Wednesday, 6 Mar 2013

Written Answers Nos. 148-157

Leader Programmes Administration

Questions (148)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

148. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will leave the Leader funding structure as it is; if he will set out the advantage of moving the Leader programmes and the county enterprise boards into the local authorities; his views on whether the Leader programmes and the CEBs are enterprise focused and that the local authorities are service focused and thus the two entities are culturally different and will not sit well together; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11802/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government: Putting People First sets out a significant reform programme for local government, which aims to give it greater capacity to promote local economic and social development.  These reforms envisage a greater alignment between local development and local government that will bring greater efficiency and co-ordination to the delivery of a broad range of public services locally. The remit of the local government system in Ireland is unduly narrow.  However, through a comprehensive reform process, which encompasses the development of capacity and strategic collaboration with stakeholders such as local development bodies, the sector can respond to the significant international evidence that local government should assume a leadership role in fostering local collaboration for economic and social development.

A range of economic and enterprise supports are currently provided through a number of different programmes, delivery bodies and local governance structures at local level.  For many years, local authorities have been engaged in promoting local economic development; County and City Enterprise Boards have had lead responsibility locally for micro-enterprise development, while certain aspects of the LEADER programmes have also promoted local economic development through supports for businesses and entrepreneurs.

As a key part of Government’s overall response to the current jobs crisis, it is necessary to intensify our responses at local level.  This can be achieved through the integration of all local economic and enterprise supports within a single integrated local and economic development system.  The Government decision to establish Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities, which will be complemented by a greater integration of local government and local development economic and enterprise supports, will facilitate an improved co-ordination of efforts locally.  It will see the dynamism and innovative capacity of County and City Enterprise Boards and LEADER companies combined with the institutional capacity of local government to provide a strong platform for economic development locally, and it will streamline supports for business and entrepreneurs at local level.

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Questions (149)

Jerry Buttimer

Question:

149. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to the leasing of unsold affordable homes, the policy considerations that must be considered by local authorities when deciding on allocating such properties; the influence the social inclusion policy will have on such decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11924/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Any unsold affordable housing units that a housing authority has made available for social housing are subject to that authority’s allocation scheme, just as in the case of any other form of social housing. The making and amendment of such an allocation scheme for social housing is a reserved function of the elected members of each housing authority. In accordance with Guidance issued by my Department, leasing unsold affordable units should only be considered by local authorities where there is a demand for such accommodation within the area and where the tenure mix of the area is not adversely impacted.

Local Authority Finances

Questions (150)

Joan Collins

Question:

150. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in the local government auditor's statutory report on the accounts of Sligo County Council for the year ended 31 December 2011, the Sligo county manager stated (details supplied); if at any time in advance of the Councils draft budget being published in December 2011 did his Department state that a significant voluntary redundancy package would be introduced in 2012; if it has been brought to his attention that the Sligo county manager has stated that the 2012 financial outturn for the council is projected to be a deficit of approximately €2 million; if his Department has any role in ensuring that local authorities prepare realistic achievable budgets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11931/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I refer to the reply to Question No. 446 of 18 December 2012 which sets out the position in this matter. A reply to my Department’s correspondence with the County Manager in relation to the audit report was received on 4 March 2013 and is currently being considered.

Regeneration Projects Funding

Questions (151)

Joan Collins

Question:

151. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the funding he has allocated for each regeneration project in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11932/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

This year my Department is providing some €80 million under the National Regeneration Programme to support on-going regeneration projects at a number of locations around the country. These projects are at various stages in the project lifecycle and include Ballymun, which will be substantially complete by end 2014, as well as projects which are currently at early planning stage like Sligo and Dundalk . Details of the indicative capital allocations for 2013 are set out in the following table:

Regeneration Project	2013 Capital Allocation (Indicative)
Ballymun	€16 m
Dublin City flat complexes	€15 m
Limerick City	€28m
Cork City	€12m
Tralee	€4m
Sligo	€3m
Dundalk	€2m

Regeneration Projects Funding

Questions (152)

Joan Collins

Question:

152. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding he allocated for a regeneration project (details supplied) in County Sligo, since 2006; the amount spent in each year on the regeneration programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11934/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Information relating to the amounts of funding allocated and recouped to Sligo Borough Council in respect of the regeneration project over the past 8 years is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Local Government Elections

Questions (153)

Joan Collins

Question:

153. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if it has been brought to his attention that there are currently 12 elected representatives on Sligo Borough Council and 25 elected representatives on Sligo County Council; the number of councillors there will be in Sligo following the June 2014 local government elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11935/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I established a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee on 15 November 2012 to review and make recommendations on the division of each council area, other than Cork City, into local electoral areas, and to make recommendations on the number of members of each council to be assigned to each local electoral area. I have asked the Committee to report to me no later than 31 May 2013. The Committee’s terms of reference contain the parameters defining the total number of seats on each council.

For councils other than Cork City and County and Dublin City, the number of seats on each council will be calculated on the basis of 1 member for every 4,830 of population with additional members where there are existing borough and town councils and merging city and county councils. Those additions are subject to a maximum of 4 except where councils are merging. These calculations are all subject to the minimum total of 18 and the maximum total of 40 members set in paragraph 9 of the terms of reference.

Local Authority Housing Applications

Questions (154)

Maureen O'Sullivan

Question:

154. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities may refuse to accept applications for inclusion on local authority housing lists and if so if he will outline the criteria used to refuse an applicant. [11948/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

To qualify for social housing support, a household must generally submit a properly completed application form to the housing authority, including providing the supporting documents specified in the application form checklist. Where a valid application form is submitted, a housing authority will then assess it in terms of eligibility and need for such support in accordance with section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations made thereunder.

Leader Programmes Administration

Questions (155, 156, 157)

Michelle Mulherin

Question:

155. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will lift the embargo on project approvals imposed on local development companies under the Leader rural development programme as a matter of urgency in view of the fact that this is the last year for the current round of Leader funding; if he will provide certainty to each LDC regarding the amount of Leader funding available to them in their areas in order that individual and community applicants know where they stand before putting together time-consuming and costly applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12004/13]

Michelle Mulherin

Question:

156. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of Leader funding ring-fenced for projects in the areas serviced by Mayo north east Leader partnership between now and the end of the current round of Leader funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12008/13]

Michelle Mulherin

Question:

157. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of Leader funding ring-fenced for projects in the area serviced by South West Mayo Development Company between now and the end of the current round of Leader funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12009/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 155 to 157, inclusive, together.

In late 2011 the European Commission approved a change in the maximum co-funding rate from 55% to 85% for the Axes 3 and 4 elements (LEADER) of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013. Prior to this the Axes 3 and 4 RDP measures were co-funded at a rate of 55% by the EU, with the remaining 45% coming from national exchequer sources. The 2011 agreement reduced the national exchequer input to 15% on a net basis for 2012 and 2013 without a concomitant increase in the amount of funding to be provided by the EU. This resulted in a reduction in the overall Programme complement from €427m to approximately €314m on the basis of the Programme achieving full spend by the end of 2013.

In this context the original funding allocations given to each Local Development Company (LDC) contracted to deliver the LEADER elements of the RDP required readjustment. My Department is currently carrying out an exercise to determine the level of project commitments across all LDCs and all measures in order to complete the rebalancing of the programme in as equitable a way as possible. The original allocations to Mayo North East LEADER Partnership and South West Mayo Development Company were some €10.752 million and €12.150 million respectively.

In addition, given the levels of spending by the LDCs from 2009 to date it is very unlikely that full spend will be achieved by the end of 2013. The co-funding rate will revert to 55% for all expenditure beyond the end of 2013 and will therefore have a knock on effect on the overall Programme requirement. Once the rebalancing exercise as outlined above has been satisfactorily completed decisions will then be made regarding definitive allocations and the resumption of new project approvals.