Vol. 770 No. 3
6Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the number of persons who have paid the household charge to date; his plans to compensate the Local Government Fund for the shortfall in projected revenue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31155/12]
8Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will outline his on-going communication campaign in relation to payment of the household charge; if methods of payment have been changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31151/12]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 8 together.
The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provides the legislative basis for the household charge. Under the Act, an owner of a residential property on the liability date of 1 January 2012 is liable to pay the household charge, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. The household charge is on a self-assessment basis and it is a matter for an owner of a residential property on the liability date to determine if he or she has a liability and, if so, to declare that liability and pay the household charge.
The Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, administers the household charge system on a shared service-agency basis for all county and city councils. I understand, from data provided by the LGMA, that as of 22 June 2012, a total of 967,816 properties had been registered for the household charge. This represents 60% of the total number of households liable. A total of 17,607 declarations have been received where a waiver from payment of the household charge has been claimed.
It is estimated that there are some 1.6 million residential properties potentially liable for the household charge. As such, if collected in full, the household charge has the potential to raise €160 million annually.
The communication and advertising campaign is a matter for the LGMA and the county and city councils.
Following the 31 March payment deadline, national and local radio advertisements were undertaken to remind persons of their obligations under the household charge legislation. In particular, this campaign was aimed at reminding householders that late payment penalties applied after 31 March and that unpaid household charges and late payment penalties remain as a charge against the property concerned and will have to be discharged in the event of the transfer or sale of the property. In addition, local authorities also took local initiatives to remind persons of their obligations under the legislation. Further local and national communications and advertising will be undertaken by the LGMA and local authorities as considered appropriate.
A range of options is available for persons to pay the household charge. An online system,www.householdcharge.ie , is in place in the LGMA to enable homeowners to pay the household charge by credit or debit card and more than 60% of those who have paid to date have chosen to do so online. In addition, homeowners can make payment by cheque, postal order and credit or debit card by completing the relevant payment details on the declaration form and posting it to Household Charge, PO Box 12168, Dublin 1. Instalment payments were available by direct debit only and persons opting to pay in this way had to register their details with the LGMA before 1 March, 2012. This deadline was necessary in order to meet banking requirements for direct debit arrangements.
A bureau is in place to administer the charge on a shared service basis. As an incentive to pay the self-assessed charge, late payment fees and late payment interest apply and any amounts due and unpaid remain as a charge against the property concerned. I am keeping the income generated from the household charge under constant review. The local authorities will be in touch with people who have not paid to date in the very near future and they will receive letters in the coming weeks indicating the need to pay the charge and the penalties and fees involved.
Apart from the previously aired issues regarding the household charge, namely, that it is unfair and inequitable and we have had examples quoted of the millionaire having to pay the same amount as the unemployed person in negative equity, has the Minister any plans to take it to the next level where local authorities which collect the charge in their areas would administer and spend it in their areas? The current position does not sit well with people whereby they pay the money and it goes into a central fund in Dublin. On many occasions the Minister has equated the payment of the household charge to the running of parks and so on in local authority areas but people do not see it like that. It is a local tax and is locally collected.
I agree with Deputy Collins that ideally we would like to have money raised at local level ring-fenced at local level but at present the way the system works is that there is a equalisation dimension to the local government fund for particular countries that do not have the necessary number of houses. We would have a very low level of service in some parts of the country, particularly in rural Ireland, if we did not have the equalisation measure. Those on the east coast are subsidising the west cost in regard to the matters and that has always been the case.
Ideally, and this will be part of a local government reform policy statement, I would like to see opportunities, much wider than exist now, for local authority councillors to be in a position to raise money locally in order to retain that money locally. That will be a fundamental change from the current system where almost 80% of all the various moneys they get through various funds have less discretionary opportunities for councillors than we would like. I agree with the principle of what Deputy said.
I am opposed to the household charge, the way it is being administered and that it does not take account of people's wealth and those who are very wealthy in society. How does the Minister propose to collect the charge from those who have not paid it? He has said that 60% of householders have complied and 40% have not. It is one thing to talk about going to court and placing the burden of this charge on people in terms of the value of the house. Even if the number who comply increases, a large percentage of householders will still not be paying the charge. Therefore, there will be a huge deficit in the money that is needed and that will have to be got from somewhere. From where does the Minister propose to get it?
Can he clarify that the waiver in respect of the charge for senior citizens will only be in place this year? It is very deceptive to say to people that they will have a waiver in respect of the charge when it will only be in place for a year.
The Minister has been reported in the newspapers, and I go by what they say, as having said that he will not take any money out of people's wage packets or otherwise in this respect. I want the Minister to clarify that because sometimes one does not know if what one reads in the newspaper is the truth.
What about An Phoblacht?
No. We tell the truth all the time. With regard to the Department's advertising campaign in respect of this charge which was not properly dealt with by the company concerned, what was the cost of that campaign?
The last person in here who should be bringing up anything about property tax is Deputy Ellis and Sinn Féin.
We are in favour of a wealth tax. We have already said this.
Let me answer. I did not interrupt the Deputy.
I apologise.
A charge of £900 per house is the average that is paid in Northern Ireland and the Deputy's party is in charge up there. The notion that Sinn Féin sought the abolition of the household charge, used its Private Members' time last week to do so, was a pure waste of time and very hypocritical, and I do not say that lightly.
In regard to following up on people who have not paid, letters will be issued in the next few weeks. We have cross-checked details with the help of the Data Protection Commissioner. We have access to information now that will allow people to get letters and to remind them of their obligation under the law. Also it is important for local authorities to get in this money, otherwise they could face cuts in services towards the end of year if they do not have it.
The Deputy will be aware that this is part of the EU-IMF agreement. I do not have the luxury of doing anything other than getting in this money. The Minister for Finance does not have any more money in the form of a Supplementary Estimate to give the necessary resources to local authorities. It is in everybody's interest to pay into this fund in order to ensure that the services continue to be provided and that employment in local government continues. I expect the Deputy supports the principle of expecting people to pay through property tax for services. There is a flat charge basis this year, which the Deputy has said is not the right way to go, but it will be different next year and in future years when the Government decides what form a property tax will take. Everybody will realise that there will be a much fairer and progressive system. I have always accepted that the flat charge was not ideal but we were obliged to implement it because of the obligations to which we signed up under the EU-IMF agreement.
7Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will report on the consultation process for the draft Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2012; his views on whether new legislation will be necessary arising from the consultation process; if so, if he will outline the estimated timeframe for bringing such legislation forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29026/12]
In July 2011, I announced a number of measures to be advanced by the Department and the local authorities with a view to improving compliance with, and oversight of, the requirements of the building regulations. In broad terms the measures will involve the introduction of mandatory certificates of compliance by builders and designers of buildings that will confirm that the statutory requirements of the building regulations have been met and that there has been a lodgement of drawings at both commencement and completion of construction, demonstrating how the building has been designed and built to comply with all parts of the building regulations. We will have more efficient pooling of building control staff across the local authorities sector to ensure that we have more effective oversight. We will have a standardised approach and common protocols to ensure nationwide consistency in the administration of building control functions and better support and further development of the building control function nationwide.
Draft building control (amendment) regulations providing for mandatory certification and the lodgement of drawings were recently released for public consultation, which concluded on 24 May 2012. Some 500 submissions have been received and are currently being reviewed by my Department with a view to having a final set of regulations providing for mandatory certification and the lodgement of drawings, which I will sign into law in the coming months. The sooner I can do so the better.
I am determined, now that the public consultation process is out of the way, to follow through with the planned reforms which I believe will be capable of delivering the level of compliance with building regulations, and the standard of quality buildings, that members of the public so rightly expect and deserve. I want to thank the people who made submissions. Some people, including people in the Deputy's constituency, have had unfortunate experience of the lack of building controls during the recent period. In keeping with the standard procedures in regard to these matters, I have asked the Department to continue to engage closely with key stakeholders to ensure that the new regulations, when finalised, are clearly understood and can work well on a practical level for the benefit of the citizens.
I was one of the 500 people who made a submission on this for reasons the Minister will know well, the ongoing disaster in regard Priory Hall and the incredible situation in terms of pyrite infestation of homes, estimates of which range up to 60,000 housing units. When I got the draft building control (amendment) regulations that the Minister sent us, on which we have had a discussion in the Dáil - I did not get to speak on it - I thought that this was a cop out. Essentially the Minister has left the disastrous system of flawed self-regulationin situ. I am sure he will agree with me that he who pays the piper calls the tune. At each stage of the planning, design and completion process, such as articles 8 and 10, professionals who have worked for developers will essentially be responsible for sending in these compliance certificates. In Spain, a country that has had a massive building boom similar to ourselves, when an house or an apartment was built no services are provided unless the local authorities inspectors pass the building in question. That is my understanding of the position there. Why did the Minister cop out on this in respect of these regulations? We were expecting big things from him and that he would take a grip of this industry so that when it hopefully restarts in the next few years regulations should be introduced, in the way they should be, by the public sector, by local authorities and ultimately by his Department. It should not be the case that developers and their minions, architects and all the rest should decide for us.
On the consultation process, how may buyers of deficient homes, bearing in mind that a home is the biggest investment a person will make in his or her lifetime, did the Minister talk to before he came up with these very poor draft regulations?
Deputy Broughan does not have a clue what he is talking about with regard to this matter. The draft regulations mean there will be public service oversight for the first time in years. The self-regulatory system is being taken away and a code of practice will be drawn up as to how these matters are to be dealt with. There is a complete sea-change on these matters. I have received correspondence from the professionals who are not happy with these regulations-----
Because they are still in charge.
They are not in charge.
They are.
If Deputy Broughan wants to have a misinformed view that is his prerogative.
I read it closely.
So did I. The package of measures will come into effect as soon as possible. I have allowed the consumer and every stakeholder in the business to have a say. It is not a unilateral view like that of Deputy Broughan. Everyone else has been asked-----
I am reflecting what people are saying to me.
Three quarters of the people who made submissions were consumers, including people in Priory Hall who provided some excellent suggestions. This is a ground-breaking measure to reverse the disastrous self-regulatory procedures which were in place-----
It was not in the draft.
It will be mandatory certification and oversight and I will put in place a system that will be a massive improvement on what we have today.
Question No. 8 answered with Question No. 6.
9Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the progress that has been made with the establishment of a property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31164/12]
The EU-IMF programme of financial support for Ireland contains a commitment to introduce a property tax for 2012. The programme reflects the need, in the context of the State's overall financial position, to put the funding of locally-delivered services on a sound financial footing, improve accountability and better align the cost of providing services with the demand for such services. It was considered that in light of the complex issues involved, a property tax would take time to introduce, considering no database of properties exists. In order to meet the requirements in the EU-IMF programme, the Government decided to introduce a household charge in 2012 as an interim measure.
By international standards, the revenue base of local authorities in Ireland is relatively narrow, with local authorities being disproportionately dependent on central government funding. The introduction in 2009 of the non-principal private residence charge represented an important step change in how local government is financed and was the first dedicated new source of funding for local authorities in some years. It did not, however, go far enough in addressing the imbalance in the sector's financing. A more effective broadening of the revenue base for local government will be achieved by the household charge this year in the fullness of time by the full property tax.
In February 2012, an independently-chaired inter-departmental expert group was established to consider the structures and modalities for an equitable valuation-based full property tax. The group has recently completed its work and submitted its report to me. I will now be considering the approach to the report in consultation with my Government colleagues.
When will the Minister publish the Thornhill report and will this be in advance of his policy decision on property tax?
This report will form the basis of discussions with my Government colleagues in the context of the budget and the funding of local government.
Will the Minister publish the report?
No decision has been taken yet.
I ask for information on the expected revenue in 2013 from the proposed property tax. Are incremental increases envisaged? Is it intended that this money will be retained in the areas in which it is collected? The needs and resources model is unintelligible to anyone who studies it whereby some counties are net contributors and yet they have a poorer level of services than other counties. Is the property tax predicated on having a database completed prior to its introduction?
The Minister has clearly linked the property tax with the household tax. Does the Minister intend to move to the property tax next year, ahead of schedule, as some reports would seem to indicate or is it his intention to keep it for two years and then move to a property tax? He refers to a new source of funding in respect of the non-principal private residence and the household charge but, obviously, that is not the case as the funds collected here were offset against a reduction in central taxation. How does he view the property tax in that regard along with talk of having that income deducted from people's earnings? How does this fit with the idea of it being a new source of taxation if it were to be deducted at source?
People will be able to choose a payment option from a suite of options. The second home tax on second and subsequent homes was introduced in 2009 as a source of additional funding for local government. This will be merged with consideration of what we will do with regard to individual properties when the property tax is introduced in 2013 to 2014, as required under the EU-IMF agreement. The Government has to make a decision about how this charge will be levied and whether it will be based on the market value or site valuation. These issues are outlined in the report which must be considered. The Government has to make a decision and this will happen in the context of the budget.
The database is being developed and it will be of major assistance as it will provide for the first time a comprehensive register of properties in the State. Up to now it was not possible to send bills for payment of the household charge because this was the first new charge since 1961 and no database existed. We will have much more information about home ownership and we will be able to send invoices and bills for the purpose of this tax.
10Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his views on whether his risk based proposals relating to the standards to be required for septic tank upgrades take due account of the Environmental Protection Agency code of practice for waste water and disposal systems for single houses, 2009, developed following a series of scientific studies or reports, all of which concluded that the measures outlined were necessary to eliminate ground water pollution. [29027/12]
The EPA 2009 code of practice sets out standards with regard to the design, installation and maintenance of on-site wastewater treatment systems; the code applies to new developments only. My Department issued Circular PSSP 1/10 to all planning authorities and to An Bord Pleanála on 5 January 2010, which sets out the arrangements to apply for the assessment of on-site wastewater disposal systems for new single houses in light of the EPA code of practice regarding such systems.
The performance standards for domestic wastewater treatment systems have been drafted and finalised following detailed consultation with the EPA, an extensive public consultation process and discussion in the joint committee on the environment. The risk-based inspection system for domestic wastewater treatment systems will be implemented in accordance with the national inspection plan which is to be drawn up by the EPA. The plan will be drawn up to highest international standards and in accordance with the recommendation for minimum criteria for environmental inspections which is an EU-approved system for the consistent implementation and enforcement of Community environmental law in all EU member states. This is the appropriate framework for the carrying out of environmental inspections.
The development of the State's response to the European Count of Justice judgment on this matter is being taken forward in an open and positive way with the European Commission. One of the objectives in bringing forward the new inspection system for domestic wastewater treatment systems and the other measures required to fulfil the terms of the judgment is, of course, to seek to minimise or prevent the imposition of financial penalties and fines on Ireland.
The purpose of my question is an effort to untangle the Minister's motivation when dealing with this issue. This is proposed to be a measure for dealing with pollution but the key part of a wastewater treatment system is the secondary treatment area which in this case is the percolation area. The Minister's Department has stated that many septic tanks in Ireland do not have an appropriate percolation area and that many areas are not suitable for percolation. Instead of addressing those measures as a pollution issue, the Minister has come up with a bogus scheme to try to get people to sort out this problem for themselves. It is ludicrous. For example, an area such as Gweedore in County Donegal has about 3,000 houses and the Minister is suggesting that individual householders should sort out this issue and pay for it themselves. Those people have been promised a proper treatment plant for decades which would deal with the problems of effluent and pollution. That is the reason I am asking this question. The standards, which the Minister is a little coy about, would reveal that he is not really dealing with the pollution issue at all.
I am sorry Deputy Daly did not avail of the opportunity to have 30 hours of discussions on these matters with Deputy Niall Collins and me at various committee hearings and on the floor of the House. She might have been more informed about what we are trying to do to deal with this very difficult issue.
I watched some of it on the television.
It is a difficult issue that dates back to 2009 when there was a proposal to have universal inspection of all septic tanks and to have the EPA code of practice of 2009 implemented. We negotiated with the European Commission. It brought us to court and that is the reason the European Court of Justice judgment was handed down. The Commission needed a comprehensive register of septic tanks in the country and it wanted to ensure that what was there was working. We had the benefit of the Cavan experience. Cavan was excluded from the court judgment because it was satisfied with the by-laws that were introduced in Cavan in 2004. There have been 3,000 inspections in Cavan and we know from the Cavan experience the type of problems that might arise, the extent of those problems and that the vast majority of those inspections passed.
The Gweedore sewerage treatment plant is part of the water investment programme for Donegal County Council and I am sure it will happen in due course. Anybody who wishes to resolve this problem can do so by simply de-sludging their septic tank, in the same way as the people of Cavan have done over the last eight years.
It is environmentally unsustainable and probably economic madness to expect people who have septic tanks in relatively densely populated areas to deal with the problem themselves. A best practice environmental solution would be to connect those people to the public sewer. I have followed the deliberations on Committee Stage, as many other people have, and I believe the Minister has avoided responsibility for many of those issues in terms of standards and, crucially, in terms of foisting the burden onto householders. The Minister has not answered those points.
I will be progressing the Gweedore sewerage scheme in line with several other sewerage schemes that are required. Over the last year and a half I have allocated and spent €400 million in places where, perhaps, people did not expect allocations to be made. That is particularly the case in County Galway, where there is a huge problem and huge under-investment in rural as well as urban services.
The European Commission is quite satisfied with our proposals and how we are dealing with this. I will take its word before I will take the Deputy's. It is the body that brought us to court in the first instance and it is satisfied.
11Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the practice of local authorities of removing persons on the rental accommodation scheme from the housing waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31215/12]
The Housing Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2009 gives legislative recognition to rental accommodation availability agreements as a form of social housing support. Consequently, since 1 April 2011, RAS tenants are now considered to be in receipt of social housing support and should not generally remain on housing waiting lists for new applicants for social housing. In recognition that RAS tenants may have had reasonable expectations in regard to retaining access to traditional local authority rented accommodation, guidance issued by my Department recommended that there should be a special transfer pathway for RAS tenants to other forms of social housing support. It is my understanding that the members of many authorities have now included a provision of this type in their allocation schemes and that such tenants are included on transfer waiting lists.
RAS tenants obtain significant benefits through being in receipt of social housing support compared to remaining on rent supplement. In the first instance, this allows such tenants to take up full-time employment following their move to RAS. Second, it makes the housing needs of the tenants the responsibility of the housing authority, with the added security that this implies. Finally, it ensures that tenants do not have to apply for social housing and be assessed under the new housing needs assessment criteria.
It is disappointing that since last April people who are on RAS have been removed from the housing lists. Many of these housing placements are not permanent housing, but contracts with the local authorities. Some of them can be for up to four years. I recently encountered a person whose landlord indicated that he wished to sell the house. The person was only a year into the four year contract. Under the RAS scheme the landlord can do this once he intends to sell the property. It is very poor to have people excluded from the housing lists. It is massaging the figures. I have not yet heard of any special arrangements by the local authorities in regard to letting some of the people on RAS remain on the local authority housing list. Perhaps the Minister would elaborate further on that. The message does not appear to be getting to the local authorities that in some cases people on RAS can remain on the housing list. It is a massaging of the real figures on the housing list. Certainly, I do not consider people to be housed under RAS, especially when a contract can be pulled at such short notice.
The Housing Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2009 is the legislative basis for this. It was implemented in April last year.
It is only since April that this has happened.
Yes. In the housing circular 28/211 of 4 May 2011, which dealt with the social housing allocation regulations, it was recommended that a special transfer pathway be provided from RAS to other forms of social housing. This was to be included within the allocation scheme that each authority had to adopt under section 22 of the 2009 Act, which replaced the old scheme of letting priorities. Both the Act and the regulations provide that local authorities should have a system whereby people on RAS can have a transfer pathway so they can move into the regular social housing system. That is part of the legislation and the regulations so it should be implemented by the local authorities.
The message does not appear to be getting across. It would be a good idea to remind the local authorities of that provision. With regard to rent supplement, people can be six, seven or eight years on rent supplement or RAS. There must be a cut-off point at some stage so they can avail of local authority and social housing. It is not right. Originally, it was said that this would not last for more than three or four years, but it has now become a lifestyle and is remaining in place indefinitely.
It is part of the provision that is in place to address people's housing needs. If there is any doubt about how the local authorities interpret this, we can clarify it for them. Obviously, there is ongoing review of this entire area because we are trying to cope with the demand that exists given the state of the economy, so it is open to consideration. The issue of people having opportunities to move from RAS to regular - what might be called old fashioned - social housing is not excluded by any means. I take the Deputy's point that if there is some doubt about this in the local authorities, we should clarify it.
12Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the timeframe for the implementation of water charges; if he has reviewed the original timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31169/12]
The memorandum of understanding with the EU, IMF and ECB commits Ireland to introducing water charges for households during the programming period. However, no decision has been taken by the Government on the exact date for the introduction of water charges.
The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has decided that water meters should be installed in households connected to public water supplies. International evidence has shown that where meters have been installed significant reductions have been achieved in the level of consumption and this is also borne out by the water savings achieved with metering in the group water sector, which have been up to 30% in some cases. Irish Water, a new State-owned water company to be established as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group, will be responsible for the metering programme.
The Government has also decided to assign responsibility for the economic regulation of the water sector to the Commission for Energy Regulation. The primary role of the regulator will be to protect the interests of customers and to ensure a consistent and appropriate level of service is provided to customers. The framework for water charges will be determined as part of the regulatory process.
The Minister conceded earlier that the household charge is not ideal and that revenue raised in a particular area should be ring-fenced for and spent in that area. I am sure he will agree that this is another example. There were questions earlier about reform of local government. Would he not consider it an integral part of local government reform, if we are to have real and meaningful engagement at local authority level from public representatives, that when elected they be accountable to the electorate for the setting and raising of local charges? We might get people being more responsible in regard to it. This is another example of it. Ultimately, the Minister is sucking the function away from the local authorities and putting it into a stand alone entity. Second, what is the long-term position in regard to all the people who work in the provision of water services for the local authorities?
It is far from my intention to suck away the local authority involvement in terms of knowledge or expertise. There will be service level agreements between Irish Water and local authorities. They will continue to be involved in the provision of water and wastewater facilities and the operation and maintenance of them at local level, as they are now. What I am taking away is the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in setting up this new entity as a stand alone entity within the Bord Gáis group to allow more investment in water and wastewater services from the private sector become part of the public capital programme. We do not have the money and will not have it over the next two years to do what we need to do to generate the necessary infrastructure in water and wastewater services for economic development and job creation. We have to find the money elsewhere, and there is some interest in the private sector becoming involved. It will be part of the public utility company we have agreed to establish.
I am interested in Deputy Collins's view about the way water charges can be levied locally to meet the requirements at local level. Every area is different in regard to the provision of water and wastewater. We must have the regulation of those matters at central level but we also need the assets and liabilities of local authorities to be available to Irish Water in the water and wastewater area to attract private investment into the sector. That is the best way in which we can do so at the moment.
13Deputy Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will consider allocating a greater part of the rent collected from local authority housing to the maintenance of the same housing and communal areas surrounding such housing; if he will consider increasing the sum paid to the residents’ associations to €2,000 for estates of over 30 houses and to €1,000 for estates of less than 30 houses respectively as they have, over the years, taken on the work of caring for the same estates; if he will consider directing the local authorities to increase the sum they pay out to the community employment schemes in view of the fact that these schemes continue to take on a greater role in caring for estates as councils cut back on the work they are doing on open and communal areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29030/12]
In accordance with the provisions of the Housing Act 1966, the provision and management of social housing, including the carrying out of routine and planned maintenance programmes to properties and estates, is the responsibility of the relevant housing authority. Housing and estate maintenance programmes are funded directly by local authorities from their own resources, including from rental income and receipts from the disposal of properties and sales of houses to tenants.
It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The adoption of an authority's annual budget is a reserved function.
In the case of Leitrim County Council, I understand that the council makes an annual contribution, from the provision set aside for estate management, to residents networks for enhancement works on housing estates in the county. The various residents associations work in partnership with a company funded through the community employment, CE, scheme to maintain and improve the communal areas on local authority estates. I understand that there are currently some ten CE schemes in County Leitrim which are assisted through the Department of Social Protection and employing 172 participants and ten supervisors. I have no function in relation to the funding or operation of CE schemes.
I do not know whether Nos. 24 and 49 could be included with this question but the issue is very similar.
They are separate questions at the moment, Deputy.
In terms of maintenance by local authorities, a huge problem is developing with regard to the number of voids left in areas. The Minister of State said that local authorities raise their own funds for the maintenance and the delivery of voids but Dublin City Council now has a huge build up of voids. The problem in my area is getting serious in terms of the number of houses being boarded up which could be used for social housing. That would provide revenue to the local authorities. We would get value for money. There is no doubt the local authorities need to get extra help from somewhere in terms of funding and it is not correct to say that Dublin City Council and other local authorities can raise the funding. They get it from their own tenants through the rents and so on but it is not enough. They are not able to do it. There is an urgent need for help to deal with the maintenance issues.
I made the point in responding to the Topical Issues matter-----
I heard it, yes.
-----that €145 million was allocated to local authorities this year in respect of measures aimed at improving the social housing stock. That takes in regeneration, which is €90 million, and €27 million for the remedial works scheme in 26 different local authorities. There is also the money for extensions and adaptions but as I am sure the Deputy is aware, there is a specific allocation in regard to-----
Yes, €15,000.
-----energy efficiency in voids, and it is specifically targeted at empty houses both last year and this year. I visited various local authorities around the country who asked me if they could use some of that money for occupied houses because tenants living beside empty houses can see the work being done on those yet cannot get their house done because they are in occupation. We are talking about relatively scarce resources and trying to distribute them as widely as we can.
I accept that the issue of voids is important as well as the need to ensure that we target funding to bring those houses, apartments etc. back into productive use as quickly as we can. On the other hand, there are also occupied houses that are in a bad state also. We have to spread the money and target it as well as we can.
One of the reasons the problem is increasing massively is the number of houses being returned to the local authority whether from people who have run into problems with their mortgages or in terms of shared ownership from other places, and getting them back into play is proving very difficult. I am aware there are grants for the local authorities but the problem is we are in a crisis, they are getting back more properties and they are unable to get those back on stream. It is not the case that money is not being put in. There is simply not enough because of the demand and the number of houses being handed back.
There is probably a particular difficulty in Dublin because it is such a large area and there is so much social housing need but we are always open to suggestions as to how we might best use the resources available to ensure that we can maintain the stock of housing in as good a condition as we possibly can. Obviously, different local authorities choose to do different things. The initial response to Deputy Flanagan's question was around maintenance of the outside of the estate, using community employment schemes etc. I am not sure but that may be a way of addressing problems that we may not have thought of in some of the other local authorities. It is a question of trying to use the resources as well as we can, and I am open to any suggestions that might come from whatever source.
14Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his plans to reduce the numbers on the housing waiting lists, which currently stand at 96,000; if he is proposing a maximum waiting time for housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31263/12]
20Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his plans to reduce the numbers on the housing waiting lists, which currently stand at 96,000; if he is proposing a maximum waiting time for housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31219/12]
23Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his plans to reduce the numbers on the housing waiting lists, which currently stand at 96,000; if he is proposing a maximum waiting time for housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31264/12]
29Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his plans to reduce the numbers on the housing waiting lists, which currently stand at 96,000; if he is proposing a maximum waiting time for housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31261/12]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 20, 23 and 29 together.
It is a matter for each housing authority to determine, in accordance with its scheme of letting priorities, the manner in which households are allocated social housing in its area.
I am currently overseeing a programme of social housing reform and as part of this, it is my intention to review the operation of allocations policy with the broad objective of putting a greater emphasis on time on the list as a criterion for allocating local authority housing.
In terms of the delivery of social housing, the Government's housing policy statement, published in June 2011, clearly identifies that the priority for Government will be to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support.
Delivery of social housing will be significantly facilitated through more flexible funding models such as the rental accommodation scheme and leasing, but the Government is also committed to developing other funding mechanisms that will increase the supply of permanent new social housing. Such mechanisms will include options to purchase, build to lease and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies for construction and acquisition. There is also obvious potential, across a range of housing programmes, for the Government's objective of sourcing and providing suitable residential units for use as social housing to be aligned with the commercial objectives of the National Asset Management Agency.
I thank the Minister for that reply. I am inclined to agree with her about the time on the list issue because we have seen the mess that happened in Dublin City Council, particularly with single males or single females being left on the housing list almost indefinitely, and people with smaller families being subjected to the points system. I know cases can be prioritised, be it on medical or welfare grounds, but that should remain if we examine the idea of time on record. I believe Dublin City Council is changing the time on record; Fingal County Council uses that system. I understand that may change at the end of this year but it is long overdue because some people have been on the housing list for 15 years. That does not make sense, and they are going nowhere. It is appalling. The problem of homelessness is being addressed separately but at one time there were huge queues on the homeless list in a similar way. I do not know whether this is a recommendation from the Minister of State to the local authorities. Is it the Minister of State's suggestion that time on record should be used by the local authorities? Is that what she is pressing them to do?
It is one of a range of areas. We are looking at the whole allocations policy currently and I had a meeting with officials recently in that regard. This is one area we will consider. It is always a matter of figuring out how to allocate priority and different local authorities have different ways of doing it. This is certainly one area under consideration. We must leave some flexibility to each local authority in terms of how they allocate housing, but guidance will be provided at national level. We are looking at the issue and are very aware of the number of people in need of social housing and the economic downturn has contributed greatly to this need. We must find ways of addressing the issue. I referred to the voluntary sector and believe there is capacity there to raise funding in a way the State cannot. We want to use the voluntary and co-operative sectors more than they have been used in the past as well.
There is too much emphasis being placed on the voluntary housing sector now, rather than on delivery of social housing by the local authorities. The way we are going, we are building large conglomerates in terms of the voluntary housing groups and they will end up with huge portfolios. I disagree with that approach. Social housing should be dealt with by the local authorities. We should not hand it over to voluntary housing groups all the time. There is a case to be made for the voluntary housing groups, but all social housing delivery seems to be heading in that direction and I am concerned about that trend.
Not all of it, but we want to use the voluntary groups because they can leverage funding that the State cannot. If we had to provide 100% funding for every new social housing scheme, we would not have the money to address the need. Therefore, we must see if we can leverage funding in other ways. However, we also intend to regulate the voluntary groups and that is important.
15Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the timeframe for the Local Election Boundaries Commission Report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31177/12]
Unlike for Dáil constituencies, there are no constitutional or statutory requirements in relation to the frequency of local electoral area boundary reviews. The most recent reviews of local electoral areas were carried out in 1998 and 2008. The June 2009 local elections took place on the basis of the local electoral areas enacted following the 2008 review. I will now give consideration to arrangements for the review of local electoral areas, having regard to the recommendations on Dáil constituencies in the recently published constituency commission's report. I will also have regard to the final results of census 2011 and to any decisions by the Oireachtas on the constituency commission report and to Government decisions on local government reform, including the establishment of unified local authorities in Limerick and Tipperary.
Clearly, because of the decisions I have made with regard to the merger of certain authorities, there will be a need for a boundary review of local electoral areas.
The Minister has indicated he would start this process in July. How long will it take?
Hopefully, people will be in a position to know whether they are going to contest the elections at the end of January 2013.
Written Answers follow Adjournment.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.45 p.m. until 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 3 July 2012.
