Dormant Accounts Fund contributes record €93m to social inclusion projects in 2020
The spend of €93.5m was made up of €50m for Covid-19 supports and €43.5m for normal dormant account measures, according to the fund's annual report. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA
A record €93m from the Dormant Accounts Fund was spent on measures to address disadvantage last year, the Department of Rural and Community Development has announced.
The fund is formed by money from unclaimed accounts in credit institutions such as banks, building societies, and An Post, and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.
The spend of €93.5m was made up of €50m for Covid-19 supports and €43.5m for normal dormant account measures, according to the fund's annual report.
The figure was up from €37.4m in 2019, €28m in 2018, €15.8m in 2017, and €12m 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.
As part of the Covid-specific funding, medical charity Safetynet received €105,000 to establish a Covid cluster rapid response team with national reach and surge capacity to respond continuously to clusters and outbreak sites that occurred in high-risk settings among vulnerable groups nationwide.
The team helped marginalised communities, such as those experiencing homelessness, refugees and migrants, and some ethnic minorities such as Travellers, to prevent widespread transmission of the virus in the case of an outbreak.
To date, the Covid cluster rapid response team has responded to a total of 124 outbreak sites, testing 5,868 individuals, of whom 399 tested positive and were referred for isolation and follow-up care.
Separately, Intinn received €20,000 to address Ireland's youth mental health crisis through the medium of film.
The programme is delivered in three parts: An in-classroom screening of films that deal with mental health, filmmakers' pre-recorded Q&A exploring mental health themes in the film, and a resilience workshop exploring the film's topics and engaging the young people in practical resilience-building activities.
The Small Capital Grants Scheme and the Covid-19 Social Enterprise Regeneration Programme were also funded under the Social Enterprise measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Some of the non-Covid related funding included a collection of live postnatal-friendly exercise classes in Galway called Buggy Buddies.
The programme, which was rolled out in disadvantaged communities, sought to help women who are postnatal to return to exercise in a gentle and suitable manner while introducing the participants to varying forms of exercise such as yoga, pilates, gym exercises and boot camps.
Minister of State Joe O’Brien said the funds were used for “vital projects” to enhance social inclusion.
“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,” he said.
“The fund was particularly important last year in that it allowed €50m, in grant supports which assisted charities, community and voluntary organisations, and social enterprise to contribute to the community response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
