To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of the National Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities 2011-2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. REPLY The National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability (NHSPWD) 2011-2016 was affirmed in Rebuilding Ireland and extended to 2020 to continue to deliver on its aims. Implementation of the Strategy is being driven primarily by the Housing Agency by means of a dedicated sub-group with representatives from my Department, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Department of Health, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and various disability representative organisations. The Housing Agency Subgroup, established in 2012, is progressing a range of priority actions, and this is continuing under the extended timeframe of the Strategy. As the NHSPWD was reaffirmed under Rebuilding Ireland up to 2020, both my Department and the Department of Health are currently in discussions around developing the next Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities post 2020. Development of a new strategy will include extensive consultation with all stakeholders and it is likely that this work will begin in early 2020.
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of plans to establish funding mechanisms for institutes of technology to support the development of their student accommodation capacity.
REPLY Funding provided to the Institute of Technology (IoT) sector currently impacts on the General Government Borrowing (GGB). Borrowing for capital development, including student accommodation, is included in the State’s balance sheet and therefore impacts on the Government’s available fiscal space. The National Student Accommodation Strategy includes actions to explore, with the sector, an off-balance sheet solution to allow IoTs to access funding for the development of purpose built student accommodation. The IoT sector is examining with the Department of Education and Skill and the assistance of the NDFA options to progress the provision of student accommodation for the technological sector on this basis. To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of plans to rollout nationally the Dublin region protocol in relation to appropriate responses to child protection and welfare concerns among families in emergency accommodation.
REPLY Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures relating to the provision of emergency accommodation and the range of supports to be provided to households experiencing homelessness. My Department does not provide homeless service directly but contributes Exchequer funding towards housing authorities expenditure on the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services. Funding is provided on a regional basis, whereby it is delegated to a lead authority in each region. Under funding arrangements, protocols have been put in place with each lead authority in the region. Under these protocols, the roles and responsibilities of housing authorities are set out, which include responsibilities in relation to the safety of children accessing emergency accommodation. Housing authorities are required to ensure that they are fully compliant with all statutory and non-statutory obligations arising from the Children First Act 2015 and all other legislation relating to the child safety. Housing authorities are also required to ensure that requirements relating to child safety and protection are fully communicated to all service providers in receipt of Exchequer funding. In addition, arising out of a commitment made in Rebuilding Ireland, a specific course on child protection was developed in partnership between the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) and Tusla. The DRHE has been providing Child Protection training to Private Emergency Accommodation staff, which covers their legal responsibilities under child protection legislation, reviewing the reasonable grounds for concern and the thresholds for reporting and reporting concerns where appropriate. Child protection booklets have been distributed to operators of private emergency accommodation. Child safety is also an integral element of the National Quality Standards Framework for Homeless Services, which is fully operational in Dublin and is being rolled out nationally over a 12-month period from 1 July 2019. |
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All Parliamentary Questions I make about Housing, Planning and Local Government and their answers can be viewed in this section Archives
December 2019
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