Written Answers Nos. 115-120
115. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when money will be released to Meath County Council to enable it to begin urgent renovation work to council properties affected by pyrite in Cherry Court, Summerhill, County Meath. [16851/14]
View answerMy Department understands that Meath County Council compiled a technical report on the issues affecting properties at the location referred to and will give consideration to any proposal from the Council resulting from this report.
116. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in respect of housing estates not taken in charge where the developer-builder concerned is insolvent, the number of such estates that are assessed as exempt from property tax; the specific criteria which are taken into account in making this determination regarding these type of estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16853/14]
View answer117. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the detailed criteria taken into account when determining the exempted unfinished estates for both the household charge and property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16854/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together.
The administration of issues relating to unfinished housing developments is a matter for individual local authorities. Each local authority has appointed an Unfinished Housing Development co-ordinator; contact details can be found at: www.housing.ie.
As part of the process of analysing and addressing the causes and consequences of unfinished housing developments, the Department has published annual National Housing Development Surveys since 2010. Developments to be included in the surveys were those in an unfinished state whose construction had ceased since 1 January 2007, specifically owing to the onset of the economic downturn and related developments in the housing market.
As part of the National Housing Survey 2011, all local authorities were asked to categorise developments into one of four categories, as follows:
- Category 1: either where the development has been broadly completed (only very minor works outstanding) but not fully occupied or where the development is being completed and the developer is still active on the site and in either case there are no serious issues apparent from a public safety perspective;
- Category 2: where a receiver has been appointed and the development is being appropriately managed from a public safety perspective;
- Category 3: where the developer is in place but there is no on-site activity and the developer is responsible for managing the site from a public safety perspective;- Category 4: where there is no construction activity on the site, where efforts to contact the developer or site owner have been unsuccessful, where no receiver has been appointed, where serious public safety issues are present and efforts to compel the developer and/or site owner to address such issues have been unsuccessful.
This categorisation formed the basis for the list of those unfinished developments eligible for a waiver of the Household Charge. Only households in developments in Categories 3 and 4 are eligible for the waiver from payment of the Charge.
The list of developments in which households are eligible for the Household Charge waiver is set out under the Local Government (Household Charge) (Amendment) Regulations 2013. Consequently, if an estate is not named in the Schedule prescribed by these Regulations, then properties in that estate are not eligible for the waiver provided for relating to unfinished housing estates.
An exemption from the Local Property Tax (LPT) 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 based on data from 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. A similar approach to that which applied to the waiver of the Household Charge was followed but using the revised methodology used in the 2012 Survey which included a new criterion identifying developments in a “seriously problematic condition” and to which the LPT waiver was applied.
My Department does not hold information in relation to the solvency of particular developers/builders. However, a comprehensive range of information on Unfinished Housing Developments is available on the Housing Agency’s website at www.housing.ie including, Frequently Asked Questions on Exemptions from the Local Property Tax and annual Progress Reports on Actions to Address Unfinished Housing Developments which include general information in relation to bonds.
118. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on an application (details supplied); when he expects moneys to be made available for draw down to the successful applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16877/14]
View answerIn February 2013, the Local Action Group (LAG) in question submitted a claim in respect of the project referred to. This claim was selected by my Department’s Inspection Services Section for a pre-payment inspection and was subsequently deemed ineligible on a number of grounds. A formal letter of findings was issued to all parties on 17 April 2013 detailing the findings and advising that an appeal could be made within one month.
The LAG sought a review of the decision and on the 9th October 2013 the District Inspector concluded that the project remained ineligible. Again a formal report detailing the decision was provided to all parties and also advised that a further appeal could be made to the Regional Inspector of the Inspection Services Section within one month. To date no further appeal has been received and therefore this project remains ineligible under the Programme. Although the formal timeline for submitting an appeal has expired I am willing to offer an extension of time up to the end of April 2014 to facilitate the making of an appeal to the Regional Inspector in respect of this project.
119. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when works will be carried out in a housing estate (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16922/14]
View answerUntil taken in charge by the relevant local authority, unfinished housing developments are the responsibility of the relevant developer and, in some cases, receivers acting on the instructions of funders acting in possession.
However, to assist further in addressing the legacy of unfinished housing developments, Budget 2014 contained a special provision, in the form of a targeted €10 m Special Resolution Fund (SRF). The SRF has been proposed to encourage the resolution of the remaining tranche of unfinished developments identified in the National Housing Development Survey 2013 and, particularly, those developments not likely to be resolved in the normal way through solely developer/owner/funder action because of the presence of specific financial barriers. It is envisaged that the SRF should be particularly targeted to address the remaining unfinished developments with residents living in them and, in particular, any developments that local authorities identified, for the purposes of the Local Property Tax waiver, as in a seriously problematic condition.
My Department is currently evaluating SRF applications from local authorities in accordance with the specified criteria. I understand that an application for funding under the SRF was received in respect of the development in question, to which a Local Property Tax waiver does not apply. I am conscious of the limited time available to complete SRF projects within the current year and, whilst I am not in a position to confirm whether the application in respect of the development in question will be successful, I expect that my Department will be in a position to finalise its consideration of the matter in the very near future.
I hope that the SRF will enable very substantial progress to be made in resolving as many of the remaining unfinished developments as possible.
120. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding water meters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16980/14]
View answerWith effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water can collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and the CER has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers.
The approach to charging will be outlined by Irish Water in a water charges plan to be submitted by it to the CER in line with the provisions of the Act. The CER will be responsible for approving the water charges plan which will set the approaches to charging domestic and non-domestic customers.
An Inter-Departmental Working Group has been established to advise the Government on the appropriate method for addressing affordability issues which may arise with the introduction of domestic water charges. This includes the examination of issues arising for those with specific medical conditions, which require high water usage. The Group comprises my Department and the Departments of the Taoiseach, Social Protection, Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance. The Government will decide on the proposed approaches to be taken in relation to affordability, medical needs and the free allowance , taking account of the work of this group.
The CER will announce its decision on the approved water charges plan in August 2014. In making its decision on the approval or otherwise of the first water charges plan, the CER will take into account the decisions made by Government on the funding model for Irish Water, including the funding available for a free allowance and any proposed affordability measures.
