Press release
Minister Joe O’Brien publishes the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2024
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities Joe O’Brien today (23 November) announced funding of €47.6 million from the Dormant Accounts Fund to address disadvantage right across the country.
The Minister made the announcement while launching the 2024 Dormant Accounts Action Plan at the “BoxUp” project in Rush, Co Dublin.
BoxUp, supported by Sport Ireland through the Dormant Accounts Fund, is a free equipment sharing solution that aims to tackle inequality in sport by providing free access to sporting equipment.
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 2024 Action Plan allocates funding of €47.6 million to 52 measures to be delivered across 11 government departments.
Launching the Action Plan today, Minister O’Brien said:
“I am delighted to launch the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2024 which provides funding of €47.6 million to help address disadvantage right across Ireland. The 52 measures approved for funding in 2024 will be implemented across Government and will help to address a diverse range of issues such as long term unemployment, Traveller equality, youth disadvantage, migrant integration and probation supports to prevent re-offending.”
The Minister continued:
“Dormant Accounts funding makes a real difference to individuals and communities right across the country. The 2024 Action Plan being published today will help ensure that we can continue to support those who need it most during these challenging times. I am particularly pleased to see continued support for traveller initiatives and services across 5 departments."
Minister Heather Humphreys noted:
“I welcome the 2024 Dormant Accounts Action Plan which will see €47.6 million in funding targeted at addressing disadvantage.
“Within my department, it will allow continued funding of €5.5 million for Rethink Ireland and €2.7 million for the Senior Alerts Scheme. It will also see support for Social Enterprise €2 million and just over €1 million for Targeted Social Inclusion Measures. These interventions, and similar measures across Government, make a real difference for thousands of individuals right across the country.”
BoxUp is supported by Sport Ireland, through the Dormant Accounts Fund, it is available in parks and communities across Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.
In total, 52 different measures, to the value of €47.6 million will be supported under the 2024 Action Plan. A full list of measures to be funded under the 2024 Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan is set out in the table below.
Many measures have been funded in previous Action Plans and have now been approved for continued funding in 2024 to enable the measures to operate again next year. The majority of approved measures will progress in 2024, with each government department responsible for delivery of their own measures. Minister of State Joe O’Brien asked Ministers to continue to propose actions that would be of benefit to the Traveller community. Measures can progress over a number of years with funding drawn down from the Fund as spending is incurred.
Some examples of measures approved for funding include:
This Action Plan builds on previous plans and ensures continued support for individuals and organisations right across the country. Funding under the 2024 Action Plan has decreased by 12.5% from 2023. Further reductions are required in the coming years to sustain the 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 (that is, 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:
1. the personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged;
2. the educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged; or
3. persons with a disability
The following table provides a summary of measures and allocated funding under the Action Plan 2024 to each relevant government department. Full details are within the Action Plan itself.
| Lead department/agency | No. | Description | Max allocation |
| Department of Rural and Community Development | 1 | Social Enterprise Measure | 2,000,000 |
| 2 | Senior Alerts Scheme | 2,700,000 | |
| 3 | Targeted Social Inclusion | 1,028,670 | |
| 4 | Libraries Promotion Disadvantaged Groups | 150,000 | |
| 5 | Rethink Ireland | 5,500,000 | |
| Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage | 6 | Housing First | 3,000,000 |
| 7 | Traveller Accommodation | 620,000 | |
| Department of Justice | 8 | Drogheda Implementation Plan Year 3 | 207,987 |
| 9 | Youth and Community Justice Services | 4,159,734 | |
| 10 | Awareness campaigns on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Victims Rights | 1,132,963 | |
| 11 | Community Organisations – Criminal Justice Sector | 166,389 | |
| 12 | Community Organisations – YPP Project Expenditure | 62,396 | |
| 13 | Measures to support paths to employment for people with past criminal convictions | 915,141 | |
| 14 | Cherry Orchard Implementation Board (COIB) Year 2 | 166,389 | |
| 15 | Consent programme for the Further Education & Training sector | 189,000 | |
| 16 | Community Based Health in Justice | 385,909 | |
| 17 | Tovertafel projecting interactive light games by helping people in prison with dementia and autism | 38,745 | |
| Department of Social Protection | 18 | Family Carer Measure - Supporting Family Carers including Young Carers, & Former Carers to access employment and/or training and education supports | 2,500,000 |
| 19 | Care Support for Vulnerable in Society | 1,149,810 | |
| 20 | Oberstown Detention Campus Training Initiatives | 417,500 | |
| Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | 21 | Traveller and/or Roma Community Initiatives | 2,190,224 |
| 22 | Youth and/or Family Initiatives | 2,716,218 | |
| 23 | Babies and/or Young Children | 90,000 | |
| 24 | Disability Awareness Initiative | 171,120 | |
| 25 | SEN learners transitions Pilot | 500,000 | |
| 26 | Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) | 300,000 | |
| 27 | Young Social Innovators | 180,000 | |
| 28 | Time To Count numeracy support for children | 20,000 | |
| 29 | Glasnevin Trust Transportations | 20,000 | |
| 30 | The Big Idea TY Programme | 200,000 | |
| 31 | Munster Technical University GoalMine TY Programme | 70,000 | |
| 32 | CDETB Migrant Integration | 120,000 | |
| 33 | Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Co-ordinators | 790,000 | |
| Department of Education | 34 | School Completion Programme for children seeking international protection | 200,000 |
| 35 | Project to address economic and educational disadvantage being experienced by a cohort of 2nd level students in 4 Non - DEIS Schools in *North East region | 146,760 | |
| 36 | Update, Reproduce and launch School Avoidance Packs for all schools | 14,000 | |
| 37 | Provision of interim transport support for children experiencing homelessness | 20,000 | |
| 38 | Enhancing educational outcomes for children and Young People from the Traveller and Roma communities | 180,000 | |
| 39 | Strengthening School Transitions and Attendance for Children and Young People | 107,000 | |
| 40 | School enrichment project supporting children in school transition | 50,000 | |
| 41 | Bespoke webinars for LGBTI+ | 20,000 | |
| Department of Defence | 42 | Upgrading of the Civil Defence Fleet of Vehicles | 400,000 |
| 43 | Dormant Accounts funding to Veterans Associations | 200,000 | |
| 44 | Sail Training Ireland | 50,000 | |
| Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media | 45 | Community Sport and Physical Activity Hubs | 1,842,500 |
| 46 | National Sport Education and Training Hub | 1,877,500 | |
| 47 | Sports Measures for Disadvantaged Communities to Support the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) | 6,780,000 | |
| Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Science | 48 | Apprenticeship Incentivisation Programme for Care Leavers and Travelling community | 550,000 |
| 49 | Student Accommodation Bursary for Children in Care, Traveller and Roma Communities | 600,000 | ||
| Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment | 50 | Balance for Better Business | 201,250 | |
| Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications | 51 | Go fishing | 250,000 | |
| 52 | Targeted anglers with a disability or restricted mobility measure | 250,000 | ||
| Total: | €47,597,205 |