Written Answers Nos. 474-496
474. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons currently part of the rental accommodation scheme; and the annual cost of this scheme. [19139/14]
View answerThe Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) commenced in 2005 and to the end of February 2014 some 48,503 households have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS and other social housing options. Of this number 28,712 were housed directly under RAS and a further 19,791 were accommodated under other social housing options.
It is not possible to give a definitive number of households in RAS at any given time. Numbers in RAS constantly vary as contracts end, tenants move on to other properties, landlords withdraw from the scheme, new tenancies are allocated or vacancies in contracted units are filled. However, from data contained in claims submitted by local authorities of their contracted rents for Quarter 1, 2014, it is estimated that there were approximately 20,200 direct RAS tenancies in place at end March 2014 for which authorities were recently recouped.
Some €668.5m has been spent in relation to RAS to end March 2014. The table sets out the annual cost of RAS and transfer numbers achieved (transfer numbers are only available to end February) to date.
|
Year |
Annual Expenditure |
Annual No. of Transfers |
|
2004 |
€164,836 |
0 |
|
2005 |
€723,281 |
606 |
|
2006 |
€6,199,980 |
4,436 |
|
2007 |
€27,384,837 |
6,054 |
|
2008 |
€53,025,430 |
6,915 |
|
2009 |
€83,394,513 |
6,802 |
|
2010 |
€100,076,430 |
6,609 |
|
2011 |
€115,917,365 |
6,337 |
|
2012 |
€125,429,966 |
5,451 |
|
2013 |
€130,886,608 |
4,701 |
|
To date 2014 |
€25,885,338 (end Mar) |
592 (end Feb) |
|
- |
€668,588,584 |
48,503 |
475. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of social housing units that local authorities have commenced and completed building respectively since February 2011; and if he will provide a breakdown of this figure based on each individual year. [19140/14]
View answerMy Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of housing policy. The full range of data compiled can be viewed on my Department's website, where data on Local Authority completions and acquisitions for the individual years, broken down by county, are displayed: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/. The published figures relate to house completions only. Figures in relation to numbers of houses commencing construction in a given year are not readily available in my Department.
476. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of social leasing agreements between private owners and local authorities that have been activated since February 2011; the number that are still active; the number of persons housed in units under social leasing; the monthly cost to local authorities of these leases; and any other expenses related to these leases for which the local authority is liable. [19141/14]
View answerUp to the end of March 2014, 1,977 housing units sourced by local authorities and leased from private owners have been tenanted or are in the process of being tenanted under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative (SHLI). My Department is currently recouping funding to local authorities in respect of 1,929 of these housing units which are currently active. My Department does not hold information on the numbers of persons housed in these units. However, I have provided a breakdown by number of bedrooms in the following table which may be of assistance in this regard.
|
Beds |
Units |
|
1-Bed |
164 |
|
2-Bed |
487 |
|
3-Bed+ |
1,278 |
|
Overall |
1,929 |
The average monthly cost of these units is €535 per unit, which my Department recoups to local authorities.
477. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the action he will take in respect of officials in Donegal County Council or others, involved in wrongdoing, in view of the High Court order of 14 June 2013 in the judicial review case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19146/14]
View answerThe High Court made an Order in June 2013 quashing that part of my Department's planning review report of 2012 relating to planning issues concerning Donegal County Council following a settlement between my Department and another party who had brought judicial review proceedings in respect of that part of the report.
In light of the High Court Order, I subsequently sought the advice of the Attorney General on how best to proceed in the case of Donegal and I am currently giving consideration to the advice which I have received.
478. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to the independent assessment announced on 14 June 2013, of planning procedures and practices in six local authorities that were the subject of a planning review report, the terms of reference of the assessment; the persons tasked to carry it out; when the results will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19147/14]
View answer515. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the re-opening of the investigation into the planning procedure will apply to Galway County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19664/14]
View answerI propose to take Question Nos. 478 and 515 together.
I appointed MacCabe Durney Barnes Consultants to carry out an independent planning review in accordance with section 255 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The Terms of Reference require the consultants to undertake a review of planning issues raised in respect of the six planning authorities concerned (Carlow, Cork, Galway and Meath County Councils, and Cork and Dublin City Councils) particularly in relation to the organisation and the systems and procedures used by them in relation to their functions under the Act and to present a report, having regard in particular to the following key aspects:
1) the extent of consistency of policy translation and implementation within development and local area plans, with particular regard to specific cases, including:
a) examining the decision-making process in assessing planning applications and the degree of adherence to the relevant policies in development plan and local area plan policies and statutory planning guidelines, including certain EU Directives, in informing decisions;
b) assessing whether the number of cases appealed to An Bord Pleanála and the number of authority decisions reversed indicate poor application of policy contexts for assessing and deciding on planning applications;
2) the processes and procedures followed in recording and disclosure of information and adjudicating on specific planning applications;
3) recommendations on engagement and cooperation within planning authorities in the context of consistency in decisions and actions taken by planning authorities; and 4) recommendations on the application of development planning policies, and national policy and guidance, in terms of future planning practices.
The consultants may consult with those persons (with their agreement) who raised the planning issues concerned, in order to identify, clarify and understand the planning matters arising that may need to be addressed.
The indicative date for the completion of the final report from the consultants is end July 2014.
479. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if Irish Water has assumed responsibility for the culverted Swan River in Dublin; and if not, if his Department or the Office of Public Works will be funding remedial works on same; the body responsible for ensuring it does not flood residential areas of Dublin city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19215/14]
View answerThe Rathmines & Pembroke Sewerage Scheme was included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013, as a scheme to advance through the planning stage. The Swan River lies within the catchment area of the Rathmines and Pembroke Scheme. In May 2013 my Department approved Dublin City Council’s Brief for Engagement of Consultants to finalise the Preliminary Report for the scheme. Responsibility for any works arising from the Preliminary Report can only be decided when the nature of the report's recommendations are known.
Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for the delivery of water services capital infrastructure. It is currently preparing a Capital Investment Plan for 2014 – 2016 that will provide for the transition of projects included in the Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013. The further progression of all water services capital projects, including the preparation of the Preliminary Report for the Rathmines and Pembroke Sewerage Scheme, is now a matter for Irish Water.
Irish Water has confirmed to my Department that it has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via an email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
480. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will give consideration to the introduction of a small grant scheme for community-environmental group water harvesting equipment in view of the concerns that the work of such groups will be seriously curtailed as a result of the introduction of water charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19225/14]
View answerResponsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, under which funding is provided for group water schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. Details of the grants available for such schemes may, therefore, be obtained from the local authorities.
I am fully supportive of all technologies which contribute to the conservation of water. Rainwater harvesting has the potential to benefit the environment and contribute to reducing the cost of water services for certain uses. However, the introduction of a grants scheme for any purpose must be managed within current budgetary constraints and, insofar as the funds administered by my Department are concerned, there are currently no plans to introduce a grant scheme for the installation of Rainwater Harvesting systems.
481. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there are many outstanding moneys to be paid by those owning holiday properties and penalties are accumulating on these charges which have now been abolished; if he will refund those moneys that have been charged to persons who own holiday properties here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19233/14]
View answerI understand that the Question refers to the Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) Charge. The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the NPPR Charge. The Charge which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The self-assessed charge is set at €200 per annum and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties. It is a matter for an owner, whether resident in Ireland or elsewhere, to determine if he or she has a liability and, if so, to declare that liability and pay the Charge and any late payment fees applicable. Under the Act, it is a function of a local authority to collect Non-Principal Private Residence Charges, and late payment fees due to it and all Charges and late payment fees imposed and payable to a local authority are under the care and management of the local authority concerned.
Approximately 360,000 properties have been registered for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge, which has raised in excess of €409m to date over its five years of operation. Proceeds from the charge are retained by local authorities and are used for the provision of local services. It is not possible to state with any certainty the level of non-compliance with the Charge. However, I am confident that compliance levels are high as a result of data matching undertaken with other public bodies, such as the Private Residental Tenancies Board, as provided for under the Act. The amount raised by the Charge to date also indicates a high compliance rate.
Part 12 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, deals with the collection of undischarged liabilities relating to the NPPR charge. The Act provides for a period, from 2 March 2014 to 31 August 2014, during which time no new late penalties will be applied to existing liabilities. If payment is not made in full, or, if settlement terms are not agreed, by the end of that period, an additional late payment fee of €120 per liability date is applied on 1 September 2014. In addition, the entire NPPR liability is increased by a factor of 50% and frozen. It is very much in the interest of non-compliant owners to come forward to regularise their affairs and to take advantage of this once-off grace period. The NPPR charge is based on self-declaration and therefore the onus is on property owners themselves to register their property and make the payment. Local authorities will be taking a proactive approach to ensure that any outstanding liabilities are discharged in the most equitable, efficient and economically beneficial manner. All non-compliant owners should log on to www.nppr.ie, or alternatively contact their local authority and make their outstanding payments before 1 September 2014 to avoid incurring additional fees.
482. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position in relation to the non-principal private residence charge where a person lived in their house for some years with their spouse who then remained resident in the house when the home owner travelled to another jurisdiction in order to gain employment to support them as a family; if the property will be subject to non-principal private residence charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19236/14]
View answerThe Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non- Principal Private Residence Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. It is a matter for an owner, whether resident in Ireland or elsewhere, to determine if he or she has a liability and, if so, to declare that liability and pay the Charge and any late payment fees applicable. A residential property not in use by an owner as his or her sole or main residence is liable for the Charge. This may not necessarily be a second home; a person may have vacated a property and be living in rented accommodation elsewhere for work or other reasons and, in such a case, the property that the owner is no longer living in is liable for the Charge, even if it is the only residential property that person owns. The 2009 Act places the Charge under the care and management of the local authorities and application in particular circumstances is a matter for the relevant local authority.
Part 12 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, deals with the collection of undischarged liabilities relating to the NPPR charge. The Act provides for a period, from 2 March 2014 to 31 August 2014, during which time no new late penalties will be applied to existing liabilities. If payment is not made in full, or, if settlement terms are not agreed, by the end of that period, an additional late payment fee of €120 per liability date is applied on 1 September 2014. In addition, the entire NPPR liability is increased by a factor of 50% and frozen. It is very much in the interest of non-compliant owners to come forward to regularise their affairs and to take advantage of this once-off opportunity. The NPPR charge is based on self-declaration and therefore the onus is on property owners themselves to register their property and make the payment.
Local authorities will be taking a proactive approach to ensure that any outstanding liabilities are discharged in the most equitable, efficient and economically beneficial manner. All non-compliant owners should log on to www.nppr.ie, or alternatively contact their local authority to discuss any matters they wish to clarify and to make their outstanding payments before 1 September 2014 to avoid incurring additional fees.
483. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when residents may expect to be reimbursed by the Pyrite Resolution Board for the moneys paid for a building condition assessment, as the up-front payment caused many problems for many residents whose application has been assessed and an audit carried out and have still not received a refund. [19250/14]
View answerThe Pyrite Resolution Board commenced accepting applications from eligible homeowners for inclusion in the pyrite remediation scheme on 26 February 2014. As matters stand, the Board has received in the order of 418 completed applications and these are currently being processed. Each application must first be validated by the Board which involves an assessment of the application against relevant eligibility criteria and may include an audit of the Building Condition Assessment. A total of 84 applications have recently been validated and forwarded to the Housing Agency for the next stage in the process.
The assessment and verification stage is carried out by the Housing Agency and involves confirmation that the damage recorded in the Building Condition Assessment in respect of a dwelling is attributable to pyritic heave. The verification stage may involve physical inspection of the dwelling and the testing of the hardcore material.
Once a dwelling has been approved by the Board for inclusion in the pyrite remediation scheme, following completion of the assessment and verification process, the scheme participant may recoup the vouched cost of the Building Condition Assessment, subject to a maximum limit of €500 (including VAT) from the Housing Agency.
While the validation, assessment and verification processes, of their nature take some time to undertake, the Board is keen to ensure that there will be no undue delay in the processing of the applications currently on hand and those that will be submitted over the period ahead.
484. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 145 if 3 April 2014, if there is an interim scheme in place to allow candidates already registered under the non-domestic scheme to qualify as a domestic assessor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19253/14]
View answerCompletion of a domestic BER assessor training programme for dwellings is an essential requirement of registration for domestic BER assessors. The domestic BER assessor training programme enables participants to produce BER Certificates and Advisory Reports using the required calculation methodology, known as the
DwellingsEnergy Assessment Procedure (DEAP), for new and existing dwellings of varying complexity.
There are significant differences in the methodologies and software tools used by domestic and non-domestic BER assessors in the preparation of BER Certificates and Advisory Reports. Therefore it is not realistic to allow non-domestic BER assessors to register for dwellings without first completing the domestic BER assessor training programme.
As indicated in the reply to Question No. 145 of 3 April 2014, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, as the issuing authority under the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 20 12, is working, in consultation with Quality and Qualifications Ireland, on the review and validation of the award for the domestic BER assessor training course.
The national domestic BER examination remains in place for existing BER assessors and candidates who have completed a recognised BER assessor training course on or before December 2013. In the region of 2,700 previously trained and registered individuals could resume their registration in response to an increase in market demand.
However, there are a sufficient number of registered domestic BER assessors active in the marketplace to meet current demand. Approximately 650 domestic BER assessors have published in excess of 24,000 BER Certificates in the first quarter of this year .
485. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will review the new Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and in particular the new requirements regarding commencement notices and the very serious implications it will have for home owners, adding anything from €25,000 to €30,000 to the price of the property; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties it will create for architects, engineers, small builders, and so on; if he will respond to the concerns of a person, details supplied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19283/14]
View answerI refer to the reply given to Questions Nos. 259, 268, 269 and 285 of 4 March 2014 which deals comprehensively with the key concerns raised. The position is unchanged.
486. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with reference to the National Water Study Volume 1 (2000) where WS Atkins Ireland stated that there was poor record keeping on the part of the local authorities with regard to unaccounted for water, the steps that have been taken since then to get a definitive figure for unaccounted water up to 2014; and if he will outline the appropriate up-to-date figure for each of the local authorities. [19289/14]
View answerThe most recent published figures for unaccounted for water for each of the local authority administrative areas are set out in the report Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2012, which was published by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) on 24 March 2014. Figures for unaccounted for water were first included in the report Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2008 and this has continued in reports for the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Copies of these reports are avai lable in the Oireachtas Library and are also available on the LGMA's website at the following link:
http://www.lgma.ie/en/publication-category/service-indicator-reports-2004-2010
Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. This includes dealing with unaccounted for water in the public water supply.
Irish Water has confirmed to my Department that it has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via an email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
487. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will give assurances that his Department will make funding available that Tuath Housing carry out the long overdue and essential repairs on Gallery Quay Apartments; and if he will provide an update on any discussions he has had with Tuath Housing regarding the issues at Gallery Quay. [19344/14]
View answerThere is on-going engagement between my Department, Dublin City Council and Tuath Housing Association with regard to the remediation of problems affecting the Tuath-owned apartments at Gallery Quay. At a meeting with my Department on Wednesday 9 April, attended by representatives of Dublin City Council, Tuath provided an update in relation to progress with palliative works to the outer fabric of the building and the detailed apartment-by-apartment condition survey, being undertaken by a competent professional, of all the units owned by them. The results of this survey will inform the preparation of a schedule of works to address all latent and inherent defects in the affected apartments.
It should be noted that there are a number of matters to be resolved in order to arrive at a satisfactory solution to the design and workmanship issues affecting the apartments concerned. These include determining the point of responsibility for maintenance and remediation works to those parts of the building which are not in the ownership of Tuath, the responsibilities attaching to relevant insurers and bond holders and the scope and extent of the refurbishment works required in Tuath-owned apartments.
My Department awaits the outcome of this process and receipt of the survey results. In the meantime, my Department will continue to liaise with Tuath and Dublin City Council with a view to advancing the optimum solution for remedying this problem.
488. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to address the fact that the approach of local authorities to the issue of rates on vacant premises can vary quite significantly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19362/14]
View answerThe Local Government Act 1946 provides that where a property in a county council or urban local authority area is unoccupied on the date of the making of the rate the owner becomes liable for payment of rates. However, the owner is entitled to a 100% refund if the property is vacant for specified purposes. Specified purposes are where the premises are unoccupied for the purpose of the execution of additions, alterations or repairs; where the owner is bona fide unable to obtain a suitable tenant at a reasonable rent; and where the premises are vacant pending redevelopment. The collection of rates and the determination of eligibility for a refund in this context are matters for each individual local authority.
In the case of a small number of urban local authorities, while the same criteria for refunds apply, 50% of the rates paid is refundable to the owner of vacant premises. This applies in the cities of Dublin, Limerick and Cork.
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provides for a change to rating law in relation to the refund of rates on vacant properties. It provides discretion to the elected members of individual local authorities to vary the level of rates refunds that apply in individual local electoral areas within the authority's overall administrative area. It is expected that this provision will be commenced with effect from 1 June 2014 and I intend to make regulation s to set out the process that should be followed by local authority members to give effect to the provision locally. While the levels of refund to be applied in local electoral areas will be a matter for the members, the regulations will ensure that a consistent approach, such as in relation to timeframes of decision-making and applicability, will apply across all local authorities.
490. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has issued statutory guidance to local authorities as per section 73 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 which allow local authorities to write down late payment fee liabilities under the non-principal private residence charge; if not, when he expects to issue this statutory guidance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19435/14]
View answerThe Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended by the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011, introduced a €200 annual charge on non-principal private residences (NPPR), payable by the owners to the local authority in whose area the property concerned is located.
Under section 77 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 I have issued guidance to local authorities concerning matters relating to arrears of the NPPR charge and late payment fees, to ensure a consistent national approach. The guidelines encourage local authorities to take a proactive approach to ensure that any outstanding NPPR liabilities are discharged in the most equitable, efficient and economically beneficial manner.
It is expected, in the majority of cases, that local authorities will collect the full NPPR charge liability from owners. In some cases, this may be by means of arrangement by installment , as set out in the guidance document.
Under the Act, it is a function of a local authority to collect non-principal private residence charges and late payment fees due to it, and all charges and late payment fees imposed and payable to a local authority are under the care and management of the local authority concerned. In this regard, application of the legislation in particular circumstances is a matter for the relevant local authority.
491. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of community groups-organisations currently in receipt of Department funding; if such organisations are subject to a service level agreement containing a clause prohibiting the use of funding to change law or Government policies, or prohibiting the use of funding to persuade persons to adopt a view on law or public policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19484/14]
View answerI refer to my reply to Question No. 380 of 11 March 2014 which sets out the position in this matter. The situation remains unchanged.
492. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to waste management targets, if he is satisfied that progress is being achieved on the reduction of waste production and on the elimination of illegal disposal of waste in unauthorised sites around the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19508/14]
View answerThe Government's waste policy, A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland, published in July 2012, provides a comprehensive framework of measures to enable Ireland become a recycling society, with a clear focus on resource efficiency and the virtual elimination of landfilling of municipal waste. The policy contains measures to ensure that prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery are favoured to the disposal of waste.
The latest data available in relation to waste management targets are contained within the National Waste Report 2011 which is available on the EPA's website
(www.epa.ie). This shows that Ireland is well advanced towards the achievement of its EU obligations across a broad range of waste legislation and has surpassed its targets in a number of areas including packaging, Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and Batteries. Municipal solid waste generated in Ireland has decreased by 17% since 2007. In addition, the percentage of solid waste recovered is showing steady annual increases and the recycling rate is now equivalent to other EU members at 40%, excluding energy recovery. The increased production of combustible waste from municipal waste streams for use as a fuel is contributing to increased recovery rates, as are the recent increases in the landfill levy which have encouraged the diversion of waste from landfill to various recovery options. On foot of preliminary municipal solid waste statistics for 2012 prepared by the EPA, I expect the National Waste Report 2012, when published in due course, to show further progress in modernising our approach to waste management.
In terms of waste enforcement, action against illegal waste activity is a matter for the local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). My role, as Minister, is to provide the legislative and policy framework under which both local authority and EPA enforcement action against illegal dumping is initiated. My Department also provides financial support to a network of local authority waste enforcement officers, as well as to the OEE.
A Resource Opportunity also contains a commitment to complete a review of the respective regulatory and enforcement roles of the Environmental Protection Agency (OEE) and local authorities. In early 2013, my Department established a group to carry out that review by examining current enforcement structures, identify the existing strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for the future. The group comprises representatives from local authorities, the regional waste management offices, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Transfrontier Shipment Office (NTFSO), the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) and An Garda Síochana. The group has made recommendations which are currently being considered by the City and County Managers' Association and my Department.
493. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the current estimated total volume of non-agricultural waste produced annually here; the percentage of which is classed as construction and demolition waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19509/14]
View answerDetails regarding waste generation and treatment for various waste streams, including municipal and construction and demolition waste, are contained in the National Waste Reports, published annually by the Environmental Protection Agency, copies of which are available on the Agency's website at www.epa.ie.
494. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the promotion of the use of recycled building materials in new construction projects here; the way in which this compares to the European norms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19510/14]
View answer495. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with respect to construction demolition and waste management policy, his views on introducing a target of using 50% minimum recycled materials for the construction of local authority-social housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19511/14]
View answer496. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the supports available to the construction industry to opt for a more recycled approach in terms of construction demolition and waste management that is good for the environment and meets current legislation requirements and is more financially viable to the companies in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19512/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 494 to 496, inclusive, together.
I fully support the use of recycled building material in new construction projects. My Department issued Best Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of Waste Management Plans for Construction and Demolition Projects in July 2006. The guidelines provide that prior to the commencement of development, the developer should be required to submit a formal Project Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan to the local authority for agreement, prior to Commencement Notice stage. These guidelines advocate maximum reuse of materials on-site, their segregation to facilitate recycling when not reused on-site, and minimal disposal.
The European Commission estimates that construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for approximately 25% - 30% of all waste generated each year in the EU. The latest EPA National Waste Report, in respect of 2011, indicates that collected C&D wastes in Ireland have decreased by 83% from a peak of 17.8Mt in 2007 to just over 3Mt in 2011. The bulk of the tonnage collected in 2011 was made up of soil and stones (1,975,844t), with the remaining 1,027,847t consisting of other C&D waste materials such as rubble, metals, timber, plastic, glass, wood and mixed C&D waste. The previous national Waste Policy Statement, Changing our Ways, published in 1998, set an overall target recovery rate of at least 85% by 2013. Latest recovery rates for C&D waste in 2011 are well ahead of that target, at 97%. Recovery in this instance can mean recycling (material recovery), energy recovery (use of waste as a fuel other than in direct incineration) and biological recovery.
In terms of the use of such recycled materials in new local authority or social housing construction, my Department has supported a number of pilot projects under the main social housing investment programme, including in the Ballymun Regeneration Project, where one further innovative environmental initiative, involving the demolition and recycling of materials from the old Boiler House, is scheduled to be progressed this year. Social housing projects involving the demolition and construction of new replacement housing have the potential to support the maximum reuse of materials on-site. My Department, in consultation with the relevant housing authorities, will explore how best to incentivise the use of recycled building materials in social housing projects through the public procurement arrangements, while being mindful of the need to avoid restrictive tendering practices.
The on-going review of the Producer Responsibility concept in Ireland will examine the possibility for establishing of producer responsibility initiatives for construction and demolition projects. The final report of the review will be published in the coming months.
