Mr Seán Canney TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, today (Thursday, 7th November 2019) announced funding of over €45 million from the Dormant Accounts Fund to address disadvantage right across the country.
Money in the Dormant Accounts Fund can be used to fund measures that address economic, social, or educational disadvantage and to support people with a disability. The 2020 Action Plan allocates funding of €45.5 million to 43 measures to be delivered across 9 Government Departments.
Launching the Action Plan today, Minister Canney said:
I am delighted to launch the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020 which provides funding of over €45 million to help address disadvantage right across Ireland. The measures in the Action Plan address challenges such as social inclusion, homelessness, assisting migrants, support for carers and promoting inclusion in sports.
The Minister continued:
This funding will assist the most vulnerable people in our society, promote social inclusion and help strengthen our communities over the coming years. I have seen the impact of this funding first hand – and am delighted to see such a significant amount of money being committed in this Action Plan.
Michael Ring TD, the Minister for Rural and Community Development noted:
It is great to see the Dormant Accounts Fund being put to such good use and providing assistance to many worthwhile projects and organisations. The funding is having a huge impact; for example, in our Department it is providing support of €5.5 million for the Social Innovation Fund Ireland; €3 million for the Senior Alerts Scheme; and €2 million to support Social Enterprise development in Ireland. It also provides €250,000 to contribute to necessary emergency safety works in community centres in disadvantaged urban areas. All of these measures are helping people in our communities and providing real social and economic benefits right across the country.
Notes to Editors
In total, 43 different measures, to the value of €45.5 million will be supported under the 2020 Action Plan. A full list of measures to be funded under the 2020 Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan is set out in the table below.
The majority of measures will commence in 2020, with each Government Department responsible for delivery of their own measures. Measures can progress over a number of years with funding drawn down from the Fund as spending is incurred.
This Action Plan builds on previous plans and ensures continued support for individuals and organisations right across the country.
The level of funding through Dormant Accounts has grown substantially in recent years, for example, the €45.5 million approved here compares to €28.5 million approved in the 2016 Action Plan.
Background to the Dormant Accounts Fund
The Dormant Accounts Acts 2001-2012, together with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003, provide a framework for the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (i.e. banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.
The main purpose of the legislation is to reunite account or policy holders with their funds in credit institutions or insurance undertakings and in this regard, these bodies are required to take steps to identify and contact the owners of dormant accounts and unclaimed life assurance policies.
However, in order to utilise the unused funds the legislation also introduced a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed from dormant accounts and unclaimed policies for the purposes of measures to assist:
- the personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged;
- the educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged or
- persons with a disability.
Summary Table of Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan
The following table provides a summary of measures and allocated funding under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020 to each relevant Government Department. Full details are within the Action Plan itself.
Lead Department/Agency |
| Description | Max Allocation |
Department of Rural & Community Development | 1 | Social Enterprise Measure | €2,000,000 |
2 | Senior Alerts Scheme | €3,000,000 |
3 | Supports for Volunteers | €653,100 |
4 | Targeted Social Inclusion | €422,000 |
5 | Pre-social Social Cohesion | €150,000 |
6 | Public Libraries - Disadvantage | €650,000 |
7 | Disadvantaged Community Enhancement | €250,000 |
8 | Social Innovation Fund Ireland | €5,500,000 |
Department of Housing, Planning & Local Government | 9 | Transitioning Homelessness to Long-Term Housing | €3,000,000 |
Department of Justice & Equality | 10 | Awareness raising of Domestic and Sexual Violence | €300,000 |
11 | Expansion of Victim Support at Court (V-SAC) court accompaniment service. | €116,680 |
12 | Crime Victims Helpline (CVH) | €50,000 |
13 | Programme to counter intersectional discrimination under the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy | €150,000 |
14 | Measures to promote gender equality for Traveller Women | €300,000 |
15 | Traveller Employment Initiatives | €250,000 |
16 | Disability Awareness Initiative for Employers | €500,000 |
17 | Employability and Inclusion Programme for Migrants | €500,000 |
18 | Anti-Human Trafficking - Awareness Raising 2020 | €250,000 |
19 | Continuation and Expansion of Garda Youth Diversion Service | €3,462,000 |
20 | Social Enterprise KickStart Seed Fund - Round Two | €1,150,000 |
21 | Young Persons Probation Project | €30,000 |
Department of Employment & Social Protection | 22 | Supporting Employment and Education/Training Opportunities for Home Carers and Supporting Employment and Education/Training Opportunities for Young People with Disabilities | €5,000,000 |
Department of Children & Youth Affairs | 23 | Foróige - Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring Programme | €898,000 |
24 | Youth Employability Initiative | €200,000 |
25 | Career Guidance and Employment Support for Children Detained in Oberstown Children Detention Campus | €150,000 |
26 | Protecting Young People from the Influence of Adult Crime Networks in Ireland - a trial programme | €1,426,000 |
27 | Promotion of the Universal Design Guidelines for Early Learning and Care Settings | €200,000 |
28 | In-Early-Learning-and-Care and In-School Therapy Demonstration Project | €160,000 |
29 | Post Adoption Support and Therapy | €200,000 |
30 | What Works Initiative | €3,000,000 |
31 | Family Resource Centre Programme and Wider Voluntary Partners | €1,000,000 |
Department of Education & Skills | 32 | Time to Count (a primary support programme by Business in the Community Ireland as part of their Schools' Business Partnership initiative) | €60,000 |
33 | Glasnevin Cemetery Museum - School Education Programme | €60,000 |
34 | Growing Youth Participation & Innovation in Irish Communities, a project by Young Social Innovators | €150,000 |
35 | Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Programme | €300,000 |
36 | CDETB Migrant Integration Project (MIP) | €105,000 |
Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment | 37 | Go Fishing - Novice Angler Initiative | €380,315 |
38 | Angling for All | €200,000 |
Department of Defence | 39 | Upgrading of the Civil Defence Vehicle Fleet | €1,000,000 |
40 | Contribute to the provision of services by the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (ONE) and Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA) to former members of the Defence Forces | €300,000 |
Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport | 41 | Community Sports and Physical Activity Hubs (CSPAH) | €1,470,000 |
42 | National Sport Education and Training Hub | €1,490,000 |
43 | Sports Measures for Disadvantaged Communities to Support the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) and the National Sports Policy (NSP) | €5,015,000 |
TOTAL: | €45,448,095 |