Written Answers Nos. 337-352
337. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of voluntary homeless charities in the Dublin area; the amount of public money that they receive each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30271/14]
View answerMy Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless person and related services rests with housing authorities. My Department does not fund any service directly but provides funding to lead housing authorities on a regional basis towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Housing authorities provide additional funding from their own resources. The information requested is not available in my Department.
338. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason his Department has not conducted an investigation of claims made by a person (details supplied) in relation to the compulsory purchase order by Wicklow County Council of lands at Greystones. [30310/14]
View answerOn 24 April 2013 my Department published the report of the Independent Review by Mr. Seamus Woulfe SC in relation to the compulsory acquisition of land at Charlesland, County Wicklow, by Wicklow County Council. My Department commissioned the review following concerns expressed by Wicklow County Councillors and others with regard to issues around the acquisition of the lands at Charlesland for social housing purposes. The report concluded that there was no deviation by the Council from the relevant legal and administrative requirements or practices with regard to the compulsory acquisition concerned. The report is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,32869,en.htm .
Mr Seamus Woulfe SC also carried out an independent review of the management by my Department of the application by Wicklow County Council for loan approval in respect of the acquired land at Charlesland. The review was completed in 2012 and the report concluded that there was no material deviation by the Department from the relevant legal requirements and administrative requirements or practices. Copies of this report are also available at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/ filedownload,38421,en.pdf.
339. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his officials have found a file titled the Ballybeg file which contains claims relating to planning in County Wicklow; and if the gardaí were asked to assist. [30313/14]
View answerThere are papers on file in my Department regarding the grant of a waste permit at the location in question including communications on the matter between my Department and Wicklow County Council. The position in this matter, as set out in the reply to Question No. 194 of 28 June 2012, remains unchanged.
340. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the action his Department has taken in High Court revelations regarding the conduct of Wicklow County Council in the Brownfield case. [30315/14]
View answerThe case in question relates to an illegal landfill site at Whitestown, Co. Wicklow. In November 2001, Wicklow County Council discovered that unauthorised dumping had taken place on this site and subsequent investigations revealed that the illegal dumping operation was systematic and large scale and had taken place over a period of a number of years, from 1996 to 2001. By June 2002, Wicklow County Council investigations concluded that in excess of 200,000 tonnes of waste material had been dumped at the site. Wicklow County Council also requested the assistance of An Garda Síochána, and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted an investigation. There have been a number of criminal convictions subsequent to the Garda investigation.
This site was cited in the European Court of Justice Judgment in Case C 494/01 as an example of Ireland’s failure to comply with the 1975 Waste Framework Directive. My Department, on behalf of the State, has been liaising with the European Commission to ensure that the requirements of the judgment are fully met and it is in these circumstances that my Department, in June 2011, requested Wicklow County Council to remediate the site, pursuant to its powers under section 56 of the Waste Management Act 1996. The remediation of the Whitestown site as per the programme of works defined by the Technical Working Group established to oversee the remediation programme is progressing well and should be completed by the end of the year. The cost of remediation is being funded by the State, with Wicklow County Council seeking cost recovery through the Courts. As the matter is the subject of on-going legal proceedings, I do not propose to comment further.
341. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason money under the Pobal administered funding for voluntary organisations has been cut to the Neurological Alliance of Ireland; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this organisation is a vital representative and advocacy group for over 700,000 persons here living with a neurological condition; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Ireland has the lowest number of neurologists in Europe and this area is in serious need of effective advocacy; if he will reinstate the funding immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30329/14]
View answerThe funding scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. A new round of funding was advertised for applications earlier this year. I asked Pobal to undertake an assessment of the applications received, given that organisation's significant experience and expertise of both the design of assessment criteria and completion of assessment functions. I was anxious to make funding available to as many organisations as possible within the prevailing resource constraints and I approved 55 applications for funding for the two-year period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016. The Neurological Alliance of Ireland is not one of the organisations approved for funding on this occasion.
Pobal has put in place a dedicated team to deal with any inquiries from applicants and to provide detailed feedback. There is also an appeals process and Pobal has provided applicants with detailed information in that regard. As this appeals process is now live, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment on the funding process or on the application of any particular organisation.
342. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is willing to reconsider his decision not to continue funding Traveller community groups under a national programme in view of the fact that Travellers are the most marginalised group in Irish society and the work done by these groups to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30344/14]
View answerThe proposals outlined in Putting People First - Action Programme for Effective Local Government seek to position local government “as the primary vehicle of governance and public service at local level – leading economic, social and community development, delivering efficient and good value services, and representing citizens and local communities effectively and accountably”.
As part of the programme of reform of local government, Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) are being established in all local authority areas. These Committees, comprising public-private socio-economic interests, will have responsibility for local and community development programmes on an area basis, including the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP). They will develop, co-ordinate and implement a more coherent and integrated approach to local and community development than heretofore, with the aim of reducing duplication and overlap and optimising the use of available resources for the benefit of citizens and communities.
SICAP is one of my key priorities and its budget for next year will be decided in the 2015 Estimates process. In accordance with the Public Spending Code, best practice internationally, legal advice and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of the services to clients, the Programme will be subject to a public procurement process, which is currently underway. The SICAP aim is to reduce poverty, promote social inclusion and equality through local, regional and national engagement and collaboration. I am confident that supports for the most disadvantaged in our society, such as Travellers, will continue under SICAP.
My Department also supports a number of Traveller projects under the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO). This funding scheme, which supports national organisations in the community and voluntary sector, aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. A new round of funding was advertised for applications earlier this year. Following Pobal’s assessment of applications on behalf of my Department, I approved 55 applications for funding under the scheme for the two-year period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016. A number of Traveller community groups were successful in applying for funding under the scheme, including Pavee Point, the National Traveller Women’s Forum and the Irish Traveller Movement.
343. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount spent in 2013 on emergency accommodation; and the amount to date in 2014. [30364/14]
View answerMy Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless person and related services rests with housing authorities. My Department does not fund any service directly but provides funding to lead housing authorities on a regional basis towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Housing authorities provide additional funding from their own resources.
Details of expenditure on emergency accommodation by each of the 9 regions for 2013 are presented in the following table. The expenditure to date in 2014 is not yet available.
|
Region |
2013 |
|
Dublin |
€23,141,789 |
|
- |
- |
|
Mid-West |
€2,353,273 |
|
- |
- |
|
South-West |
€1,520,691 |
|
- |
- |
|
South-East |
€846,757 |
|
- |
- |
|
Mid-East |
€704,671 |
|
- |
- |
|
North-East |
€604,622 |
|
- |
- |
|
West |
€502,027 |
|
Midland |
€481,851 |
|
- |
- |
|
North-West |
€116,598 |
|
- |
- |
|
Total |
€30,272,279 |
344. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount it would cost to build 1,000 Y:Cube units as used by London YMCA and to place them on vacant local authority lands with appropriate servicing. [30365/14]
View answerIt is a matter for housing authorities to consider and put forward proposals in relation to the provision of suitable accommodation for all categories of persons in need of housing, including homeless persons, within their respective functional areas. My Department has not received any proposals for funding under the Social Housing Investment Programme relating to prefabricated modular systems of the type referred to in the question. My Department is currently preparing a Social Housing Strategy which is due to be published by Q3 2014 and all appropriate forms of social housing provision will be considered as part of the development of this strategy.
345. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the average rent return from the lowest bracket of local authority tenant for 2013. [30366/14]
View answerMy Department does not hold the data sought. However, data prepared by the Housing Agency shows that the average weekly rent in 2012 paid by single adult households in receipt of social welfare support across 29 local authority areas was €26.56. Each housing authority is responsible, under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, for determining the rent for its dwellings, subject to complying with broad principles laid down by my Department, notably that the rent payable should be related to household income and that low-income households should pay a lower proportion of income in rent. I have, no function in relation to the setting of rents for individual local authority dwellings, which is entirely a matter for the housing authority concerned.
Section 58 of the 1966 Act will be replaced in due course by section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which provides for significant harmonisation of differential rent levels nationally, while retaining some discretion for individual authorities in setting rents in their own areas. Section 31 also empowers housing authorities to include a charge in the rent for specified works and services provided to their dwellings. I intend to make regulations under section 31 in the coming months putting in place the new arrangements for determining local authority rents, which will continue to be related to the tenant’s capacity to pay.
346. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of square feet of vacant land for housing currently in the possession of local authorities. [30367/14]
View answerMy Department compiles statistics on various aspects of housing including those on the supply of housing land. A recent survey on the availability of housing land shows 525 hectares was owned by local authorities and earmarked by them for social and affordable housing programmes. All suitable sites owned by Local Authorities will be considered in any future social building housing programme.
347. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of all properties currently in the ownership of his Department or local authorities respectively which are not in use and have no plans for their use other than including the specifications of the properties and detailing the square feet that each of the respective properties take up. [30368/14]
View answer348. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of completed vacant properties which are not available for sale or rent and have not been for the preceding 36 months that there are in the State; and if he will provide an estimate of their respective market values. [30369/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 347 and 348 together.
There are no properties owned, leased or rented by my Department which are not currently in use. In the case of the local authority social housing stock, the Ninth Annual Report on Service Indicators, published by the Local Government Management Agency in March 2014, which sets out the position in relation to 2012, provides a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including information on the number of units and in relation to vacant dwellings. Copies of the report are available from the Local Government Management Agency and may be downloaded from their website at the following weblink:
http://www.lgmsb.ie/sites/default/files/service_indicators_2012_report_for_website_0.pdf.
Information on other types of vacant local authority property outside of the social housing stock and information on the numbers of private properties which are unoccupied but not available to rent or buy is not avail able in my Department.
349. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount it would cost to build an additional 1,000 three-bedroomed homes through the local authorities. [30370/14]
View answer350. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount it would cost to build an additional 1,000 two-bedroomed homes through the local authorities. [30371/14]
View answer351. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount it would cost to build an additional 1,000 one-bedroomed homes through the local authorities. [30372/14]
View answer352. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount it would cost to build an additional 1,000 four-bedroomed homes through the local authorities. [30373/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 349 to 352, inclusive, together.
Construction costs vary greatly across the country and given the range of variable costs as well as site-specific factors such as location and availability of services and access infrastructure, it is very difficult to give precise estimates of cost for the various house types without access to site-specific and evidence based information. In the case of the 66 social housing construction projects approved by my Department in April 2014, the overall cost amounted to €68 million, giving an average unit cost of €151,447. These houses vary greatly in size and specification and, for the most part, will be constructed on small infill sites with little land costs involved.
The home insurance sector in association with the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, published guideline costs in April 2014 for the construction of various types of homes. These costs range from around €1,200 per square metre for the North-West area to around €1,800 per square metre in Dublin. Using some of the target floor areas as set out in my Department’s best practice guidelines for social housing and the guideline construction costs for a range of notional house types in the Dublin area, a tentative range of construction costs are set out in the following table:
|
Dwelling type |
Floor area (Sq. M.) |
Construction cost |
|
1-Bed Apartment |
45 |
€81,000 |
|
2-Bed terraced house |
70 |
€126,000 |
|
3-bed semi- detached |
100 |
€180,000 |
|
4-bed semi- detached |
110 |
€198,000 |
