Written Answers Nos. 71-80
71. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance his views on exemptions from the property tax for full-time mature students with a mortgage whose only means of income are social welfare payments until such time as they finish college and return to the workforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42691/14]
View answerThe Government decided that a liability to the Local Property Tax (LPT) should apply to all owners of residential property with a limited number of exemptions. Limiting the exemptions available allows the rate to be kept low for those liable persons who do not qualify for an exemption.
There is no specific exemption from LPT for full-time mature students with a mortgage whose only means of income is social welfare payments nor do I have any plans to introduce such an exemption. Such persons may be entitled to an exemption on other grounds or may qualify for a deferral subject to meeting the qualifying conditions.
To qualify for a deferral the property must be the sole or main residence of the liable person and his or her gross income must be below certain thresholds. The thresholds are €15,000 for a single person and €25,000 for a married couple, civil partners or cohabiting couple. Deferral in respect of half of the LPT payable is possible where the gross income is above the threshold but less than €25,000 in the case of a single person and €35,000 in the case of a couple. Deferred LPT and interest will have to be discharged on the sale/transfer of the property.
Owner/occupiers whose sole source of income is a social welfare payment should qualify for a deferral.
72. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the cost of providing a flat €100 tax credit against water charges; the way this differs in cost from the tax credit proposed in the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42698/14]
View answerOn the assumption that the Deputy means a €100 tax credit to be delivered at source in respect of every household in the State, the approximate cost would be €165 million, based on an estimated 1.65 million households in the State.
The tax relief announced in the Budget was provisionally estimated to cost €40 million. As previously indicated to the Deputy, a number of measures were announced on Budget day to improve the overall affordability of water charges. The objective of these supports is to assist households in the country who pay their Water bills.
Following on from the announcement on Budget day, officials from my Department are working closely with their colleagues in the other relevant Departments and Agencies, in the development of the processes that will be employed to deliver the relief.
As I stated on Budget day and subsequently, we will design the measure as broadly and efficiently as possible, to ensure that the relief reaches all households who pay their charges.
73. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide the details of average cuts paid by his Department and those under his aegis to recruitment and temporary employment agencies, that is, the proportion of the fee paid from State funding to such agencies that is received by the worker and the proportion by the agency. [42707/14]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that in respect of my Department all external recruitment is conducted by the Public Appointments Service.
I will contact the Deputy directly in respect of bodies under the aegis of my Department in due course.
74. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide an annual breakdown of the fees paid to recruitment and employment agencies by his Department and those under his aegis. [42721/14]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that in respect of my Department all external recruitment is conducted by the Public Appointments Service.
I will contact the Deputy directly in respect of bodies under the aegis of my Department in due course.
75. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will confirm that every area which experienced flooding in the past year has been included under the CFRAM study; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42740/14]
View answerMany of the areas that experienced significant damage as a result of tidal or river flooding in the past year would be included under the CFRAM studies. However, it cannot be said that every area that experienced flooding is so included. The CFRAM programme is assessing in detail 300 areas of potentially significant flood risk known as Areas for Further Assessment or AFAs. These 300 AFAs, which include 90 located in coastal locations, were identified under the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) exercise which was completed in 2011 as a requirement of the EU Floods Directive. The PFRA was a national screening exercise, based on available and readily derivable information to identify areas where there may be a significant risk associated with flooding and was subject to public consultation at the time.
Good progress is being made on the six regional CFRAM Studies under the National CFRAM Programme. The CFRAM Programme will be used to determine national priorities for State investment in flood defences, on a systematic and objective basis, using Multi-Criteria Analysis. More information on the Programme is available on www.cfram.ie.
Outside of the CFRAM Programme, it is open to local authorities to apply to the Office of Public Works for funding of flood mitigation works under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the eligibility criteria, including a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of funding. It is also open to local authorities to carry out flood mitigation and coastal protection works using their own resources.
76. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the meaning of his statement in the budget speech that Departments and agencies will now be able to manage their own staffing levels; if this means that they may employ staff at any level they require; that promotions will be on merit, that Departments will be able to create new posts without supervision or approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42428/14]
View answerAs I announced on Budget Day last month, I will seek to put in place new arrangements to replace the Moratorium on Recruitment and Promotion in the Public Service from 2015 onwards. This will be subject to the issuance of formal delegated sanction by my Department to all other Government Departments and Offices, in return for agreed commitments by them to manage staff resources within agreed pay ceilings and to meet ongoing reform and efficiency objectives. Under the new arrangements, which my Department has begun to discuss in detail with the other Government Departments, sectoral managers will be incentivised to make further savings. Where this is achieved - for example, by recasting the grade mix or reassigning duties or introducing more efficient work practices - such savings can now be reinvested in expanding services to meet demand, including hiring more staff as appropriate. There will be restrictions and controls to prevent unwarranted grade drift and unsustainable recruitment, and of course recruitment will be carried by the Public Appointment Service, in the normal course of events. Merit based recruitment and promotions are now the norm across the Public Service.
This change in policy is not about giving a blanket sanction for widespread recruitment or promotion across the Public Service, nor does it signal an end to the efficiency drive that has defined public service reform over the last few years. Rather, it is about giving those best placed - front-line managers - a degree of freedom in management of staff resources to meet the demands which they face. With this comes responsibility to make the right decisions, to continue to implement reform, and to continue to achieve efficiency gains. That requirement will be reflected in the terms and conditions of sanction that are being finalised.
77. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding a coastal repair works project (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42504/14]
View answerThe Government Decision of 11 February 2014 allocated total funding of up to €69.5 million for clean-up, repair and restoration works in relation to public infrastructure that was damaged as a result of severe weather in the period 13 December 2013 to 6 January 2014. Of this sum of €69.5 million, up to €19.6 million was allocated for repair of existing coastal protection and flood defence infrastructure based on cost estimates and submissions made by the local authorities concerned to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DoECLG).
The DoECLG wrote to Councils notifying them of their allocations under the Government Decision and, in this regard, Clare County Council was informed that, based on its submission and estimate of repair costs, up to €8,276,433 was being made available for repair of damaged coastal protection infrastructure in Clare.
The work at Quilty was not included as repair costs in the Council's submission to the D/EC&LG and, consequently, was not included in that Department's notified allocation for repair funding to the Council following the Government decision. The works at Quilty were not included also in the Council's programme of works which was submitted to and approved by the Office of Public Works (OPW)*.
Additionally, it was pointed out to the Council that the Government Decision stated that new coastal protection and coastal defences or works to strengthen existing defences, which are separate from the repair and restoration works on which the €19.6m figure was based, would require more detailed examination in the context of the OPW Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management studies.
*Clare County Council did submit a number of applications to the OPW following the Government decision. These included an application for Quilty, Co. Clare in the sum of €189,833 for repairs to existing rock armour and an existing wall which was damaged and collapsed during the storms. This application however falls outside of the scope of the specific funding allocation provided by the Government Decision of 11 February in that the damage occurred as a result of the severe weather and high tides experienced in February and the Government decision related only to storm damage occurring in the period 13 December 2013 to 6 January 2014.
78. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of houses by county that experienced flooding in the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42522/14]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW) does not systematically gather or collate data on the number of houses which have experienced flooding. The OPW would receive information and data on significant flood events from a number of sources including Local Authorities, the consultants undertaking the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) projects on behalf of the OPW and members of the public. Information received by the OPW is used to populate a national database on historic flood events which is available on the website www.floodmaps.ie. The format, accuracy and reliability of the flood data submitted has been variable and, in order to try and improve the reliability and usefulness of the information, the OPW recently introduced a set of guidelines for flood data capture in the form of a practical flood data collection handbook. This sets out the type of data that should be collected under a range of headings including details on the Impacts to Property - Residential, Community and Commercial.
This new guidance should help to improve the quality and reliability of information on the impact of flood events which is available on www.floodmaps.ie
79. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding a project (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42544/14]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW) is not aware of any project at the embankments in question at Ballynacally and Kildysart, County Clare. I am advised that these embankments were constructed by the former Land Commission and, as such, the OPW does not have any responsibility in this area.
80. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position in respect of a project (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42582/14]
View answerThe Office of Public Works has not, to date, received an application from Clare County Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for works at Thomond Villas, Clarecastle, County Clare. Should an application be received it will be will be considered having regard to the relevant eligibility criteria of the Scheme and the overall availability of resources for flood risk management.
