Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 March 2026
296. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of individuals and families currently in emergency accommodation in County Clare, by municipal district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23174/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra298. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of individuals and families currently accommodated in hotels and B and Bs as emergency accommodation in County Clare; the locations of such accommodation; and the cost to the State of providing this accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23176/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 298 together.
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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.
My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS).
The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and the dependants of these families who accessed emergency accommodation during the relevant count week of the month in question. The most recently published data is in respect of January 2026. The reports are collated on a regional basis and are available on my Department's website at the following link: [www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data/] and are also published to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation's open data portal [www.data.gov.ie/].
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.
While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each of the nine homeless regions. Counties Clare and Limerick are included in the Mid West region for the purposes of homeless administration, with Limerick City and County Council as lead authority. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. It is a matter for the management group of the consultative forum to determine the type and range of homeless services to address homelessness in each region. The exact amount spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as location and operation of emergency accommodation, are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
Financial reports from each of the nine homeless regions setting out expenditure on homeless services including on emergency accommodation are published on my Department's website at the following link;
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
