Written Answers Nos. 982-999
982. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number and the percentage of that number of application packs issued by Irish Water that have been returned properly completed. [41008/14]
View answer983. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number and the percentage of that number of application packs issued by Irish Water that have been returned uncompleted. [41009/14]
View answer984. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if Irish Water issued any request to An Post regarding the way to deal with Irish Water application packs that are being returned unopened to Irish Water. [41010/14]
View answer1026. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of Irish Water application packs that were returned to sender; if Irish Water has identified the number due to incorrect names, addresses or other information; if Irish Water has destroyed returned post that was marked return to sender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41555/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 982 to 984, inclusive, and 1026 together.
Irish Water has sent application packs to approximately 2 million households, which refer to the effective charging date and the fact that billing for domestic customers in receipt of public water services will start in January 2015. Irish Water has informed my Department that as of 31 October 2014, it had received some 811,000 responses and approximately 77% of these responses were to confirm as customers of Irish Water. M y Department does not have any information on the number of application packs that have been returned incorrectly completed or returned to sender. Irish Water has informed my Department it has no arrangements in place with An Post in this regard.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives and is contacting all Oireachtas members to provide details of an improved level of service which it is aiming to provide. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
985. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the efficiency of the specific Members' helpline provided by Irish Water (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41016/14]
View answerWith effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. At the request of m y Department , Irish Water put in place specific arrangements to address the queries which public representatives may have in relation to matters pertaining to the operation of water services under the new utility.
Irish Water has acknowledged that the level of service it has provided to public representatives needs to be improved and has apologised for any shortcomings that have arisen to date in terms of the timeliners and quality of responses.
Irish Water has also informed my Department that so far it has received just over 5,000 queries from public representatives:
- 2,400 from Oireachtas Members – 1,700 via oireachtasmembers@water.ie.
and 700 by phone.
- A further 2,600 queries have been received from Local Councillors by email and phone.
Irish Water is contacting all Oireachtas members to provide details of the improved service which it is aiming to provide, including a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 578 578. A separate contact telephone line is also being provided for local councillors.
986. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on a scheme (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41029/14]
View answerFollowing a review of allocations notified to local authorities earlier this year under my Department ’s Rural Water Programme, I approved a grant of €147,000 under the Programme towards a proposed group sewerage scheme at Ballybeg , Ennis, last month. As responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme has been devolved to local authorities since 1997, further information on the scheme may be obtained from Clare County Council.
987. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in view of Irish Water's announcement that it intends to apply call-out fees of €188 for the first hour when repairing a suspected leak on a householder’s property and €94 an hour thereafter, and that out-of-hours charges will be higher, at €282 for the first hour and €141 thereafter, if the first fix free commitment is being eliminated or if call-out fees will be applicable to call-outs subsequent to the first fix free call-out. [41042/14]
View answer1039. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government regarding Irish Water, if he will confirm that citizens will be charged for a call-out and leak fix should it be necessary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41627/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 987 and 1039 together.
With 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.
Under the Water Services Act 2007, repair and maintenance of households’ pipes internal to the curtilage of a property are considered the responsibility of the householder. Irish Water is required by the CER to provide for optional services for the customer should they choose to avail of them (the CER has indicated that it will be reviewing the level of charges for these services). However, it is important to note that these are optional services. There is no obligation on customers to avail of such services through Irish Water; customers will be free to engage other providers of such services, if they wish to do so.
The Government has agreed to provide additional funding to Irish Wat er for their capital investment to include a free first fix scheme.
Irish Water has submitted a draft first fix policy to the CER for approval. It is understood that the CER intend to hold a public consultation in advance of a dec ision and implementation of this scheme i n Quarter 1 2015. The CER has decided that where a customer leak has been identified under the ‘first fix’ policy, the customers’ charges will be capped at the assessed level until the leak is fixed by Irish Water.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives and is contacting all Oireachtas members to provide details of an improved level of service which it is aiming to provide. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 57 8 578.
988. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 302 of 14 October 2014, his views on the amendment of section 8 of the Electoral Act 1992 to allow for the unilateral granting of the right to vote in elections to Dáil Éireann to all non-Irish citizens in view of the larger numbers of such persons living and working in the State compared with when that Act came into operation. [41052/14]
View answerIn the reply to Question No 302 of 14 October 2014 , I set out the position regarding entitlement to vote at elections and referendums in the State. I have no proposals at present to change the existing arrangements for elections to Dáil Éireann.
990. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on returning the administration of Irish Water to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41074/14]
View answerThe Government embarked on a programme of ambitious reform in this sector, as the traditional water services system was in need of fundamental change. Our public water infrastructure is deficient and inadequate as a consequence of decades of under-investment and the lack of a truly, national approach that could maximise the impact of investment. An Independent Assessment published in 2012 reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the delivery of water services through 34 local authorities, and concluded that there was a fragmentation of leadership and co-ordination, difficulty in attaining economies of scale, difficulty in delivering projects of national importance and an aging and poor quality network. The report concluded that the best way of ensuring increasing efficiency and effectiveness of operations and capital investment and accessing new finances for the water sector, was to establish Irish Water as a public utility.
This was implemented through the Water Services Act 2013, which provided for the establishment of Irish Water, and the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 which provided for the transfer of responsibility for water services provision from the local authorities to Irish Water. The transfer of responsibility took effect on 1 January 2014.
The Independent Assessment also pointed to the particular strengths of the local authority system in relation to locally based teams, and this positive aspect is preserved through the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) put in place between Irish Water and local authorities which garner the knowledge and expertise of local authority staff combined with the network and utility management experience available to Irish Water, to provide for a more consistent and efficient service for customers.
Since its establishment, Irish Water has implemented key systems to provide for a more strategic approach to managing water services assets and underpinning priority investment. Capital investment in core infrastructure over the period ahead will be substantially more than in 2013 and operational savings of some €12 million have already been achieved in 2014 through a national approach to procurement.
Irish Water, like other utilities, will have the capacity to fund investment without adding to the Government Debt. It would not be possible to fund the same level of investment if the responsibility for water services had remained with local authorities. The independent regulation of the sector, by the Commission for Energy Regulation, will ensure that operational efficiency is achieved across the sector, in Irish Water’s central services and in the Service Level Agreements. This will take account of international benchmarks and will be focused on ensuring that customers are only charged for an efficient service.
991. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if it is a local authority requirement to inspect a septic tank where the individual householder reports that their septic tank is malfunctioning and likely to cause a risk to the environment and-or human health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41081/14]
View answer992. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to extend the septic tank grant scheme for the carrying out of remediation, repair or upgrading works to, or replacement of, a domestic waste water treatment system, where the need for such remediation, repair, upgrading or replacement has been identified by a householder themselves; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41082/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 991 and 992 together.
Local authorities carry out inspections of septic tanks and similar systems for a variety of reasons, including water quality issues at drinking water sources or within designated shellfish or bathing water catchments and arising from reports of pollution from members of the public. Separately, inspections are carried out based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s ( EPA ) National Inspection Plan 2013: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems which uses a risk-based methodology such as densities of individual treatment systems across the numerous hydrological and geological settings in Ireland and the locations of sensitive groundwater or surface water receptors.
Selection of treatment systems for inspection under the EPA’s plan is carried out by the local authorities using an IT system ( which utilises WebGIS information ) developed by the EPA .
Householders cannot request inspections of their own treatment systems, nor are inspections under the plan carried out based on third party complaints.
Local authorities have all appropriate powers of inspection, investigation and enforcement under the Water Services Act 2007 and under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts 1977 and 1990 to protect water quality, public health and the environment from risks posed by failing on-site waste water treatment systems. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate course of action when dealing with pollution incidents and related risks to public health and the environment.
Section 70 of the Water Services Act 2007 places a duty of care on the owner of a premises to ensure that their waste water treatment systems are kept so as not to cause, or be likely to cause, a risk to human health or the environment, including waters, the atmosphere, land, soil, plants or animals, or create a nuisance through odours.
The duty of care provisions have been augmented by the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 and associated regulations. Any person who considers that their treatment system constitutes, or may constitute , a risk to human health or the environment is responsible for hav ing any necessary remediation works carried out without delay.
The Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, brought into operation a grants scheme to assist with the cost of remediation of septic tanks and domestic waste water treatment systems which are deemed, following inspection under the EPA’s National Inspection Plan and the subsequent issue of an Advisory Notice by the local authority, to require repair or upgrading.
Full details of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, are set out in the explanatory leaflet and application form published on my Department’s website at:
http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Water/FileDownLoad,33607,en.pdf.
There are no plans to extend or to vary the terms and conditions of the grant scheme.
Householders who do not meet the eligibility criteria included in the above regulations but wish to remediate or upgrade their on-site treatment systems may qualify for relief under the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) Scheme introduced under Section 5 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2013. The HRI scheme covers main residence repairs, renovations and improvements, including the repair or replacement of septic tanks. The scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners and full details are published on Revenue’s website ( www.revenue.ie ).
993. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding stage two of the social inclusion and community activation programme; his views on the revised plan to implement the programme; if he will provide a timeframe for continuation of this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41090/14]
View answerMy Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The current Programme officially ended at the end of 2013 having operated for four years with funding of €281m over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014 with a budget of €47m pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015.
The SICAP is one of the key priorities of Government and its overall indicative budget for 2015 has been maintained close to 2014 levels.
In accordance with the Public Spending Code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, SICAP is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently underway. Stage one (Expression of Interest) has been completed. Stage two (Invitation to Tender), commenced on 20 October 2014 and involves the successful applicants from Stage one being invited to apply to one or more Local Community Development Committees, in l ocal a uthority areas, to deliver the programme. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process. The envisaged timeframe for SICAP is set out in the table below.
Invitation to Tender: Indicative timeframes
|
Issue of Invitation to Tender to Tenderers by each LCDC |
20 October 2014 |
|
Closing date for receipt of queries to sicap@pobal.ie |
9 December 2014 at 12 noon |
|
Closing date for receipt of tenders |
19 December 2014 at 12 noon |
|
Tenderers informed of the outcome of their tender |
Week of 9 February 2015 |
|
Contracts issued by LCDCs to the selected Local Programme Implementer |
Mid-February 2015 |
|
Completion of signed contracts by each Local Programme Implementer |
Early March 2015 |
|
Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme commences |
1 April 2015 |
994. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 373 of 10 June 2014, the extent to which the targeted outputs for social housing provision in 2014 have been achieved to date; and if the estimated 6,000 units will be delivered by the end of 2014. [41094/14]
View answerThe most recent information available to my Department indicates that, of the estimated 6,000 units to be delivered by the end of 2014, 3,015 units have been provided to date. This data is based in some instances on reporting for Quarter 2 activity only. Quarter 3 activity will be available in the coming weeks. Delivery is often geared towards the end of the year and the estimated 6,000 units are expected to be delivered by the end of 2014.
995. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason customers do not have access to their own water meters so as to monitor their own usage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41102/14]
View answerIrish Water has confirmed to my Department that meter boxes are not sealed and can be opened to allow the householder to read their meter, if necessary. A ll of the water metering contracts are fully compliant with the Disability Act 2005 and the water meters in use by Irish Water comply with the Measuring Instruments Directive . The meters will be read by Irish Water and the information will be provided directly to customers in their bills.
Furthermore, to assist the homeowner in the identification of any leaks Irish Water has confirmed to my Department that water meters being installed as part of the metering programme have a ‘constant flow’ alarm which alerts Irish Water who will in turn alert the affected homeowner. Householders with a meter installed will be provided with a reading of their meter as part of their bill and any unusual usage patterns can be discussed with Irish Water if the householder is concerned.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queri es from public representatives and is contacting all Oireachtas members to provide details of an improved level of service which it is aiming to provide. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 5 7 8 578.
996. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government following the announcement of the social inclusion and community activation programme (SICAP) budgets for April to December 2015, the reason the total amount of money allocated to County Meath is just €278,304, when a comparable county in population and socio-economic demographics such as County Kildare is due to receive €765,170; the way this figure for County Meath, which is the lowest allocation in the State, was reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41158/14]
View answerMy Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The current Programme officially ended at the end of 2013 having operated for four years with funding of €281m over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014 with a budget of €47m pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015. The SICAP is one of my key priorities. The Programme’s target groups are:
- Children and Families from Disadvantaged Areas
- Lone Parents
- New Communities (including Refugees/Asylum Seekers)
- People living in Disadvantaged Communities
- People with Disabilities
- Roma
- The Unemployed (including those not on the Live Register)
- Travellers
- Young Unemployed People from Disadvantaged areas
In allocating resources in the prevailing stringent budgetary situation, I was particularly conscious of the need to support funding levels for the LCDP and SICAP and to ensure that resources were allocated in the fairest way possible and to make the maximum contribution to job creation and economic recovery.
The Department’s intention is, over time, to use our knowledge of population levels and disadvantage to ensure that we target available resources on areas of greatest need. As a tool to assist with this, a Resource Allocation Model (RAM) has been developed. In order to achieve the objective of moving towards allocating resources according to this model, the Department has in recent years worked to ensure that funding for those areas which this RAM shows have greatest needs are protected, where possible, and thus move towards achieving a fairer share of resources. In deciding on funding allocations for SICAP, this principle was used. While, overall , the SICAP allocations were lower in some instances than those for LCDP, Meath was protected from this reduction. The RAM , underpinned by the Pobal/HAASE Deprivation Index, which is used in relation to allocations, allows funds to be allocated in a manner which means that a disadvantaged person in any area of the country will have equality of resources available to their areas to support their needs.
997. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 1562 of 17 September 2014, the projected revenue that will be raised by Irish Water in 2015 based on the finalised charging structure from the Commission for Energy Regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41161/14]
View answerDomestic water charges commenced with effect from 1 October 2014 and Irish Water will issue the first bills to domestic customers from January 2015. The approach to charging was outlined by Irish Water in a Water Charges Plan (WCP) submitted to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in line with the provisions of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. Following a consultation process, the CER announced its decision on the Irish Water WCP on 30 September 2014. The amount billed to domestic customers and non-domestic customers for the year 2015, based on the charging structure announced, will be in the order of €300 million and €240m, respectively.
998. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if all board members of Irish Water have a current tax clearance certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41163/14]
View answer1062. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason a person (details supplied) was appointed to the board of Irish Water; the way this appointment was made; their area of expertise or suitability for the job; and the checks undertaken to verity the information submitted by them regarding their experience. [42084/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 998 and 1062 together.
The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) and that the new company should be formed and registered under the Companies Acts. The Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were adopted by Irish Water on its incorporation in July 2013, provide that the appointment of directors to the Board of Irish Water is the responsibility of the Board of BGE (now Ervia) with the approval of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
The appointment of directors to Irish Water by Ervia must be in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Acts and with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of Irish Water . Details of the tax affairs of directors are not held in my Department.
999. Deputy Michael P. Kitt asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the plans in place to deal with site clearance of non-viable ghost estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41176/14]
View answerOne of the key recommendations of the Report of the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, Resolving Ireland’s Unfinished Housing Developments, which is available on my Department’s website at http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,26678,en.pdf was for my Department to establish a National Coordination Committee (NCC) to “oversee the implementation of action on unfinished developments and to monitor progress”.
The NCC comprises senior level representatives of the key stakeholders, including the banking and construction industries, NAMA, local authorities, the Health and Safety Authority, residents and my Department.
An Annual Progress Report on this issue was published by my Department in November 2013 and is available at:
http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,34916,en.pdf.
This report demonstrated that there is a cohort of - mainly unoccupied - housing developments that do not appear to have long term prospects for resolution because they are in weak market areas, poorly configured, and in a state of deterioration which the bond will not cover.
Financial institutions had initially indicated that parts of around 40 developments would be likely to be returned to green-field condition. However, as economic conditions have recovered and viability of housing projects improves, this figure is expected to reduce as the financial institutions assess each loan on a case-by- case basis and decide an appropriate course of action. For reasons relating to the constant variability of viability on a site-by- site basis and client confidentiality reasons, the identity of the parts of developments that may now be cleared is not available to my Department.
Site clearance is an intrinsic part of the asset management and disposal process by owners/developers/funders and will not normally require State intervention or funding, unless there are compelling reasons, such as issues relating to public safety. The decision to clear all, or part of, an unfinished housing development is a matter for the owner/developer or funder acting in possession, usually acting through a receiver and in the context of implementing a Site Resolution plan agreed with the local authority. The National Co-ordination Committee will continue to liaise with key stakeholders in monitoring progress in this area.
