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Minister O’Brien publishes the Dormant Accounts Fund Annual Report 2020

 Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, today (18th, June 2021) published the 2020 Dormant Accounts Fund Annual Report.

The Dormant Accounts Fund is used to fund measures that address economic, social, or educational disadvantage and to support people with a disability. In 2020 expenditure from the fund amounted to €93.5 million and the Annual Report details how that money was spent on Dormant Accounts measures over the year across 10 Government Departments. 

Publishing the Annual Report today, Minister O’Brien said:

“In 2020 over €93 million was provided for vital projects across Ireland to address a diverse range of issues such as long term unemployment, youth disadvantage, migrant integration and probation supports to prevent re-offending. The report I’m publishing today provides the detail of that expenditure and how different Government Departments have utilised the funding to enhance social inclusion and address disadvantage.”

The Minister continued:

“Dormant Accounts funding makes a real difference to individuals and communities right across the country. It is helping vulnerable individuals, supporting social inclusion, and strengthening our communities. The fund was particularly important last year in that it allowed €50 million in grant supports which assisted charities, community and voluntary organisations, and social enterprise to contribute to the community response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Dormant Accounts Fund Annual Report 2020 is available on gov.ie.

ENDS

Contact:

The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office

076-1006843 / 087-1734633

Press.office@drcd.gov.ie

 

Notes to Photodesks:

Accompanying photos to be provided by Maxwell Photography. 

Notes to editor: 

The spend of €93.5 million was made up of €50 million for COVID-19 supports and €43.5 million for normal dormant account measures, up from €37.4 million in 2019, €28 million in 2018, €15.8 million in 2017 and €12 million in 2016. 

Expenditure occurred across a range of Departments, providing programmes to support children and youths; prisoners; the unemployed; carers; victims of crime; those suffering domestic violence; people suffering from dementia; and marginalised groups. €50 million was also provided for once off COVID-19 supports in 2020, for charities, community and voluntary organisations, and social enterprises.

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 Annual Report 2020

The following table provides a summary of measures and funding provided in 2020 to each relevant Government Department. Full details are within the Annual Report itself.

No.

Government Department

Measure

Disbursed from DAF in 2020

1

Rural & Community Development

Seniors Alert Scheme

2,950,980

2

Rural & Community Development

Rethink Ireland

5,500,000

3

Rural & Community Development

Social Enterprise

2,000,000

4

Rural & Community Development

Pre-social Cohesion Project

75,000

5

Rural & Community Development

Library Supports

650,000

6

Rural & Community Development

Targeted Social Inclusion

354,634

7

Rural & Community Development

Supports for Volunteers

653,100

8

Rural & Community Development

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

47,159

9

Rural & Community Development

Disadvantaged Communities

250,000

12

Justice

Irish Prison Service, Community Based Health and First Aid in Prisons

215,000

13

Justice

Awareness raising of Domestic and Sexual Violence

292,378

14

Justice

Expansion of Victim Support at Court (V-SAC) court accompaniment service

59,240

15

Justice

Crime Victims Helpline (CVH)

25,000

16

Justice

Anti-Human Trafficking - Awareness Raising 2020

154,204

17

Justice

Continuation and Expansion of Garda Youth Diversion Service

4,621,469

18

Justice

Protecting Young People from the Influence of Adult Crime Networks in Ireland - a trial programme

416,070

19

Justice

Social Enterprise KickStart Seed Fund - Round Two

999,648

20

Justice

Young Persons Probation Project (We Have A Dream)

30,000

21

Social Protection

Supporting Employment for Carers and Young People with Disabilities

3,215,916

22

Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Community Sports and Physical Activity Hubs (CSPAH)

1,737,333

23

Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

National Sport Education and Training Hub

1,548,333

24

Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Sports Measures for Disadvantaged Communities to Support the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) and the National Sports Policy (NSP)

4,689,333

25

Education

Time to Count

20,000

26

Education

Glasnevin Cemetery Museum - School Education Programme

20,000

27

Education

Growing Youth Participation & Innovation in Irish Communities, a project by Young Social Innovators

150,000

28

Education

Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Programme

300,000

29

Education

CDETB Migrant Integration Project (MIP)

90,000

30

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Foróige - Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring Programme

898,000

31

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Youth Employability Initiative

119,888

32

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

In-Early-Learning-and-Care and In-School Therapy Demonstration Project

200,655

33

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Post Adoption Support and Therapy

262,049

34

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

What Works Initiative

2,361,197

35

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Addressing Social Disadvantage Community and Voluntary; FRCs; Barnahaus

618,000

36

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Traveller Employment Initiatives and Gender Equality for Traveller Women

263,097

37

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Disability Awareness Initiative for Employers

155,000

38

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Employability and Inclusion Programme for Migrants

500,000

39

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Traveller Mediation Service

226,320

40

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Establishment of 4 Roma projects

431,109

41

Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Scoping and piloting the introduction of the Book Bag initiative for families with young children.

550,000

42

Health

Healthy Ireland Fund

250,000

43

Health

National Intellectual Disability Memory Service

180,000

44

Health

Health Promotion Initiatives for People with Disabilities and their Carers/Families in their Community/Own Homes  - Provision of appropriate additional/enhanced  services

75,000

45

Health

Dementia post-diagnostic supports

43,718

46

Health

Intercultural Healthcare In-Reach Project for Refugees in European Reception and Orientation Centres (EROC)

500,000

47

Health

Roma Primary Healthcare Training Programme

56,254

48

Health

Provision of Supports to Families of Transgender Persons

30,375

49

Health

Mental Health Initiative for Travellers

112,000

50

Housing Local Government and Heritage

Transitioning homelessness to long term housing

3,000,000

51

Defence

Upgrading Civil Defence vehicle fleet

1,004,926

52

Environment, Climate and Communications

Go Fishing - Novice Angling Initiative

380,000

53

Environment, Climate and Communications

Angling for All

189,534

54

Joint Initiative -  D/Rural and Community Development, D/Health, D/Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

COVID-19 Stability Fund

45,000,000

55

Rural and Community Development

Rethink Ireland - Innovate Together Fund

5,000,000

Total

 

 

€93,471,919