Written Answers Nos. 186-197
186. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of staff in his Department who availed of study or training leave in 2012; the average duration of such leave; if all staff availing of this leave received full pay and benefits during the time; the number that will do so in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31237/13]
View answerMy Department places considerable emphasis on relevant skills development by staff at all levels. It offers on-going training programmes for staff, based on business requirements identified through the business planning mechanism and the performance management development system. Under the Refund of Educational Fees Scheme, which operates on an annual basis, staff members can develop specific critical skills through a number of formal education programmes offered by 3rd level institutions.
In accordance with the provisions of Department of Finance Circular 23/2007, staff pursuing appropriate courses may avail of paid study leave. In 2012, 45 staff availed of such leave with an average duration of 1.94 days. To date in 2013, 22 staff have availed of study leave with an average duration of 1.75 days. In addition to the formal courses outlined above there are a number of short-term external and in-house training sessions provided for staff, which are held during business hours.
188. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will indicate the level that commercial rates are charged at in each local authority; and the amounts raised in 2010, 2011 and 2012 through commercial rates by each local authority. [31270/13]
View answerThe levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation for each property, determined by the Valuation Office, to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority in the annual budget and its determination is a reserved function.
Rates income data is published by local authorities in their Annual Financial Statements. 2010 is the latest year for which audited local authority Annual Financial Statement data is available. The Annual Rate on Valuation in 2013 and the amount of commercial rates collected by each rating authority in 2010 are set out in the following table.
|
Local Authority |
2013 Annual Rate on Valuation |
2010 Rates Income (Accrued) |
|
County Councils |
- |
€ |
|
Carlow |
65.80 |
4,713,637 |
|
Cavan |
56.85 |
9,215,051 |
|
Clare |
72.99 |
31,371,523 |
|
Cork |
74.75 |
90,916,445 |
|
Donegal |
69.70 |
16,168,187 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown* |
0.166 |
108,969,034 |
|
Fingal* |
0.144 |
81,556,189 |
|
Galway |
66.59 |
18,200,480 |
|
Kerry |
80.35 |
17,554,303 |
|
Kildare |
68.95 |
35,017,488 |
|
Kilkenny |
52.05 |
9,425,334 |
|
Laois |
64.63 |
8,187,869 |
|
Leitrim |
62.15 |
3,660,377 |
|
Limerick |
59.92 |
23,150,780 |
|
Longford |
65.35 |
3,631,607 |
|
Louth |
55.08 |
5,746,530 |
|
Mayo |
68.76 |
10,349,404 |
|
Meath |
69.62 |
19,689,702 |
|
Monaghan |
56.20 |
4,965,581 |
|
North Tipperary |
57.74 |
6,182,328 |
|
Offaly |
56.77 |
7,267,813 |
|
Roscommon |
72.89 |
7,733,539 |
|
Sligo |
64.43 |
4,016,899 |
|
South Dublin* |
0.162 |
112,063,348 |
|
South Tipperary |
56.77 |
7,323,848 |
|
Waterford |
69.22 |
5,676,246 |
|
Westmeath |
52.27 |
8,064,443 |
|
Wexford |
71.52 |
15,041,928 |
|
Wicklow |
76.78 |
13,425,755 |
|
City Councils |
- |
- |
|
Cork |
74.05 |
56,548,108 |
|
Dublin |
60.88 |
296,510,814 |
|
Galway |
65.46 |
25,497,007 |
|
Limerick |
71.19 |
24,080,407 |
|
Waterford |
66.22 |
16,942,553 |
|
Borough Councils |
- |
- |
|
Clonmel |
58.84 |
4,457,738 |
|
Drogheda |
65.49 |
8,748,669 |
|
Kilkenny |
59.55 |
4,803,670 |
|
Sligo |
68.76 |
5,615,268 |
|
Wexford |
67.66 |
5,754,319 |
|
Rating Town Councils |
- |
- |
|
Arklow |
63.95 |
2,272,143 |
|
Athlone |
60.72 |
3,519,698 |
|
Athy |
56.29 |
1,485,262 |
|
Ballina |
64.52 |
2,752,980 |
|
Ballinasloe |
52.00 |
1,143,753 |
|
Birr |
68.28 |
906,386 |
|
Bray |
67.66 |
5,180,802 |
|
Buncrana |
44.29 |
480,392 |
|
Bundoran |
59.64 |
741,670 |
|
Carlow |
73.75 |
4,757,249 |
|
Carrickmacross |
65.55 |
665,187 |
|
Carrick on Suir |
50.99 |
1,258,862 |
|
Cashel |
57.56 |
635,593 |
|
Castlebar |
70.23 |
2,920,489 |
|
Castleblayney |
56.00 |
454,129 |
|
Cavan |
73.02 |
1,518,295 |
|
Clonakility |
66.96 |
1,085,295 |
|
Clones |
59.90 |
290,196 |
|
Cobh |
71.53 |
616,001 |
|
Dundalk |
65.83 |
11,490,630 |
|
Dungarvan |
60.37 |
2,113,441 |
|
Ennis |
65.45 |
4,142,290 |
|
Enniscorthy |
65.13 |
1,410,443 |
|
Fermoy |
61.00 |
786,684 |
|
Kells |
65.35 |
520,308 |
|
Killarney |
70.37 |
5,765,076 |
|
Kilrush |
61.93 |
591,100 |
|
Kinsale |
65.11 |
1,036,555 |
|
Letterkenny |
65.21 |
4,413,525 |
|
Listowel |
77.07 |
1,510,379 |
|
Longford |
69.01 |
2,312,838 |
|
Macroom |
65.37 |
661,989 |
|
Mallow |
57.88 |
2,129,908 |
|
Midleton |
60.35 |
1,559,084 |
|
Monaghan |
72.00 |
2,454,932 |
|
Naas |
67.41 |
5,590,137 |
|
Navan |
65.90 |
3,687,510 |
|
Nenagh |
55.68 |
2,750,039 |
|
New Ross |
55.47 |
943,233 |
|
Skibbereen |
69.84 |
851,206 |
|
Templemore |
53.90 |
431,456 |
|
Thurles |
57.13 |
1,634,640 |
|
Tipperary |
52.20 |
1,103,302 |
|
Tralee |
81.18 |
6,374,133 |
|
Trim |
64.10 |
633,889 |
|
Tullamore |
67.65 |
3,077,564 |
|
Westport |
63.55 |
2,514,155 |
|
Wicklow |
63.24 |
1,445,653 |
|
Youghal |
65.31 |
1,021,557 |
*county councils revalued under the Valuation Act 2001
189. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funding given by his Department under the aegis of Wicklow Town Council and Wicklow County Council for a housing development (details supplied) in County Wicklow and under which schemes these moneys have been provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31277/13]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 579 of 11 June 2013, which sets out the position on this matter.
190. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities are experiencing difficulties in evicting tenants that constantly engage in serious anti-social behaviour; if the existing procedures are efficient and effective enough in his view or if new legislation is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31279/13]
View answerThe Supreme Court issued a judgment in February 2012 in two cases relating to section 62 of the Housing Act 1966. In one case, the court ruled that there was a dispute as to the facts and made a declaration that section 62(3) of the 1966 Act is incompatible with the State’s obligations under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In the other case the court ruled that there was no dispute as to the facts and did not make a declaration of incompatibility. Section 5(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003 provides that a declaration of incompatibility in respect of an enactment does not affect its validity, continuing operation or enforcement. My Department, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General, has examined the court judgment. In consultation with key local authorities, a course of action is being prepared which will involve changes in the way in which eviction procedures are carried out but which will require changes to legislation.
Proposals for a Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill currently being developed in my Department include a new procedure that will enable housing authorities to recover possession of their dwellings from households in serious breach of their tenancy agreements, including engagement in anti-social behaviour. I am also examining the scope for making the excluding order powers of housing authorities more effective in tackling anti-social behaviour without having to evict entire families from their homes.
191. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he plans to introduce a grant scheme to provide financial assistance to households whose septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems are deemed to require remediation following an inspection; when he expects to be in a position to announce such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31315/13]
View answerIn December 2012 I announced that a grant scheme would be established to provide financial assistance to households whose treatment systems are deemed, following inspection under the 2012 legislation, to require remediation or upgrading and that full details would be set down in Regulations which I would make in advance of inspections commencing. This week I signed the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013 to give effect to the grant scheme and, in accordance with Section 18 of the Water Services Act 2007, the regulations have been laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
192. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will account for the 50% reduction in the local authority adaptation grant from the 2012 allocation to Meath County Council; his assessment of the impact of this cut on the disabled and will he consider revisiting the allocation. [31316/13]
View answerThe requirement to reduce public expenditure to sustainable levels is impacting on capital programmes all across the public service, including my Department’s housing capital programme. The level of capital funding available has declined significantly in recent years along the lines highlighted in the Medium Term Exchequer Framework for Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016. As a result capital spending on housing programmes is subject to constraint over the short-term.
On 22 February 2013 I announced capital allocations to local authorities under the suite of Grants for Older People and People with a Disability amounting to €42.750 million. In allocating the available funding across all 34 city and county councils I did so in as transparent and as fair a way as possible. In framing the 2013 allocations, my Department wrote to each local authority requesting details of the numbers and value of grants where work had been approved to commence. Between them local authorities reported contractual commitments in respect of approved grants totalling €18 million. This year I allocated local authorities the full amount of their contractual commitments. The balance of the available funding was allocated on the basis of each authority’s share of the new applications on hand in January 2013. Meath County Council was allocated € 487,123.
In order to deal with any acute or particular strain which might arise in the operation of the schemes over the course of the year I have set aside a small capital reserve. To date, I have approved additional allocations totalling €1.2 million for 13 local authorities. My Department is closely monitoring expenditure across all the measures under the housing programme. I will consider requests from local authorities for further funds to be allocated to the grants measure in the event of any saving arising elsewhere.
193. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the title of architect in Part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31393/13]
View answerPart 3 of the Building Control Act 2007 provides for the registration of persons entitled to use the title of Architect in order to protect consumers against individuals passing themselves off as Architects. Since the commencement of the Act any person not being so registered who uses the title architect (either alone or in combination with any other words or letters, or name, title or description) may be guilty of an offence which, on summary conviction, may result in a fine not exceeding €5,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or both.
To date it is understood that some 54 practically-trained architects have successfully applied for admission onto the register having passed the prescribed register admissions examination in line with Section 14(f) of the Act or undergone technical assessment in line with section 22. I recently asked Mr. Garrett Fennell, Solicitor, who is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Admissions Board relevant to the register of Architects, to carry out an independent review of the experience to date in relation to the operation of the register with a view to identifying any further improvements that can be made at this point. The terms of reference for the review specifically address the matter of how the registration of practically trained architects can be further encouraged and I look forward to any recommendations and views the review report may offer in this regard in the coming months.
194. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the level of funding that has been provided to local authorities to carry out upgrading of the local authority housing stock to include OPD's and other houses in the possesion of the local authority and in particular if he will indicate under the job stimulus programme the amount that has been allocated to each local authority, to enable them to carry out such improvement and upgrading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31411/13]
View answerUnder my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, local authorities are allocated funding each year in respect of a range of measures to improve the standard and overall quality of their social housing stock. This year’s programme includes a retrofitting measure aimed specifically at improving the energy efficiency of older apartments and houses by reducing heat loss through the fabric of the building. On 1 March 2013, I announced capital allocations of €10m to local authorities in respect of energy efficiency retrofitting works for this year. Earlier this month, I announced a new €50 million three-year energy efficiency investment programme for local authority homes. This is a key part of the Government’s additional €150 million capital investment in the economy over 2013-2014 aimed at stimulating growth.
This programme will target the 25,000 least energy efficient local authority homes. This will result in warmer homes and lower energy bills for thousands of families and will also create around 1,000 jobs in the sector. I intend to announce capital allocations to local authorities very shortly in order that contracts can be commenced as soon as possible. This programme will operate nationwide and homes in all local authority areas will benefit under this measure. My Department met recently with housing practitioners from all local authorities with the objective of getting work started as quickly as possible. Some €10 million of the €50 million programme is available for spending in 2013.
195. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when he expects the first personal insolvency practitioners to be formally operating as envisaged under the personal insolvency legislation. [31451/13]
View answerSection 161 of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 provides that the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) may make Regulations for the purposes of the authorisation, control and supervision of Personal Insolvency Practitioners (PIPs). Section 47 of the Act provides that ISI may make Regulations for the authorisation of Approved Intermediaries. The ISI published the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 (Authorisation and Supervision of Personal Insolvency Practitioners) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No 209 of 2013) and the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 (Authorisation of Approved Intermediaries) Regulations (S.I. No. 216 of 2013) on its website, www.isi.gov.ie, on 25 June 2013 and is now accepting applications from qualified applicants who wish to become authorised as PIPs and Approved Intermediaries. Once applications for authorisation are made, the ISI anticipates that it will be in a position to issue authorisations within 10 working days. As soon as an individual or corporate body is authorised, their details will be available on the ISI website, www.isi.gov.ie.
It is expected that insolvent debtors can contact Approved Intermediaries and Personal Insolvency Practitioners and begin to receive initial advice from them in the second half of July. The ISI expects to begin receiving applications for Debt Relief Notices or Protective Certificates in the case of a Debt Settlement Arrangement or Personal Insolvency Arrangement shortly thereafter. It is likely that the number of authorised Approved Intermediaries and Personal Insolvency Practitioners will increase steadily throughout the summer and autumn.
196. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of staff in his Department who availed of term time in 2012; the average duration of such in 2012; the number that will do so in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31210/13]
View answer197. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of staff in organisations or agencies under the aegis of his Department who availed of term time in 2012; the average duration of such in 2012; the number that will do so in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31226/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together.
I assume that the Deputy is referring to the Shorter Working Year Scheme which replaced the Term Time Scheme in 2009. In this respect, staff in my Department, and in organisations and agencies under the aegis of my Department, can apply for unpaid leave in accordance with the relevant Department of Finance circular. As far as possible staff are facilitated to avail of the Shorter Working Year scheme, however, the granting of such leave is subject to the business needs of the staff member's business unit.
The information sought by the Deputy in relation to the scheme is set out in the following table:
|
Number of staff who availed of the SWY scheme in 2012 |
Average duration of such leave (in weeks) |
Number of staff who have applied to date for leave under the SWY scheme for 2013 |
|
|
Department and agencies staffed by it |
154 |
5.00 |
163 |
|
Courts Service |
62 |
4.40 |
58 |
|
Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission |
3 |
4.66 |
2 |
|
Human Rights Commission |
0 |
n/a |
0 |
|
Irish Prisons Service (non-admin staff) |
0 |
n/a |
0 |
|
Legal Aid Board |
38 |
4.30 |
37 |
|
National Disability Authority |
0 |
n/a |
0 |
|
Property Registration Authority |
112 |
5.68 |
92 |
Information in relation to An Garda Síochána is not to hand and will be forwarded to the Deputy separately.
