Written Answers Nos. 232-49
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the maximum rent allowable on which rent support can be offered in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8017/13]
View answerTo date, the person concerned has not made an application for rent supplement to the Department. An application can be sent to the Kildare Rents Unit, P.O. Box 11758, Dublin 24 and the person’s entitlement can then be assessed.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when habitual residency will be determined in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8018/13]
View answerA decision on habitual residency will be made when all requested information has been furnished by the person concerned.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when family income supplement will be approved and paid in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8019/13]
View answerIn order to qualify for Family Income Supplement (FIS) the applicant must be engaged in full-time insurable employment as an employee which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. The person concerned made a first time application for FIS on 18 June 2012. As the employer certified that she was contracted to work 15 hours per week and payslips supplied by them supported this, the claim was refused. In October 2012 the person concerned sought and received clarification of the decision. The person concerned subsequently appealed the decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office on 26 November 2012. Before the case is referred to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, the department has sought further information from the person concerned regarding her hours worked. On receipt of this information, her entitlement will be re-examined and she will be notified directly of the outcome.
235. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the total amount spent on outsourced security services in her Department; and if she will provide details of the companies providing these services. [8479/13]
View answerFollowing the transfer and integration of the Community Welfare Service (formerly of the Health Service Executive) and the Employment Services (formerly FÁS), the Department of Social Protection inherited some of these organisations’ properties and their contractual services, such as security. The Department of Social Protection provides services from approximately 970 locations throughout the State, being the main or sole occupant in approximately 200 of those locations, and as such, is responsible for various upkeep costs, including cleaning and security. As a result, we paid a total of €2,022,730.27 to 35 different security companies in 2012. However, a rationalisation of our Department’s security services has been significantly progressed and there are currently 9 companies providing the service, which are listed as follows:
1. Ashjen Ltd
2. Brinks Ireland Ltd
3. Doran Security Services
4. G4S Security Services (Ireland) Ltd
5. ISS Facility Services
6. Kennedy Security and Consultancy Ltd
7. Manguard Plus Ltd.
8. Noonan Services Group.
9. Synergy Security Solutions.
236. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the total amount spent on outsourced cleaning services in her Department; and if she will provide details of the companies providing these services. [8493/13]
View answerFollowing the transfer and integration of the Community Welfare Service (formerly of the Health Service Executive) and the Employment Services (formerly FÁS), the Department of Social Protection inherited some of these organisations’ properties and their contractual services, such as cleaning. The Department of Social Protection provides services from approximately 970 locations throughout the State, being the main or sole occupant in approximately 200 of those locations, and as such, is responsible for various upkeep costs, including cleaning and security. As a result, we paid a total of €2,507,959.81 to 78 different cleaning companies in 2012. However, a rationalisation of our Department’s cleaning (and hygiene) services has been significantly progressed and there are currently 18 companies providing the service, which are listed as follows:
1. Cannon Hygiene Ireland Ltd
2. Derrycourt Company Limited
3. Direct Cleaning Services
4. Grosvenor Cleaning Services Ltd
5. HSG Zander Ireland Ltd
6. Ille Paper Services (Irl) Ltd.
7. James Boylan Safety Ltd
8. JMW Catering Services
9. Momentumsupport
10 Noonan Services Group.
11. OCS ONE COMPLETE SOLUTION LTD
12. Rentokil Initial Ltd
13. Science Friction (Irl)
14. Service Matters
15. Spring Grove Services Ireland Ltd
16. T & J Hanafin Ltd
17. TEAM WEAVER LTD
18. TL Cleaning.
237. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total amount spent on outsourced security services in his Department; and if he will provide details of the companies providing these services. [8468/13]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
238. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total amount spent on outsourced cleaning services in his Department; and if he will provide details of the companies providing these services. [8482/13]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
239. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding energy proposals. [7948/13]
View answerI intend to publish the second National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) in the coming weeks. This updated Action Plan reaffirms Ireland’s commitment to a 20% energy savings target by 2020 in pursuit of our EU obligations. This 20% saving is equivalent to 31,925 Gigawatt hours (GWh) or a reduction in annual CO2 emissions of around 7.7 Mega tonnes (Mt).
The actions outlined in the Plan are projected to realise more savings than the 20% target, i.e. 34,060GWh of energy savings in 2020, which is equivalent to a 21.1% saving on the baseline period; an overachievement of 1.1 percentage points. Should all measures detailed in the plan reach their full potential by 2020, it is estimated that a potential reduction in energy spend across all sectors of approximately €2.36 billion (at 2011 prices) will be realised. A very significant element of this will be savings in the public sector.
The Plan will contain 97 actions, each of which will play a part in securing a more sustainable energy future for Ireland. Of the 97 actions, the following five will play an integral role in the delivery of the national target: 1. In the Public sector, the introduction of a series of obligations on public sector bodies to address consumption, procurement and reporting of energy use; 2. the establishment of a national Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) process to deliver innovative models of retrofitting and financing of energy efficiency measures in the commercial and public sectors. This will be underpinned by an Energy Efficiency Fund to which Government has already committed €35 million in the 2013 Budget as seed capital; 3 the introduction of an appropriate Pay-As-You-Save (PAYS) model for Ireland to replace existing exchequer supports for domestic and non-domestic energy efficiency upgrade measures; 4 the Better Energy programme will deliver energy efficiency improvements across a number of sectors including energy saving targets for energy suppliers; and 5.a Cross-Departmental Implementation Group will be established to ensure that all the actions contained in the Plan are delivered.
A key focus of the Action Plan is the public sector, building upon the comprehensive suite of services and programmes provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). To date, 15 public sector bodies have signed partnership agreements with the SEAI, targeted at reducing energy consumption in the public sector by 33% in 2020. This year will also see the first public sector energy consumption report published by the SEAI.
The SEAI’s work in the public sector programme suggests that savings of 5-15% are possible with good structured energy management practices. The SEAI is promoting this through its energy management tools, Energy MAP and ISO 50001. To date, over 20 local authorities have undertaken Energy MAP training with an average saving of 5-10% after 6-12 months. Another 50 public bodies have also undertaken Energy MAP training with similar results, including the HSE, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. A programme called Energy in Education promotes these principles to schools.
Additionally, SEAI’s partnership programme is now working with over 40 of the largest energy using public bodies. These organisations are committed at the highest level to excellent energy management and realising their energy saving potential. Through the partnership programme, good energy management practices and tailored supports, these public bodies are well established to deliver early, rapid and significant energy savings. From a pilot of 18 organisations trialling the methodology to track public bodies’ progress towards the 2020 target, over 50% of them were well in advance of the 3% per year target. The remaining public bodies will be served on a group basis and will achieve similar impacts.
My Department and the SEAI in 2010 began a 3 year project to develop a Monitoring and Reporting system to track public bodies’ progress towards the 33% and 3240GWh targets. To date, over 33,000 meter points have been collated on a database to source the consumption data direct from the meter operators. In 2013 a dedicated software system will be developed which will also integrate with the National Procurement Service (NPS) for procurement purposes and the Environmental Protection Agency for carbon reporting. In Q2 2013 the 2011 progress report will be issued for the top 135 energy using public bodies. In Q4 2013 the 2012 progress report will be issued by the SEAI. It is envisaged that the various initiatives and monitoring process will greatly encourage and motivate public bodies to increase their level of activity.
240. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if it is intended to issue a stamp in 2014 to mark the bicentenary of the birth of Thomas Davis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7849/13]
View answerThe Special and Commemorative Stamp Programme for 2014, which was approved by Government on 18 December 2013, did not include a stamp to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Thomas Davis. However, I understand from An Post’s Philatelic Advisory Committee that, subject to Government approval, a stamp to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Thomas Davis will now be included as part of the 2014 Programme of Special and Commemorative stamps.
241. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when TG4 HD will begin airing on Saorview and Sky; the reason there has not been a public review of TG4 HD and whether TG4 SD will continue to exist on satellite and cable platforms; if he will report on the amount of content TG4 intends to air in HD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7997/13]
View answerThe timing of the launch of TG4 HD on SAORVIEW and Sky and other platforms is a matter for TG4 in commercial negotiations with the various platform providers. The development of a full TG4 HD service is one which may take several years, given the level of investment required to, inter alia, build and equip new HD studios.
The current TG4 HD service on UPC is a trial service only and TG4 will use the lessons learnt from the trial to develop and enhance their plans for a future HD service. In the current UPC trial they are offering primarily acquired HD content and upscaled SD content. I understand from TG4 that they do not plan to offer both a HD and SD service in the longer term and that they plan to provide HD service only, whilst ensuring that TG4 can continue to be viewed by those viewers who do not have a HD television set.
242. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he will carry out the next value for money reviews of all semi-State bodies under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7999/13]
View answerValue for Money and Policy Reviews are designed to secure improved value for money from public expenditure by providing systematic analysis of expenditure programmes and policies to provide a basis on which more informed decisions can be made on priorities within and between programmes. It is part of a range of measures in this regard including the Review of Capital Investment (2011), which sets out investment priorities for the years 2010-2016. The Review represents a reappraisal of the Government’s Public Capital Programme, designed to re-focus investment plans and ready the Irish economy for a return to growth.
The focus of the Value for Money and Policy Reviews is to provide a tool for systematic analysis of programmes and polices rather than agencies per se, and this tool is available, together with guidelines prepared by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on its application, to all of the bodies under the aegis of my Department.
My Department has completed a number of Value for Money and Policy Reviews, most recently publishing two initial reviews on proposed mergers of bodies under the aegis of the Department (Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with ComReg, and Digital Hub Development Agency with Dublin City Council), and participated in a review of merger of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, the Property Registration Authority and Valuation office, which has been led by the Department of Justice and Equality. My Department is currently carrying out a review on the method of financing public service broadcasting.
243. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total amount spent on outsourced security services in his Department; and if he will provide details of the companies providing these services. [8470/13]
View answer244. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total amount spent on outsourced cleaning services in his Department; and if he will provide details of the companies providing these services. [8484/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 244 together.
The Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources is accommodated in three office facilities (two buildings in Dublin and one in Cavan), and a geological core store facility. In accordance with Government policy of securing efficiencies in all areas of public expenditure, my Department actively manages all areas of accommodation expenses and has achieved a reduction in the Exchequer provision for the Department under this heading (A1.7) from €1.5 million in 2009, to €0.894 million in 2013, a reduction of 40%.
In 2012 expenditure on cleaning services, which is outsourced, amounted to €161,356.9. The contractors are Ailesbury Contract Cleaning and Kathleen Smith. In 2012 expenditure on outsourced security services amounted to €120,658.96. The companies providing these services were Noonan Services Limited and ISS Ireland Ltd., T/A ISS Facility Services.
My Department is currently engaged in a competitive tendering process in relation to the provision of security and will shortly issue a request for tenders for cleaning services. In addition to achieving reductions in accommodation expenses, considerable savings have also been achieved across a range of services, including mobile telephony, publications, catering, energy costs and training.
245. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of homeless persons in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7943/13]
View answerHistorically, there has been considerable difficulty in quantifying the numbers of persons homeless at any given time and this is in part a consequence of the volatility within this cohort of housing need. For that reason information on the number of homeless persons in Meath is not available. However, the Housing Agency’s Housing Needs Assessment 2008 and 2011 reports break down the categories of housing need, including in respect of homelessness, for all 88 housing authorities nationwide. These are available on my Department’s website at www.environ.ie. This statutory assessment of housing need, carried out every three years by all housing authorities, only counts homeless persons where an application has been made to a housing authority. On 6 September 2012, the CSO published its special Census report, Homeless Persons in Ireland and it indicated that 32 persons were either sleeping rough or in accommodation designated for the homeless on the night of 10 April 2011 in the Mid East Region which includes Counties Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. I will shortly publish a policy statement on homelessness. In this statement I will be indicating what I expect from housing authorities and other stakeholders in accelerating progress towards realising the ambition of eliminating involuntary long-term homelessness.
246. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will ensure that adequate guidelines are put in place before wind turbines are erected in the midlands in order that issues of concern including distance, location, height and noise levels can be given due consideration and attention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7956/13]
View answer256. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the deadline for public submissions in relation to wind farm development in the midlands will be extended to allow adequate time for interested parties to make contributions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7962/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 256 together.
The Wind Energy Development Guidelines, which were published by my Department on 29 June 2006, provide advice to planning authorities on catering for wind energy through the development plan process. The guidelines are also intended to ensure a consistency of approach throughout the country in the identification of suitable locations for wind energy development and the treatment of planning applications for such developments. This mapping of suitable locations is carried out through the development plan process which makes extensive statutory provision for public consultation. Planning legislation and Regulations provide for extensive public notification of proposed development by way of site notice and notice in a newspaper approved for this purpose.
The planning authority is required, under section 34(3) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, to have regard to any observations or submissions received concerning the proposed development in accordance with the relevant regulations. Furthermore, any person who makes a submission to the planning authority may appeal the decision of the planning authority to An Bord Pleanála. The Board in some instances, at its own discretion, holds oral hearings in relation to cases being considered by it, further adding to the opportunities to participate in the decision-making process. In regard to the review of the wind energy development guidelines, I refer to the reply to Question No. 478 of 12 February 2013 which outlines the intended public consultation stages for the review process.
247. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he is planning to sign the statutory instrument that will introduce the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7768/13]
View answerFollowing an extensive public consultation process undertaken in 2012, I am now in the process of finalising the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2013 for signature into law. The new regulations will provide, among other things, for the introduction of mandatory certificates of compliance by builders and designers of buildings confirming that the statutory requirements of the Building Regulations have been met in relation to the building concerned. Drawings and particulars demonstrating compliance must also be submitted to the local building control authority. In addition a building owner will be required to assign a registered professional to inspect the work during construction and also to certify that the completed building is in compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations. I believe that the measures outlined above are key steps necessary to strengthen the building control system and will be capable of delivering a stronger level of compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations and a better quality of homes and buildings for consumers.
248. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm the criteria that were used to compile a list of unfinished housing estates for the purpose of collecting the household charge; if the same list will be used for exemptions from the local property tax to be introduced this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7778/13]
View answerAs part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, published by my Department in October 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. Unfinished housing developments were divided into four categories as follows: Category one, where the development is still being actively completed by the developer, or where no serious public safety issues exist; Category two, where a receiver has been appointed; Category three, where a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but effectively inactive; and, Category four, where the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.
This categorisation formed the basis for the list of those unfinished developments eligible for a waiver on the annual household charge. Only households in developments in categories three and four are eligible for the waiver from payment of the household charge. The list of developments in which households are eligible for the waiver in 2012 is set out under the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012. It is a matter for the relevant local authority to interpret and apply the relevant provisions.
In the context of Budget 2013, the Government announced the introduction of a local property tax which will replace the annual household charge. It was also decided that a waiver will apply in certain circumstances; a prescribed list of unfinished estates, subject to certain criteria and identified as part of the National Housing Development Survey 2012, in respect of which the property tax for 2013 will be waived in accordance with the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 will be prepared. I anticipate that this list will be published shortly.
249. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will intervene in respect of the delay in finalising arrangements for major development works at a fire station (details supplied) in Dublin 24 which was the subject of a previous grant aid announcement by his Department; his views on the urgent need for progress on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7788/13]
View answerThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981 and 2003. Dublin City Council provides the fire service for the four Dublin local authorities – Dublin City Council itself, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin County Councils.
My Department supports fire authorities through the setting of general policy and guidance and the provision of capital funding, including the recoupment (within the overall funding available) of costs incurred by fire authorities in relation to approved construction projects and the purchase of fire appliances and equipment. The current national priority for capital funding is supporting the fire appliance fleet. Dublin Fire Brigade has been approved for 2 new appliances, which are at the tender stage of the procurement process.
A proposal to extend Tallaght fire station was approved in principle in 2006 under the Fire Services Capital Programme. However, given the current constraints on public finances it has been necessary, in keeping with other reductions, to reduce the fire service capital allocations in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Accordingly, my Department is not in a position at present to fund the significant investment (circa €3 million) required to progress the extension of Tallaght Fire Station from the fire services capital programme. As an alternative, in light of the business case made by Dublin City Council in August 2011, my Department approved grant-aid of €300,000 to supplement funding committed by the Council in respect of necessary and urgent works at the fire station. These necessary upgrading works were completed during 2012 and grant-aid of €300,000 was paid by my Department in respect of this.
