Written Answers Nos. 237-244
237. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of households that have sent complete application packs to Irish Water; the number of households that are registered but are not eligible to pay water charges; and the number of application packs that have been returned blank to Irish Water. [48619/14]
View answer249. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of water application packs that have been returned to Irish Water to date; of the water packs returned, the number that have completed the section F declaration; the number that were returned without any completed information; the number that were returned illegible; of all packs returned, the number that have been counted by Irish Water as indicating the returner wishes to be counted as a registered customer of Irish Water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48754/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 237 and 249 together.
I have no function in relation to the Irish Water application process. Under section 6 of the Water Services Act 2007 and section 26 of the Water Services Act 2013 , this is a matter for Irish Water.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives and has contacted 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.
238. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will agree to a request for a meeting (details supplied) with the National Collective of Community based Women’s Networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48627/14]
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 €281 million over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014 with a budget of €47 million 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 and its budget for next year will be decided in the 2015 Estimates process. 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 accordance with the Public Spending Code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, the Programme is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently underway. Stage one (Expression of Interest) has been completed. Stage two (Invitation to Tender), got underway on 20 October and will involve the successful applicants from Stage one being invited to apply to one or more Local Community Development Committees, in Local Authority areas, to deliver the programme. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process.
The public procurement process is a competitive process that is open to Local Development Companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations that can provide the services to be tendered for to deliver the new Programme. In Stage one, joint applications were encouraged and organisations of varying sizes (for example smaller organisations working in consortia with larger organisations) were invited to submit joint applications. That said, I understand that some small groups, such as the groups under the remit of the NCCWN, faced a number of challenges in competing in the Stage one process. The results of Stage one were released on 24 September and I can confirm that none of the NCCWN groups expressed an interest either as lead applicants or as part of a consortium.
I am now considering the implications of that for NCCWN and my Department is liaising with other relevant Departments to find a workable solution. I can confirm that interim LCDP funding, based on a small budgetary reduction in the order of 6.5%, on 2014 levels, will be provided to NCCWN up to end March 2015. While a meeting would be beneficial at this stage, I will not be in a position to facilitate a meeting until January 2015.
239. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his proposed 20-point action plan to tackle emergency and short-term homelessness will be extended to County Meath; the number of vacant properties in the County Meath area that will be brought back into immediate use; and the number of additional emergency beds that will be provided in County Meath by Christmas. [48629/14]
View answerOn 4 December I hosted a special Summit on Homelessness to reaffirm the Government's commitment to end involuntary long-term homelessness by the end of 2016. The Summit was attended by Oireachtas members, elected members and officials from the four Dublin Local Authorities, representatives from Government Departments, State Agencies and the NGO sector, and the Catholic and Church of Ireland Archbishops of Dublin. A number of actions arising from the Summit were considered at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform on 8 December and were then formalised into an Action Plan to Address Homelessness which was noted by the Government at its meeting on 9 December 2014. In addition to those actions which constitute an immediate response to the is sue of rough sleeping in Dublin, actions have been identified which tackle the more systemic issues, classified under the three categories of the ‘housing-led’ approach. A copy of this action plan is available on my Department’s website at http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/SpecialNeeds/HomelessPeople/. In addition, all housing authorities will return void properties to productive use as a matter of urgency under the action plan.
Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities and the purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. I am making arrangements to ensure that sufficient Section 10 funding is available nationally in respect of additional costs incurred by housing authorities in securing emergency accommodation during the Christmas period.
240. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of rental accommodation scheme tenants by county; the average rent paid to landlords per month under the RAS scheme by county; the number of RAS contracts by county that are due to expire in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48663/14]
View answerThe Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is a targeted scheme catering for the accommodation needs of persons in receipt of Rent Supplement from the Department of Social Protection, generally for more than 18 months, and who are assessed as having a long-term housing need. My Department does not hold information on the numbers in RAS at any given time. The numbers in RAS fluctuate as, inter alia, contracts end, tenants move on and landlords withdraw. From its inception in 2004 up to the end of September 2014, a total of 50,684 households have been transferred by local authorities from Rent Supplement. Of these, 29,924 were housed directly under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and a further 20,760 were accommodated under other social housing options. The table sets out the position in relation to the numbers transferred broken down by authority as at end September 2014.
Cumulative to End Sept 2014
|
County |
Transfers to Private & Voluntary Housing |
Transfers to Social housing |
Total all transferred. |
|
Carlow Co. Cl. |
693 |
278 |
971 |
|
Cavan Co. Cl. |
657 |
464 |
1121 |
|
Clare Co. Cl. |
638 |
367 |
1005 |
|
Cork City Cl. |
1362 |
1213 |
2575 |
|
Cork County Cl. |
1610 |
1721 |
3331 |
|
Donegal Co. Cl. |
828 |
1726 |
2554 |
|
Dublin City Cl. |
2937 |
1058 |
3995 |
|
Dublin South Co. Cl. |
2208 |
1472 |
3680 |
|
Dun/Rathdown Co. Cl. |
760 |
832 |
1592 |
|
Fingal Co. Cl. |
1490 |
1259 |
2749 |
|
Galway City Cl. |
943 |
421 |
1364 |
|
Galway Co. Cl. |
785 |
381 |
1166 |
|
Kerry Co. Cl. |
1243 |
764 |
2007 |
|
Kildare Co. Cl. |
694 |
697 |
1391 |
|
Kilkenny Co. Cl. |
1047 |
425 |
1472 |
|
Laois Co. Cl. |
372 |
198 |
570 |
|
Limerick Ct & Co. |
1559 |
551 |
2110 |
|
Longford Co. Cl. |
406 |
134 |
540 |
|
Louth Co. Cl. |
342 |
888 |
1230 |
|
Mayo Co. Cl. |
1381 |
475 |
1856 |
|
Meath Co. Cl. |
517 |
422 |
939 |
|
Monaghan Co. Cl. |
373 |
198 |
571 |
|
Offaly Co. Cl. |
363 |
360 |
723 |
|
Roscommon Co.Cl. |
658 |
469 |
1127 |
|
Sligo Co. Cl. |
710 |
217 |
927 |
|
Tipperary Co. Cl. |
1578 |
959 |
2537 |
|
Waterford City Cl. |
884 |
438 |
1322 |
|
Waterford Co. Cl. |
430 |
334 |
764 |
|
Westmeath Co. Cl. |
678 |
205 |
883 |
|
Wexford Co. Cl. |
1010 |
1208 |
2218 |
|
Wicklow Co. Cl. |
632 |
494 |
1126 |
|
Totals |
29924 |
20760 |
50684 |
Details of the rents paid by each authority in respect of individual RAS tenancies and contract data for such tenancies is not collected by my Department. However, based on data provided by local authorities, the average monthly rent paid under the scheme in 2013 is set out in the following table, broken down by different types of units.
|
Year |
1 bed unit |
2 bed unit |
3 bed unit |
4 bed unit |
|
2013 |
€499 |
€569 |
€651 |
€708 |
241. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown by county of the number of current social housing units that are not currently let; the number of these that are available to let; the number of these that will be available to be let in the next three months; the number of social housing units that will be constructed by county in the next 12 months; the number of persons on each local authority social housing list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48664/14]
View answerUnder Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, local authorities, as the housing authorities for their areas, are responsible for the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock and my Department does not hold some of the specific information sought. Statistics on local authority housing stock, including units that may be empty, are published by the Local Government Management Agency; the most recent data are in respect of 2012 and are available at the following link: http://www.lgma.ie/sites/default/files/service_indicators_2012_report_for_website_0.pdf. The latest summary of social housing assessments carried out as at 7 May 2013 provides data on the number of households on local authority waiting lists at that date across a range of categories broken down by authority and is available on my Department’s website at: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,34857,en.pdf.
Waiting list numbers are subject to on-going fluctuation due to households being allocated housing and new households applying for housing support. The 2013 results cannot be directly compared to previous results given that this last summary employed different methodologies and was the first to be carried out under the 2011 Social Housing Assessment Regulations.
In relation to the refurbishment of vacant social housing stock, my Department provides funding to local authorities for works to such units to support their return to productive use. €30 million has been available in 2014 targeting the return of 1,960 vacant and boarded up units to productive use in an energy efficient condition and I expect this target to be met by the end of the year. Budget 2015 has given additional impetus to this area, and I envisage a further 1,000 vacant properties being returned to productive use through additional funding next year.
The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reform, published on 26 November, builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. In committing to provide 35,000 new social housing units, at a projected cost of €3.8 billion, the strategy marks a fresh start for social housing in Ireland. The strategy will be delivered in two phases: phase 1 targets the delivery of 18,000 additional housing units and 32,400 Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme units by the end of 2017. In phase 2, spanning the years 2018 to 2020, the strategy targets the delivery of 17,000 additional units and 43,000 Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme units.
For 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided under the range of existing initiatives broken down as follows: 3,000 units through leasing initiative; 2,000 new Rental Accommodation Scheme units; 1,000 vacant local authority units to be refurbished and brought back to use; with a further 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies through the Social Housing Investment Programme and Capital Assistance Scheme. A further 8,400 households will be assisted through the Housing Assistance Payment. The detailed planning in relation to the number of units that will be built or acquired in 2015 by individual local authorities is now underway; this will be based on each individual authority’s housing need and priorities and will build on a range of social housing construction projects already underway across the authorities.
242. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown by county of the number of temporary accommodation beds provided; the number of these that are currently occupied; the number of persons who have sought temporary accommodation by county in the past three months; the number of persons currently registered as homeless by county; the funding provided to local authorities and other services in order to provide temporary accommodation on a county basis over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48668/14]
View answerData on homeless households in emergency accommodation is provided through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). Quarterly reports from lead housing authorities are being published on my Department's website as soon as these are available. In addition, lead housing authorities provide monthly reports on homelessness which identify the number of people utilising State-funded emergency accommodation on a regional and county basis. These monthly reports are also available on my Department’s website at http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/SpecialNeeds/HomelessPeople/.
Households that are qualified for social housing support are recorded by housing authorities through social housing assessments. When assessing the housing need of an applicant household for social housing support, each housing authority records, among other information, details on the household’s current tenure such as whether they are living with parents, relatives/friends or homeless. This information is reflected in the statutory summary of Social Housing Assessments which provides details of the number of households qualified for social housing support and on housing authority waiting lists. The latest summary was carried out at 7 May 2013, in accordance with Section 21 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and the results are available on my Department’s website at
http://www.environ.ie/en/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,34857,en.pdf.
Details of the Section 10 funding provided by my Department to housing authorities on a regional basis for the years 2009 to 2013 and the allocations for 2014 are set out in the table.
Funding Provided under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988
|
Region |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 - Allocation |
|
Dublin |
€40,521,375 |
€35,732,525 |
€32,398,290 |
€31,322,223 |
€31,322,223 |
|
Mid-East |
€906,842 |
€697,665 |
€839,146 |
€811,275 |
€811,275 |
|
Midlands |
€666,344 |
€624,897 |
€672,027 |
€649,707 |
€649,707 |
|
Mid-West |
€3,435,607 |
€2,905,457 |
€3,516,119 |
€3,399,336 |
€3,399,336 |
|
North-East |
€1,037,617 |
€912,250 |
€910,194 |
€879,963 |
€879,963 |
|
North-West |
€423,355 |
€406,335 |
€360,865 |
€348,879 |
€348,879 |
|
South-East |
€1,742,886 |
€2,110,476 |
€1,848,877 |
€1,787,469 |
€1,787,469 |
|
South-West |
€4,270,143 |
€3,505,749 |
€4,418,967 |
€4,272,197 |
€4,272,197 |
|
West |
€1,699,288 |
€1,227,696 |
€1,581,478 |
€1,528,951 |
€1,528,951 |
|
Total |
€54,703,457 |
€48,123,050 |
€46,545,963 |
€45,000,000 |
€45,000,000 |
Under the delegated arrangements for Section 10 funding, the responsibility for rigorous assessment, appraisal and decision making in relation to proposals for funding of particular services including temporary accommodation within the current budgetary allocation rests with the statutory homelessness Management Group of the respective region.
243. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown by county of the funding provided to community services directed towards women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48669/14]
View answerI assume the Question refers to my Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP). The 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 €281 million over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014 with a budget of €47 million pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015.
While the LCDP caters for disadvantaged women nationally, LCDP funding is also provided specifically for some 17 Women’s Projects under the remit of the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks (NCCWN), details of which are set out in the Table. The NCCWN was allocated funding in excess of €1.3 million under the LCDP this year. In addition, my Department also supports a number of Women’s 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 towards core costs associated with the provision of services. A new round of funding under this scheme commenced on 1 July 2014, under which the NCCWN was allocated some €160,122 for the two year period of 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2016. In addition, Women’s Aid and the National Travellers Women’s Forum (NTWF) have also been funded in 2014 under both the LCDP and SSNO on a national basis. In 2014, the combined funding allocated under the two programmes for Women’s Aid was €103,918, and for NTWF was €110,475.
Women’s projects funded through LCDP via the NCCWN:
1. Access 2000, Wexford
2. Blayney Blades, Monaghan
3. Clare Women’s Network, Clare
4. Claremorris Women’s Group, Mayo
5. Clondalkin Women’s Network, Clondalkin, Dublin
6. Dochas for Women, Monaghan
7. Donegal Women’s Network, Donegal
8. Limerick Women’s Network, Limerick
9. Women’s Community Projects, Mullingar, Westmeath
10. North Leitrim Women’s Resource Centre, Leitrim
11. Ronanstown Women’s CDP, Clondalkin, Dublin
12. Roscommon Women’s Network, Roscommon
13. Rowlagh Women’s Group, Clondalkin, Dublin
14. Southside Women’s Action Network, Loughlinstown, Dublin
15. Southwest Kerry Women’s Association, Kerry
16. Waterford Women’s Centre, Waterford
17. Women Together Tallaght Network, Tallaght, Dublin.
244. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of the funding to be made available over the next 12 months specifically for the upgrade of the current empty social housing stock in the form of retrofitting and refurbishment works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48670/14]
View answerDetails of funding to be provided in 2015 under individual elements of my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, including the programme for the refurbishment of vacant stock, will be set out in the 2015 Revised Estimates Volume to be published later today. Under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock is the responsibility of the relevant housing authority. Following a very successful programme in 2014, further provision was made for the refurbishment of vacant units in Budget 2015, and I envisage a further 1,000 vacant properties being returned to productive use through additional funding.
