Written Answers Nos. 174-180
174. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the redeployment process in the local government sector; if he will provide the number of persons who have been redeployed within the sector in each year for the past three years; the number of persons with requests for redeployment at present; when these matters will be dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40789/14]
View answerPosts up to and including Grade 7 may be filled from within the local authority sector through the redeployment process. The Public Appointments Service manages the redeployment process for local authority posts at Grade 8 and above. My Department does not collect the redeployment data requested by the Deputy.
175. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has any grants or provision for funding for community gardens run by community, volunteer or not for profit groups which use horticulture and gardening to provide social and therapeutic benefits to the persons and communities they support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40799/14]
View answerMy Department provides funding to the community and voluntary sector through a range of community, housing and environmental programmes and initiatives, including the Local and Community Development and LEADER Programmes. The Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) operates through a nationwide network of Local Development Companies. The LCDP aims to tackle poverty and social exclusion in disadvantaged communities. It is a key tool of Government in providing employment supports, training, personal development/capacity building and other supports for the under-served in the most disadvantaged areas in society. It is a locally accessible, front-line intervention, supporting disadvantaged communities.
The main focus of supports to Local Community Groups, under Goal 4 of the LCDP, is to build effective structures at local level, increase participation in decision-making structures and build the capacity of local groups to identify and respond to local needs. The majority of the funding under this goal supports the employment of community development workers, training and community activities. In some cases small amounts may be given directly to local groups to fund specific activities, such as community gardens. To date in 2014, three community garden projects have received grant funding under the LCDP, details of which are set out in the following table.
|
Name of Project |
Local Development Company |
2014 Grant Approved |
|
Fairgreen Community Garden |
Breffni Integrated Ltd. |
€1,550 |
|
Fairgreen Community Garden Project |
Leitrim Integrated Development Co. |
€250 |
|
Moville Community Garden |
Inishowen Development Partnership |
€150 |
Community gardens may also be eligible for funding under the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme. However, funding under LEADER for the 2007-2013 programme period is now fully committed. I expect that the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme will commence during 2015 and there is potential under the new Programme to fund community gardens if it is identified as a priority in the Local Development Strategy for the area.
176. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if Irish Water will charge €188 for a call-out to fix a water leak, if it will charge €282 for the first hour and €141 for subsequent hours for out of hours call-outs to rectify problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40810/14]
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 CER has now issued a determination on the water charges plan submitted to it by Irish Water. Full details and associated documentation are available on the CER website at www.cer.ie/document-detail/CER-Water-Charges-Plan-Consultation/979.
In its determination , the CER states that it has set out a requirement for Irish Water to provide further evidence to the CER for review prior to consultation and approval of charges for additional services such as a site inspection where a blockage or leak is suspected. The CER is currently reviewing this information and will publish a separate consultation on additional charges. In the interim , the CER has proposed that the charges set out by Irish Water in the water charges plan will apply until the consultation on additional charges has concluded and a final decision has been made. Further to that decision, Irish Water will be required to provide a rebate where the charge to the customer is lower than the charge currently cited in the Water Charges Plan.
These charges mainly relate to issues on the part of the network which is a customer’s responsibility and would only arise if the customer chooses to request the service from Irish Water rather than engaging their own builder/plumber. These charges are not, therefore, mandatory.
177. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the increase in price for three bedroom homes in Irish towns and cities recorded by Real Estate Alliance; the steps he will take to quell the new property bubble which has emerged in urban areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40817/14]
View answerI am aware that the Real Estate Alliance average house price index showed, inter alia, that the price of an average three-bed semi-detached house in Irish towns and cities rose by 17.59% in the first nine months of 2014. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the Real Estate Alliance average house price index, which is based on its own data. In this regard, the CSO’s monthly Residential Property Price Index showed a national increase of 14.9% (25.1% for Dublin) across all property types in the twelve months to August 2014. As a result of the economic downturn in 2008, there followed a number of years of significant decline in construction activity, including housing. This very significant contraction in activity is now impacting on the supply side at a time when demand for housing is increasing.
The Government’s Construction 2020 – A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector, published in May 2014, aims to build a competitive, innovative, and sustainable construction sector of which the housing sector is a key element. Construction 2020 addresses the full range of relevant issues including the planning process, financing, access to mortgage finance and the construction workforce. The implementation of all the actions in Construction 2020 is a key priority for the Government in order to support the restoration of sustainable levels of construction activity, including the delivery of housing.
179. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on an article (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40822/14]
View answerIn January 2013, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) was commissioned by my Department to undertake a study into water affordability and the provision of water services in Ireland. Subsequently, an Inter-Departmental Working Group was established in October 2013 to advise the Government on the appropriate method for addressing affordability issues which might arise with the introduction of domestic water charges. The Group considered the ESRI study as part of their examination of the issues. The report of the Inter-Departmental Working Group, which includes the study carried out by the ESRI, has been published on my Department’s website and is available at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Water/FileDownLoad,38146,en.pdf.
The CER has now issued a determination on the water charges plan submitted to it by Irish Water. Full details and associated documentation are available on the CER website at www.cer.ie/document-detail/CER-Water-Charges-Plan-Consultation/979.
In making its determination on the water charges plan, the CER had to take account of the decisions made by the Government on the funding model for Irish Water and of the policy direction made under Section 42 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act in July 2014. This policy direction addressed a number of matters relating to domestic water charges including the provision of a free allowance of 30,000 litres of water supplied and waste water treated per annum for a primary residence on a public supply and a free allowance to cover the normal usage of water services by every child in their primary residence based on the same qualifying conditions as the child benefit allowance while customers with specific medical conditions which require increased water consumption will have their charges capped. In making its decisions, the Government took account of the work of the Inter-Departmental Working Group.
In its determination, the CER has decided that all customers will have their total water charges capped at the unmetered “assessed charge” for 9 months. The cap will apply from the start date of the next billing period after installation of the meter or 1 October 2014, whichever is the later.
In addition to the above, the Government is putting in place further affordability measures to assist pensioners, people with disabilities and carers who are in receipt of the Household Benefits Package and this support has been further extended in Budget 2015 to cover all Fuel Allowance recipients who do not already receive the household benefits package. These measures are being implemented by the Department of Social Protection. Income tax relief will also be available at the standard rate in respect of a maximum level of water charges of €500 per household.
180. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he expects those on social housing waiting lists to be housed; his plans on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40827/14]
View answerMy Department is working with housing authorities and other social housing providers to provide social housing for people on the housing waiting list. In 2014, it is expected that 6,000 additional social housing units will be delivered across all social housing programmes. The Social Housing Strategy, a Government commitment in Construction 2020, will provide the basis for an enhanced approach to social housing provision. The Strategy will be both challenging and innovative, and will contain clear actions that are to be taken to increase supply and most importantly, reduce the number of people on waiting lists.
The measures in the Strategy will complement recent Budget announcements, which provided for a multi-annual approach to the provision of social housing with a considerable increase in Exchequer investment and proposals for innovative funding approaches to increase supply.
I expect the Strategy to be finalised and published in the coming weeks.
