homeless services as other local authorities (details supplied); and the amount of funding expended in each local authority on homeless services and the central allocation of funds they receive for each of the past five years. [31526/16]
View answerIn accordance with section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, my Department does not fund homeless services directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the costs of homeless accommodation and services. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1993 provide that the recoupment to housing authorities by my Department under section 10 arrangements shall not exceed 90% of such payments made. Therefore, this is a recoupment upward limit and, furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless services outside of the 'section 10' funding arrangements.
Given the statutory position, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services are a matter for those authorities. Details of the Section 10 Exchequer funding provided to housing authorities by my Department for the years 2011 to 2015 are set out in the table below on a regional basis.
Funding provided under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988
|
Region |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Dublin |
€35,732,525 |
€32,398,290 |
€31,322,223 |
€35,322,223 |
€48,270,201 |
|
Mid-East |
€697,665 |
€839,146 |
€811,275 |
€928,489 |
€1,716,245 |
|
Midlands |
€624,897 |
€672,027 |
€649,707 |
€649,707 |
€805,995 |
|
Mid-West |
€2,905,457 |
€3,516,119 |
€3,399,336 |
€3,405,060 |
€3,499,898 |
|
North-East |
€912,250 |
€910,194 |
€879,963 |
€879,963 |
€996,849 |
|
North-West |
€406,335 |
€360,865 |
€348,879 |
€348,879 |
€387,643 |
|
South-East |
€2,110,476 |
€1,848,877 |
€1,787,469 |
€1,818,969 |
€2,394,619 |
|
South-West |
€3,505,749 |
€4,418,967 |
€4,272,197 |
€4,307,772 |
€5,000,686 |
|
West |
€1,227,696 |
€1,581,478 |
€1,528,951 |
€1,544,712 |
€1,698,834 |
|
Total |
€48,123,050 |
€46,545,963 |
€45,000,000 |
€49,205,774 |
€64,770,970 |
This regional allocation has been provided on a delegated basis whereby responsibility for decision-making in relation to the funding of particular services rests with the housing authorities within the regions. This funding arrangement was implemented on the basis that the housing authorities would make funding decisions within the available allocations, or would source additional funding from other internal sources. The provision of delegated funding puts an emphasis on increased decision-making at local level to promote overall efficiency and value-for-money in homeless services.
In addition to the delegated allocation, my Department has previously recouped additional costs to the regions where such expenditure has arisen as a result of unforeseen expenditure incurred as a result of increased rates of homeless presentation and associated costs, such as accommodation in commercial hotels. My Department has provided similar reassurances to the regions again this year.
