Thursday, 9 May 2013

Written Answers Nos 145-152

Ministerial Expenditure

Questions (145)

John McGuinness

Question:

145. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of travel and subsistence both foreign and domestic claimed by each junior Minister and Secretary General in his Department for the period 2007 to date in 2013; the number of staff appointed by each Minister and junior Minister in his Department or constituency office and their relevant cost including travel and subsistence in each case for the period 2007 to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22035/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The information requested is set out in the following tables. The Ministerial appointees held the positions of Special Adviser, Press Officer, Personal Assistant, Personal Secretary or Civilian Driver during the tenure of the relevant Minister or Minister of State. In a number of instances, there were changes in individual personnel during the period of tenure, together with some work-sharing arrangements which are included in the figures following.

Travel and Subsistence claimed by Ministers of State from 2007 to date

Minister of State	Travel and Subsistence claimed
Noel Ahern	€20,389.91
Batt O’Keeffe	€79,905.51
Tony Killeen	€18,958.19
Michael Kitt	€37,835.92
Máire Hoctor	Nil
Áine Brady	Nil
Ciarán Cuffe	Nil
Michael Finneran	€106,802.51
Willie Penrose	€10,717.85
Fergus O’Dowd	€2,714.64
Jan O’Sullivan	€16,044.24

Travel and Subsistence claimed by the Secretary General from 2007 to date

Secretary General	Travel and Subsistence claimed
Niall Callan	€2,124.85
Geraldine Tallon	€4,574.24

Details of staff appointed by each Minister from 2007 to date with relevant Salary costs and Travel and Subsistence claimed by those staff

Minister	Number of staff appointed	Salary costs for staff appointed	Travel & Subsistence claimed by staff appointed
Dick Roche	5	€171,766.31	€11,074.94
John Gormley	7*	€2,364,686.28*	€19,555.69*
Éamon Ó Cuív	Nil	Nil	Nil
Phil Hogan	8**	€698,044.15**	€37,561.94**

* This includes a Programme Manager assigned to the Department of the Taoiseach.

** This includes some individual staff changes and also a number of work sharers.

Details of staff appointed by each Minister of State from 2007 to date with relevant Salary costs and Travel and Subsistence claimed by those staff

Minister of State	Number of staff appointed	Salary costs for staff appointed	Travel & Subsistence claimed by staff appointed
Noel Ahern	4	€99,336.55	€2,703.50
Batt O’Keeffe	5	€277,113.98	€37,630.05
Tony Killeen	5	€645,734.32	€20,876.91
Michael Kitt	4	€213,786.90	€20,273.71
Máire Hoctor	Nil	Nil	Nil
Áine Brady	Nil	Nil	Nil
Ciarán Cuffe	Nil	Nil	Nil
Michael Finneran	6	€636,178.65	€71,781.91
Willie Penrose	6	€158,899.63	€4,141.94
Fergus O’Dowd	Nil	Nil	Nil
Jan O’Sullivan	7	€479,004.89	€24,145.53

EU Funding

Questions (146)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

146. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if Fingal County Council has applied for EU INTERREG funding, through his Department, for environment and heat management funding in the Howth Peninsula special amenity area. [22045/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The EU INTERREG programme 2007-2013 is comprised of three strands: Strand A, which covers cross-border co-operation; Strand B, which covers transnational co-operation and Strand C, which covers interregional cooperation.  Each Strand has its own priorities and covers specific geographic regions.   Applications for funding under all strands of the INTERREG Programme are made directly to the relevant Programme Managing Authority.  The relevant Managing Authorities are the Special EU Programmes Body and the BMW and S&E Regional Assemblies.

My Department does not have any direct involvement in relation to applications for funding under the INTERREG Programme and consequently does not have the information sought.

Local Authority Housing Application Numbers

Questions (147)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

147. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons and families here waiting for one, two and three bed accommodation on county and county borough waiting lists including housing, transfer and homeless lists. [22046/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

My Department does not hold information on the number of households on local authorities’ waiting lists. This figure continuously fluctuates as households are allocated housing and new households apply for housing support. Detailed information on the latest statutory assessment of housing need which was carried out in March 2011, including a breakdown by authority and category of need, is available on my Department’s website – www.environ.ie or on the Housing Agency’s website at www.housing.ie.

Section 21 of the 2009 Housing Act replaces previous provisions in relation to the statutory assessment of housing need and all housing authorities have been directed to provide a summary report of social housing assessments under this provision as at 7 May 2013. The findings from these summaries will be published in the autumn.

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Questions (148, 149)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

148. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of new social housing homes being provided in 2013 throughout each of the county and county borough local authorities administrative areas; the impact the above programme or other measures will have on the national housing lists. [22047/13]

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

149. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the plans, if any, he has to launch a public housing investment programme in 2013; and the effect such a programme could have on the national housing list up to the end of 2015. [22048/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 149 together.

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. I am determined to ensure that the social housing programme optimises the delivery of social housing and the return for the resources invested. To achieve this, it is essential that we tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing conditions and explore the full range of solutions to address housing needs.

In terms of addressing the demand for social housing, the social housing capital budget has been reduced from €1.535 billion in 2008 to €287m in 2013 and the financial parameters within which we will be operating for the coming years rule out a return to large capital funded construction programmes. The Government is committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to social housing support needs through a variety of mechanisms, including through increased provision of social housing. In July 2012 I announced details of a three-year funding programme of €100 million to deliver some 800 new units of voluntary and local authority owned social housing. I am monitoring expenditure under my Department’s housing programme for 2013, together with the level of contractual commitments extending into 2014, with a view to a decision later this year on approving some limited new construction and house purchases over the period to end 2014.

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 (NAMA). My Department and the Housing Agency are engaged with NAMA to ensure delivery of housing units for social purposes.

In spite of the challenging circumstances within which local authorities must operate the final outcome for 2012 is expected to be in the region of 4,000 to 4,500 housing units. Given the current volatility of the market and different challenges to the channels of supply it is difficult to estimate the likely output of new units for social housing this year. However, it is provisionally estimated that in the region of 5,000 units will be provided for social housing in 2013.

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Questions (150, 151)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

150. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the amount of Exchequer funding provided to voluntary or co-operative housing organisations operating here in 2012; and if he will provide the amount of such funding that is allocated for these organisations in 2013. [22049/13]

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

151. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline, in tabular form, the percentage of homes in the social housing stock that are managed by each of the voluntary or co-operative housing organisations; if he is satisfied with the level of input by this sector in the provision of social housing; the number of housing units brought on stream by these organisations in 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22050/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together.

My Department’s role in relation to the voluntary housing capital funding schemes relates primarily to the provision of funds to support the annual construction and housing acquisitions programmes by the sector. It is a matter for the relevant housing authority to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the schemes, and to have appropriate oversight and liaison arrangements in place for the effective administration of the schemes and for ensuring that the investment in voluntary housing is safeguarded.

At the end of 2012 a total of 25,371 units of accommodation had been provided by approved voluntary and co-operative housing bodies under my Department’s capital funding schemes since the inception of the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) in 1984 and the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) in 1992. Exchequer funding of €1.3 billion was provided under the CAS for the provision of some 15,262 units of accommodation for persons with specific categories of housing need such as older people, the homeless and persons with a physical, intellectual or mental health disability.

Under the CLSS, mortgage finance was provided to approved housing bodies by way of loans from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) to meet the cost of providing social rented accommodation for low-income families. At end 2012, approved housing bodies had provided some 10,109 units of accommodation and loans to the value of around €1.4 billion had been drawn down from the HFA. The CLSS was terminated in 2009 and expenditure in respect of projects over the period 2010 to end 2012 relates to projects at construction or approved to commence construction prior to the decision to terminate the scheme.

In 2012 My Department recouped some €58 million to Local Authorities (LA’s) in respect of voluntary and co-operative projects progressed under the CAS Loan charges and management and maintenance allowances of over €68 million were recouped to LA’s in respect of accommodation provided under the CLSS. Earlier this year I announced capital allocations to local authorities under the CAS amounting to some €38.5 million. Detailed information in relation to the amounts of CAS funding recouped to each of the AHB’s across all local authorities in respect of the CAS for 2012 is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible. It is not possible at this stage to indicate the likely drawdown of CAS funding by individual AHB’s over the course of 2013.

A number of AHB’s have entered into service level agreements with local authorities for the management and maintenance of social housing units which may be either leased or owned by the relevant authority. Details of these arrangements and the numbers of properties involved are not available in my Department.

In 2012 677 units of accommodation were completed under the Capital Funding Schemes by AHB’s. Data in relation to local authority housing stock, including completion figures for the voluntary and co-operative housing programmes funded by my Department, are available on my Department’s website, www.environ.ie .

Data for the first quarter of 2013 will be available shortly. A breakdown of the numbers of units provided across all local authorities under the CAS and CLSS schemes from 1984 to end 2012 is set out in the following table:

-	No. of Units CAS 1984-2012	No. of Units CLSS 1993 - 2012
CAS only 1984 - 1992	2,691	-
CAS and CLSS 1993-2012	-	-
Carlow	187	254
Cavan	125	48
Clare	203	131
Cork	844	585
Donegal	533	420
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown	543	372
Fingal	381	598
Galway	359	171
Kerry	402	169
Kildare	366	469
Kilkenny	437	137
Laois	212	271
Leitrim	64	44
Limerick	572	101
Longford	112	173
Louth	190	694
Mayo	409	193
Meath	206	180
Monaghan	211	76
Offaly	133	270
Roscommon	98	25
Sligo	237	237
South Dublin	263	992
Tipperary N.R.	233	132
Tipperary S.R.	262	390
Waterford	125	139
Westmeath	202	0
Wexford	230	284
Wicklow	265	85
City Councils	-	-
Cork	656	249
Dublin	2,465	1651
Galway	292	182
Limerick	335	99
Waterford	419	288
TOTALS	15,262	10,109

Constitutional Convention

Questions (152)

John Lyons

Question:

152. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a decision has been reached on holding a referendum on reducing the voting age to 16 following the Constitutional Convention's recommendation; and if he is considering holding this referendum at the same time as the Seanad abolition referendum in October 2013.. [22085/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The First Report of the Convention on the Constitution, which was submitted to the Oireachtas on 26 March 2013, contained a recommendation that the voting age should be lowered to 16. The Government is considering this recommendation and will provide a response in the Oireachtas within 4 months – by 26 July 2013 – in accordance with the resolution of the Oireachtas establishing the Convention in July 2012.