Written Answers Nos. 169-176
169. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding provided by his Department on a yearly basis under the rural water programme to Cavan County Council from 2007 to 2013, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15883/13]
View answer170. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding provided by his Department on a yearly basis under the rural water programme to Monaghan County Council from 2007 to 2013, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15884/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 170 together.
Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection, prioritisation and approval of individual scheme proposals for advancement and funding under the programme, within the overall priorities set by my Department and subject to the block grant allocations provided, is therefore a matter for the water services authorities, Cavan County Council and Monaghan County Council in this case.
The following tables set out the funding recouped to Cavan County Council and Monaghan County Council from 2007 to 2012 . This includes capital funding provided under the Rural Water Programme and subsidies towards the operational costs of group water schemes provided under the Local Government Fund. Allocations for 2013 under the Rural Water Programme are due to be announced shortly.
|
RURAL WATER PROGRAMME |
|||
|
Cavan County Council |
Exchequer Grants paid |
Subsidies paid towards operational costs of Group Water Schemes |
Overall Payments |
|
€ |
€ |
€ |
|
|
2007 |
10,490,781 |
1,810,403 |
12,301,184 |
|
2008 |
5,304,506 |
1,605,350 |
6,909,856 |
|
2009 |
4,560,407 |
3,669,704 |
8,230,111 |
|
2010 |
2,772,089 |
1,662,699 |
4,434,788 |
|
2011 |
2,199,574 |
4,442,757 |
6,642,331 |
|
2012 |
1,332,571 |
2,823,222 |
4,155,793 |
|
RURAL WATER PROGRAMME |
|||
|
Monaghan County Council |
Exchequer Grants paid |
Subsidies paid towards operational costs of Group Water Schemes |
Overall Payments |
|
€ |
€ |
€ |
|
|
2007 |
2,525,976 |
719,116 |
3,245,092 |
|
2008 |
3,358,748 |
1,790,315 |
5,149,063 |
|
2009 |
2,533,132 |
3,019,024 |
5,552,156 |
|
2010 |
2,110,841 |
1,501,258 |
3,612,099 |
|
2011 |
1,920,559 |
3,946,445 |
5,867,004 |
|
2012 |
304,390 |
3,296,766 |
3,601,156 |
171. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total cost to local authorities from 2008 to 2012 on a yearly basis arising from clean up operations due to illegal smuggling and illegal trading in diesel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15888/13]
View answerEnforcement in relation to illegal diesel laundering activities is primarily a matter for the Revenue Commissioners. The information sought in the Question is not held by my Department. However, between 2008 and 2012 my Department has provided funding of €4,074,258 on an exceptional basis in recognition of the particular difficulties which arose for the local authorities concerned in responding to instances of illegal dumping of oil-laundering residues, particularly in relation to costs incurred by them in arranging for the safe disposal abroad of the hazardous materials involved. Both Louth and Monaghan County Councils have received the most significant levels of support with €3,400,931 being reimbursed to Louth and €620,599 to Monaghan during the years in question. In addition smaller amounts have been reimbursed to both Cavan and Offaly County Councils.
I believe that a complete solution to this problem is difficult to arrive at and must necessarily involve more effective and co-ordinated enforcement of the law from both a revenue and waste management perspective. In that context, my Department continues to liaise with representatives of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the local authorities concerned and the Office of Environmental Enforcement to seek to identify more effective enforcement solutions, and these contacts will continue.
I am also aware of enhanced co-operation on this and other waste management issues between the relevant enforcement authorities on both sides of the Border, involving An Garda Síochána, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other enforcement agencies.
172. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline, in tabular form, the total cost of enforcement of parking charges for each local authority for the past five years, including the cost of employing traffic wardens, maintaining pay and display machines and the cost of collecting money from machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15892/13]
View answerThe information requested is not available in my Department.
174. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the basis on which owners of properties with pyrite will be asked to verify the presence of pyrite in order to qualify for an exemption of the local property tax; the prevalence thresholds of pyrite that will apply in order to qualify; if all residents of for instance an apartment block will be asked for separate verification if the prevalence of pyrite is proved in common areas in such a development; and the action that he is taking to ensure that, in meeting the verification criteria, costs and administrative burdens to property owners are minimised. [15949/13]
View answerSection 10A of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 (as amended) provides for an exemption for three consecutive liability periods from the Local Property Tax (LPT) for residential properties that have been certified as having “significant pyritic damage”. This is in line with the relevant recommendation in the report of the independent Pyrite Panel. The methodology for the assessment of dwellings to establish significant pyritic damage will be prescribed in regulations which are currently in preparation and will be finalised shortly.
The primary route for homeowners to demonstrate significant pyritic damage will be in accordance with the recently published standard by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, IS 398 – Reactive Pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1. This standard provides guidance on the visual condition assessment, sampling regime and testing to be carried out to establish the presence of significant pyritic damage. The standard must be used for all assessments and testing undertaken on or after 29 January 2013.
Where testing has been carried out prior to the publication of the above standard, it is possible that it may meet the requirements of the standard; however, there may be a requirement for some additional testing or interpretation of the test results by a geologist. In addition to assessing the test results, a visual condition assessment will also be required to be carried out by an engineer or other competent professional to confirm significant pyritic damage.
To claim an exemption a homeowner must obtain a certificate, from a competent person, confirming the presence of significant pyritic damage on the liability date. The certificate will confirm that a visual assessment and relevant testing of hardcore material has been undertaken. Where a certificate confirming significant pyritic damage has issued in respect of a property on or before a liability date, that property will be deemed to be exempt from the LPT for a period of three consecutive liability periods.
Special arrangements will apply in respect of 2013 and 2014 to facilitate homeowners getting relevant certification to claim an exemption. While homeowners who do not have the relevant certification on the first liability date of 1 May in respect of 2013, or by 1 November 2013 (liability date for 2014), will have to pay LPT for those periods, they will be able to reclaim the tax paid if they have a relevant certificate by 31 December 2013 and notify the Revenue Commissioners in writing on or before 31 January 2014. Additionally, homeowners will have the option to choose whether to designate 2013 or 2014 as the first of three consecutive liability periods for exemption if they get a relevant certificate before 31 December 2013 and make an election to the Revenue Commissioners specifying one of those dates on or before 31 January 2014.
While I am conscious that the certification process necessary to confirm significant pyritic damage may appear onerous for the homeowner, it is, however, necessary having regard to the multifaceted nature of the pyrite problem. In this context, it should be noted that the Pyrite Panel alluded to the unpredictability of pyrite within an estate with even adjacent dwellings reacting differently, one showing damage and the other displaying no damage. This may arise due to different builders operating in an estate and/or as a result of multiple sources for the sub-floor hardcore material used. The Panel noted that not all dwellings in an estate where pyrite problems have been identified will manifest pyritic damage.
175. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if in the context of the purchase of affordable housing, it is his intention to reform the claw-back provision, which was put in place, in order to prevent persons selling the house within a specified period of time as otherwise the difference in value would have to be repaid back to the council; and if in view of the significant decline in house prices, that this clause could now be discontinued in total. [15960/13]
View answerThe claw-back provision is intended to prevent short-term profit taking on the resale of the house to the detriment of the objectives of the schemes. However, where a person is selling and the clawback amount payable would reduce the proceeds of resale below the initial price actually paid, the legislation provides for the amount of the clawback payable to be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid that result.
The Government’s 2011 housing policy statement announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme, as part of the review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
That review is now almost concluded and I have also asked the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency to provide me with a standalone analysis of the shared ownership scheme, including identification of the main difficulties and recommendations for mitigating measures. Any future changes to legislation governing affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme, will be made in the context of both pieces of work and I expect to make announcements in this regard in the coming months.
176. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the alert system that is in place when a child goes missing here; if there are any proposals under consideration to strengthen this system; if Ireland is in line with the current European alert system for missing children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15859/13]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that An Garda Síochána has put in place the Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert system, to enable the Gardaí seek the assistance of members of the public in circumstances where a child has been abducted and there is a reasonable belief that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child. The system was launched by the Garda Commissioner and myself on 25 May, 2012, International Missing Children Day.
CRI Alerts may only be initiated by an Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Síochána when the following criteria are met: 1. The child is under the age of eighteen years; 2. There is a reasonable belief that the child has been abducted; 3. There is a reasonable belief that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child; 4. There is sufficient information available to enable the public to assist An Garda Síochána in locating the child.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the CRI Alert system is in line with European Union best practice and guidance regarding the development and introduction of national mechanisms for alerting the general public in the event of an alleged or actual abduction of a child in circumstances where there appears to be a serious risk to the child's safety.
