Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 June 2019
758. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of bed and breakfasts, hotels and hostels used to provide accommodation for homeless persons in each of the years 2014 to 2018 and to date in 2019, by county in tabular form; the names of the providers in each county; the amount paid to each provider; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26506/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy 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 emergency accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Under Exchequer funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless-related services outside of the Exchequer funding arrangements provided by my Department. Therefore, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the types of accommodation, are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum. My Department does not collate information regarding the number of hotels, bed and breakfasts and hostels that are used as emergency accommodation.
Financial reports from each of the regions, setting out total expenditure on homeless services are published on my Department’s website at the following link; https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
