Vol. 515 No. 3
30 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will allocate significant quantities of moneys to local authorities, in conjunction with moneys for housing, to purchase lands and have them developed and maintained as open spaces, incorporating playing pitches, amenity areas, parks and gardens. [6041/00]
35 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the discussions, if any, he will have with the Departments of Health and Children and Justice, Equality and Law Reform regarding the provision of amenities and recreational areas, particularly in built up areas, in a concerted effort to improve citizens' health and to combat crime and vandalism by providing a desirable environment for members of the public, with special emphasis on youth. [6040/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 35 together.
My Department participates in a number of cross-departmental initiatives aimed at tackling social exclusion on a broad basis and which come under the aegis of the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion. This involves close working with other relevant Departments, including the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Health and Children.
Under the Local Government Act, 1994, local authorities are empowered to provide, operate and maintain parks and open spaces for amenity and recreational purposes. The criteria to be applied to the provision of public open space in housing schemes is a matter for each local authority in accordance with its development plan. When deciding planning applications, a planning authority must have regard to the policies set out in the plan and may attach conditions to permissions requiring the provision of appropriate facilities.
The recently published planning guidelines on residential density indicate that public open space is one of the key elements in defining the quality of the residential environment. The guidelines acknowledge that, in general, planning authorities set out detailed quantitative standards for public open space in their development plans, but that they place less emphasis on qualitative standards. This can give rise to residential estates having adequate amounts of open space, but it may be poorly located or unsuitably shaped, resulting in underused spaces or, in some cases, areas which encourage anti-social activity.
The guidelines indicate that the achievement of higher densities must be coupled with a higher standard of residential environment and thus the provision of higher quality communal and public open spaces is of paramount importance. The guidelines recommend that any acceptance of lower quantitative standards of open space must be accompanied by a parallel increase in the qualitative standards. They also set out detailed qualitative and quantitative standards in relation to the provision of public open space in higher density residential developments.
The provision of open spaces, recreational facilities and amenity areas specifically in local authority housing schemes is also a matter for the individual housing authorities in the first instance. Appropriate facilities of this kind are, on a limited basis, funded as part of the cost of a housing scheme from my Department's capital allocations. Local authorities have been advised, in guidelines issued by the Department, that new housing should comprise small, well-designed schemes, be integrated as far as possible with housing and other developments in the area, create a good living environment for the residents and be convenient to various services and amenities.
Funding is available under my Department's remedial works scheme to assist housing authorities to carry out major essential works of a structural nature to dwellings in designated run-down housing estates. The objective is not only to upgrade the fabric of the dwellings but to improve the living conditions of the tenants. For this reason works of an environmental nature, including certain amenity and recreational facilities, may be included as part of a project where they are considered necessary to support the work undertaken to the dwellings.
My God, that is a long answer to a very simple question.
Other than the capital funds for local authority housing construction and remedial works—
It is an abuse. It is outrageous.
—there are no other funds available to me from which grants can be made available to local authorities for the purchase of lands to be maintained as open spaces.
As the Minister was answering two questions the times were doubled up. A time of one minute still applies to supplementary questions.
That was the greatest load of gobbledegook I have heard in a long time. Is the Minister aware that local authorities are not given moneys for the provision of playing pitches, parks, open spaces or amenities, which is what I asked about in the question? The word "environment" in the Department's title is a total misnomer. The Minister's Department is responsible for housing, water, sewerage and nothing else apart from perhaps minor roads. Local authorities do not get any money for providing the facilities I mentioned in my question. Why will the Minister, in conjunction with the Minister for Finance, not do something meaningful about this? It was being done 100 years ago, but in the meantime we have gone backwards.
Where new local authority housing schemes are under way it is possible to use some of the capital funding to provide amenities for the new residents. Local authorities also have other funding available to them, and other Departments, such as the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation, have moneys available for sporting facilities which can be helpful in providing playing pitches, etc.
And national lottery funding.
The situation is as I have outlined. The Deputy makes little of the fact that local authorities have access to much greater sums of money. They have their own resources on the one hand and access to the local government fund on the other. They make their own choices in regard to the provision of additional facilities. The question seems to relate to local authority housing and in that case we are prepared to make extra money available for the provision of some facilities for new estates.
Does the Minister know that local authorities use their housing allocations only to build houses and that there is not any provision made by the Department to allow local authorities provide the amenities about which I am talking? Because of the need for more and more housing these amenities will never be provided. Therefore, the Minister's answer is ludicrous – it is not an answer but an evasion.
The Deputy should acquaint himself with what is happening and what is being approved under new local authority housing schemes and remedial works schemes. Grants are being made available for communal facilities. I will be happy to supply the Deputy with some information in this regard if it would be of assistance to him.
That is being provided through national lottery funding and has nothing to do with the Minister's Department which should be doing the real job.
