Written Answers Nos. 450-462
450. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of all staffing costs, including pensions, for each local authority, in tabular form. [35939/13]
View answerThe Gross Cash Remuneration (comprising Core Pay, Overtime, Allowances and Other costs) and Superannuation Costs in each city and county council in 2012 are outlined in a table.
|
Local Authority |
Gross Cash Remuneration |
Superannuation |
|
Cork City |
€63,685,051.90 |
€14,179,368.51 |
|
Dublin City |
€262,418,426.00 |
€89,143,535.00 |
|
Galway City |
€18,518,304.92 |
€2,267,281.40 |
|
Limerick City |
€18,967,542.30 |
€8,614,516.15 |
|
Waterford City |
€17,029,850.00 |
€3,800,412.00 |
|
Carlow |
€14,486,274.24 |
€2,585,541.19 |
|
Cavan |
€21,176,919.39 |
€5,256,955.41 |
|
Clare |
€33,591,155.00 |
€6,762,523.00 |
|
Cork |
€111,335,876.49 |
€17,710,649.10 |
|
Donegal |
€43,614,668.56 |
€9,120,754.60 |
|
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown |
€50,427,706.00 |
€11,745,192.06 |
|
Galway |
€43,293,186.62 |
€9,201,326.62 |
|
Kerry |
€49,968,661.00 |
€8,731,192.00 |
|
Kildare |
€38,332,666.91 |
€5,675,891.00 |
|
Kilkenny |
€27,176,351.16 |
€4,450,270.45 |
|
Laois |
€18,718,285.32 |
€4,396,241.93 |
|
Leitrim |
€13,267,668.54 |
€3,286,915.28 |
|
Limerick |
€29,143,742.51 |
€6,989,700.75 |
|
Longford |
€15,621,548.40 |
€2,668,720.82 |
|
Louth |
€27,290,584.65 |
€5,173,417.64 |
|
Mayo |
€42,149,964.08 |
€7,560,221.39 |
|
Meath |
€33,886,801.00 |
€5,109,384.00 |
|
Monaghan |
€17,879,958.55 |
€3,408,719.79 |
|
Offaly |
€20,960,408.57 |
€3,316,474.00 |
|
Roscommon |
€22,325,049.44 |
€4,547,941.93 |
|
Sligo |
€21,567,383.53 |
€4,631,120.60 |
|
South Dublin |
€53,926,762.57 |
€12,736,111.99 |
|
North Tipperary |
€22,015,672.00 |
€3,631,346.00 |
|
South Tipperary |
€28,850,350.00 |
€5,266,145.00 |
|
Westmeath |
€22,590,540.93 |
€3,975,525.40 |
|
Wexford |
€36,859,325.45 |
€6,677,731.25 |
|
Wicklow |
€33,577,852.48 |
€5,732,707.37 |
|
Overall Total |
€1,353,986,112.51 |
€307,076,070.63 |
451. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funding allocated to each local authority in each of the past three years for the purposes of funding home adaptations for local authority tenancies. [35948/13]
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, including funding for extensions and adaptations to meet the needs of older people and people with a disability. Details of the funding provided to local authorities in respect of adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock over the past three years are set out in a table:
|
Local Authority |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
Carlow County Council |
€ 50,000 |
€ 433,987 |
€ 491,828 |
|
Cavan County Council |
€ 93,810 |
€ 139,831 |
€ 76,328 |
|
Clare County Council |
€ 214,452 |
€ 172,458 |
€ 155,630 |
|
Cork County Council |
€ 420,716 |
€ 190,496 |
€ 60,305 |
|
Cork City Council |
€ 697,727 |
€ 858,066 |
€ 168,262 |
|
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council |
€ 300,835 |
€ 329,224 |
€ 631,463 |
|
Donegal County Council |
€ 310,021 |
€ 175,939 |
€ 141,667 |
|
Dublin City Council |
€ 338,183 |
€ 430,587 |
€ 1,661,596 |
|
Fingal County Council |
€ 304,331 |
€ 681,627 |
€ 189,249 |
|
Galway County Council |
€ 40,028 |
€ 167,241 |
€ 103,356 |
|
Galway City Council |
€0 |
€ 204,782 |
€ 92,647 |
|
Kerry County Council |
€ 176,708 |
€ 450,863 |
€ 263,369 |
|
Kildare County Council |
€ 344,838 |
€ 459,256 |
€ 194,318 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
€ 147,181 |
€ 348,203 |
€ 302,575 |
|
Laois County Council |
€ 36,421 |
€ 183,362 |
€ 106,504 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
€ 70,000 |
€ 122,195 |
€ 32,398 |
|
Limerick County Council |
€ 197,112 |
€ 155,530 |
€ 106,798 |
|
Limerick City Council |
€ 200,000 |
€ 109,821 |
€ 85,187 |
|
Longford County Council |
€ 115,450 |
€ 80,205 |
€ 113,001 |
|
Louth County Council |
€ 288,913 |
€ 525,808 |
€ 159,804 |
|
Mayo County Council |
€ 150,562 |
€ 101,374 |
€ 306,383 |
|
Meath County Council |
€ 120,248 |
€ 190,112 |
€ 155,059 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
€ 96,802 |
€ 77,773 |
€ 136,436 |
|
North Tipperary County Council |
€ 81,758 |
€ 256,524 |
€ 503,634 |
|
Offaly County Council |
€0 |
€ 288,403 |
€ 74,320 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
€ 186,445 |
€ 94,173 |
€ 169,628 |
|
Sligo County Council |
€ 88,474 |
€ 89,548 |
€ 133,902 |
|
South Tipperary County Council |
€ 74,493 |
€ 332,048 |
€ 196,350 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
€ 285,417 |
€ 312,831 |
€ 340,845 |
|
Waterford County Council |
€ 115,878 |
€ 81,411 |
€ 136,808 |
|
Waterford City Council |
€ 176,834 |
€ 151,978 |
€ 258,940 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
€ 57,903 |
€ 102,837 |
€ 101,213 |
|
Wexford County Council |
€ 10,000 |
€ 351,597 |
€ 337,060 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
€ 165,850 |
€ 158,323 |
€ 291,983 |
|
Total |
€ 5,957,390 |
€ 8,808,413 |
€ 8,278,846 |
452. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if funding will be provided to extend a sewerage scheme at a location (details supplied) in County Kerry where a river is being polluted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35967/13]
View answerResponsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes group sewerage schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997.
In December 2012 I announced an increase in the grant for group sewerage schemes to €6,500 per house or 75% of the cost of the scheme, whichever is the lesser. The previous rate of grant available was €2,031.58 per house or 75% of the cost, whichever was the lesser.
I propose, in the first instance, to carry out a number of pilot schemes based on the increased grant level. My Department asked local authorities to include in their requests for funding under the 2013 Rural Water Programme proposals for pilot group sewerage schemes which might be viable based on the increased grant.
Following an examination of the proposals received, with particular regard to the environmental justification provided and the estimated costs, I approved grant assistance in March 2013 towards eight pilot schemes in eight different counties and to a further three pilot schemes a s a result of a m id-year Review carried out by my Department recently. The proposal received from Kerry County Council for Tullig, Castleisland, which had an estimated cost of € 250,000, was not selected as a pilot scheme.
Progress on the selected pilot schemes will be reviewed in due course with a view to deciding how best to proceed with the grant scheme.
453. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if cuts have been imposed on funding for the Dundalk Women's Aid Refuge for 2013; if his Department has been in contact with the refuge; if the funding cuts will lead to a reduction in services or the possible closure of the refuge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35981/13]
View answerMy Department does not fund any service directly but recoups expenditure to housing authorities, under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, in respect of the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services.
The National Implementation Plan for the Homeless Strategy provided for the development of a more devolved allocation-based system for the provision of accommodation-related funding to housing authorities with emphasis on increased decision making at local level. Under these arrangements responsibility for decision making in relation to the funding of particular services, within available allocations, rests with the statutory homeless management group of the respective region.
My Department has had no contact with the facility in question in relation to the level of section 10 funding to be provided in 2013.
454. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a request was received from Galway City Council to reverse the decision not to exempt the residents of an estate (details supplied) in Galway City from the local property tax this year; the decision made by the Department on this application; the reason for this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36087/13]
View answerAn exemption from the local property tax applies to developments listed in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. The list of unfinished housing developments eligible for the exemption was compiled by local authorities utilising the categorisation employed for the purposes of the National Housing Survey 2012. The Survey was carried out over the course of summer 2012 by my Department in conjunction with local authorities and the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency.
The categorisation methodology for the survey was different to that which was used in 2011 and which provided the basis for the waiver from the household charge. That earlier categorisation related largely to the level of on-site activity at the time the 2011 survey was carried out and had less to do with the physical character of a development. The 2012 survey was based purely and objectively on the actual state of completion of a development and established that there were approximately 1,700 unfinished developments, with 1,100 of them deemed to be in a seriously problematic condition. This represents a 37% reduction in unfinished developments since 2010.
Only developments that were deemed by local authorities to be in a “seriously problematic condition”, regardless of whether a developer was on or off site, were included in the LPT regulations. For purposes of preparing the final list of developments to which the exemption from the local property tax would apply local authorities were asked by my Department to confirm or update the then existing list of estates in a “seriously problematic condition” as appropriate.
455. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with respect to general policy directive PSSP PD-1/12 issued by his Department earlier this year and requiring inter alia that overall responsibility for planning enforcement be assigned to a senior officer of at least senior executive officer grade, if he will name the local authorities that have now implemented this directive. [36096/13]
View answerI issued Planning and Development (Planning Enforcement) Policy Directive 2013 to all planning authorities under section 29 of the Planning and Development Act, as amended, in May 2013. Section 29 specifies that the Minister may, from time to time, issue policy directives to planning authorities regarding any of their functions under this Act. It also specifies that planning authorities shall comply with any such directives in the performance of their functions. I am not aware that any planning authority has failed to comply with the Directive in question.
456. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is preparing his Department to adapt to and make maximum use of next generation technologies in information and communications to better enhance the interaction of his Department with the citizen and the internal functioning of his Department; if he intends to conduct a risk analysis in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36103/13]
View answerMy Department regularly reviews latest available technologies to ensure that maximum benefit is obtained from its investment in Information and Communications Technology.
There are numerous components to next generation technologies. My Department will continue to monitor and research emerging technologies, including those which come under the broad definition of next generation technologies, for suitability for business deployment.
457. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the staffing levels in each local authority subdivided by staffing grade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36112/13]
View answerThe overall staffing numbers in each city or county council at the end of June 2013, on a whole-time equivalent (WTE) basis, is outlined in the table below. However, information regarding staff levels in each council on a grade by grade basis is not available in my Department.
|
Local Authority |
June 2013 Quarterly Return (WTE) |
|
Cork City |
1,258.02 |
|
Dublin City |
5,733.20 |
|
Galway City |
432.04 |
|
Limerick City & County |
1,074.76 |
|
Waterford City |
346.85 |
|
Carlow |
269.22 |
|
Cavan |
373.90 |
|
Clare |
787.27 |
|
Cork County |
2,115.33 |
|
Donegal |
943.71 |
|
Dún Laoghaire / Rathdown (DLR) |
1,047.70 |
|
Fingal |
1,364.51 |
|
Galway |
800.72 |
|
Kerry |
1,166.61 |
|
Kildare |
835.30 |
|
Kilkenny |
538.21 |
|
Laois |
343.43 |
|
Leitrim |
262.95 |
|
Longford |
287.25 |
|
Louth |
649.47 |
|
Mayo |
1,010.03 |
|
Meath |
620.21 |
|
Monaghan |
385.65 |
|
Offaly |
386.60 |
|
Roscommon |
430.60 |
|
Sligo |
454.93 |
|
South Dublin |
1,167.36 |
|
Tipperary North |
487.46 |
|
Tipperary South |
600.59 |
|
Waterford |
483.06 |
|
Westmeath |
441.67 |
|
Wexford |
755.36 |
|
Wicklow |
768.65 |
458. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if an estate (details supplied) in County Kildare is considered an unfinished estate for the purposes of a waiver from both household charge and property tax; the reason the residents were retrospectively charged the household charge at the end of 2012 when their estate was definitively considered unfinished on the original due date in March of that year; when his Department will conduct another review of unfinished estates nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36136/13]
View answerAs part of the process of preparing the National Housing Development Survey 2011, local authorities provided details of all unfinished housing developments in their areas. 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.
An exemption from the local property tax applies to developments listed in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. The list of unfinished housing developments eligible for the exemption was compiled by local authorities utilising the categorisation employed for the purposes of the National Housing Survey 2012, which was carried out over the course of summer 2012 by my Department in conjunction with local authorities and the Housing Agency.
The categorisation methodology for the survey was different to that which was used in 2011 and which provided the basis for the waiver from the household charge. That earlier categorisation related largely to the level of on-site activity at the time the 2011 survey was carried out and had less to do with the physical character of a development.
The development of Hazelwood, Celbridge, Co. Kildare was not included by Kildare County Council in the 2011 National Housing Development Survey and accordingly was not eligible for a waiver on the Annual Household Charge. It was, however, included by the local authority in respect of the Local Property Tax and accordingly qualifies for an exemption in this regard.
459. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has issued regulations, pursuant to section 180(3)(b) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended by section 59 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010, to enable local authorities to ascertain the wishes of the majority of residents in estates yet to be taken in charge; if not, if he intends to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36140/13]
View answerSection 180 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 applies to estates which have been granted planning permission and includes the construction of two or more houses (which as defined in the Act includes apartments) and the provision of new roads, open spaces, car parks, sewers, watermains or drains.
In relation to estates which have been completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority in accordance with the permission, section 180 provides that the planning authority must, if requested to do so by the developer or by the majority of the qualified electors who are owners of the houses involved, initiate the procedures in section 11 of the Roads Act 1993 for declaring the road(s) to be public roads, for whose maintenance the local authority will then be responsible.
Section 180 was amended in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010 to provide that a planning authority may take in charge an unfinished estate, at the request of the owners of the housing units, at any time after the expiration of the planning permission, in situations where enforcement actions have commenced or where the planning authority consider that enforcement action will not result in the satisfactory completion of the estate by the developer. Planning authorities have also been empowered to take in charge part of an estate or some, but not all, of the facilities in an estate.
The ‘Taking in Charge’ policies adopted by local authorities require them to have in place procedures for the actual process of ‘taking in charge’ a residential development in response to a request from either a developer or the majority residents. Further Regulations have not been made in this regard, and I have no plans to do so at present.
460. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the Vartry tunnel replacement project and the action programme that is currently in place for the Vartry tunnel and water supply in County Wicklow, in view of recent reports of a fault line that has been identified; the measures he and his Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the two local authorities involved in the tunnel are taking to address the deficiencies in quality and security of water supply; if there has been any development regarding a bypass tunnel or pipe and if his Department has received the contract documents from Dublin City Council so a replacement can proceed, in view of the fact that the Vartry tunnel dates from the middle of the 19th century and supplies 80 megalitres of potable water to 335,000 people every day; if he will outline, in tabular form, on a yearly basis, the amount of funding the Vartry tunnel has received from 2000 to 2012, and to date 2013; when he expects construction work to commence on a repair or replacement tunnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36157/13]
View answerThe Dublin City Water Supply (Vartry Tunnel Replacement) Scheme is included in my Department’s Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 as a scheme to advance through planning.
My Department approved Dublin City Council’s Preliminary Report for this scheme in June 2007 and recoupment by my Department to Dublin City Council in respect of expenditure by the council on this scheme to date is set out in a Table:
|
Year |
Recoupment |
|
2005 |
€400,600 |
|
2009 |
€44,300 |
|
2012 |
€35,500 |
My Department has no responsibility for, or role in, the management, maintenance or operation of water infrastructure, including such matters as water quality and security of supply. This is a matter in the first instance for the relevant water services authority, in this case Dublin City Council, who are responsible under statute, for the operation, maintenance and management of water infrastructure, under the general supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency.
I understand that the City Council is advancing the planning of the Vartry Tunnel Replacement Scheme with a view to completing the statutory planning processes involved and preparing the contract documents for the scheme.
461. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the agreement on the directive on priority substances in water during the Irish EU Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36174/13]
View answerThe recent Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union secured agreement within the Council and with the European Parliament on a new Directive updating the existing Directives on Priority Substances in Water.
The new Directive controls emissions, losses and discharges of so-called ‘priority substances’ to water by establishing environmental quality standards (EQSs) for them in water and requiring monitoring programmes. The substances concerned include chemicals, certain metals, biocides, plant protection products and dioxins. For substances classified as priority hazardous substances, the legislation requires their use to be phased out.
Intensive negotiations took place within the Council and with the Parliament on the Commission’s proposals to monitor and control additional substances posing risk to the aquatic environment. The new Directive also includes more stringent standards for some of the existing 33 substances covered by the legislation. The main benefits will be:
- the inclusion of 12 new substances in the list of priority substances impacting on water quality and requiring Member States to achieve specified EQSs in respect of these substances;
- the inclusion of stricter standards for 7 of the existing substances;
- establishment of a ‘watch list’ mechanism to monitor and collect information on emerging pollutants from a network of monitoring sites across Europe to assess their suitability for future inclusion in the priority substances list;
- the inclusion of 3 pharmaceuticals of concern (i.e. Diclofenac, 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol and 17 beta-estradiol) on the watch list to be established.
The Directive will come into force imminently, following publication in the Official Journal.
462. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the global legally binding agreement on mercury achieved under the Irish EU Presidency; if the Treaty will require transposition into Irish law; by what method; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36175/13]
View answerThe new global legally binding agreement on Mercury, known as ‘The Minamata Convention on Mercury’ will be opened for signature at a Diplomatic Conference to be held in Minamata and Kumamoto, Japan, 7-11 October 2013. Mercury is recognized as a chemical of global concern due to its long-range transport in the atmosphere, its persistence in the environment, its ability to bio-accumulate in ecosystems and its significant negative effects on human health and the environment. The Convention takes a comprehensive approach to the hazards posed by mercury, by seeking to reduce and control its use throughout its life-cycle across the globe.
In accordance with Article 31 of the Convention text, the Convention enters into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession; this point is unlikely to be reached before 2017. The content of the Convention, much of which already exists in EU and Irish legislation, is in line with the overall EU position, as agreed by Council of the European Union in its Conclusions in 2008 and 2012.
In order to allow for early ratification of the Convention by the EU, the European Commission has begun internal preparations to identify if specific additional legislative measures are required. A European Commission study, including an opportunity for stakeholder input, is being undertaken in this regard. Any legislative proposals that may arise from this exercise will progress though the normal EU co-decision procedures. Decisions in relation to any additional national legislative measures that may be required to allow Ireland to ratify the Convention will arise at that point.
