Just under €47 million from the Dormant Accounts Fund has been announced “to help address disadvantage” across Ireland, according to Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Jerry Buttimer TD.
Launching the 2026 Dormant Accounts Action Plan in Blackrock, Co. Cork yesterday, Minister Buttimer said that the funding destinations will “help to address a diverse range of issues such as homelessness, disability, youth disadvantage, migrant integration and sports measures for disadvantaged communities”.
The 2026 Dormant Accounts Action Plan allocates funding of €46.97 million to 56 measures across 11 Government departments.
Among the 56 measures and recipients of funding are Rethink Ireland, which was allocated €4 million, ‘social enterprises’ (€2 million), the National Philanthropy Policy (€1.5 million) and improved access to healthcare services for Ireland’s Roma population (€860,000).
Also speaking on the occasion of the launch, Minister Dara Calleary TD said that the The Dormant Accounts Fund has “continually aided the most vulnerable”.
“Within my own Department, it will allow continued funding of €2.1 million for the Senior Alerts Scheme, €4 million for Rethink Ireland and €1.5 million to support implementation of the National Philanthropy Policy.
“It will also see support for Social Enterprise measures of €2 million and for the many individual groups under the Targeted Social Inclusion Measure receiving €780k in total. These interventions, and similar measures across Government, make a real difference in our society,” Minister Calleary said.
According to the Department, the Dormant Accounts Acts 2001-2012, with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003, enable the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (such as banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.
The main purpose of the legislation, the Department said, is to reunite account or policy holders with their funds in credit institutions or insurance undertakings. As such, the bodies are required to seek to identify and contact the owners of dormant accounts and unclaimed life assurance policies.
However, in order to utilise the unused funds, a scheme was also introduced 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”.
The full list of measures to be funded under the 2026 Dormant Accounts Action Plan can be accessed here.