Thursday, 22 Jan 2015

Written Answers Nos. 205 to 213

Local and Community Development Programme Planning

Questions (206)

Pearse Doherty

Question:

206. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has received correspondence from the National Collective of Community Based Women's Network in which the collective has formally requested a meeting with him in order to discuss future funding; his views on such a meeting with the NCCWN; if he will provide an indication as to when he plans to meet the collective in order to discuss a new programme and funding mechanism which may enable the crucial work of the collective to continue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3176/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

My Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The current Programme officially finished 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 until March 2015 pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015.

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.

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 National Collective of Community Based Networks (NCCWN) faced a number of challenges in competing in the Stage one process. The results of Stage one were released on 24 September 2014 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. My Department will be arranging a meeting with the NCCWN shortly.

I should say that all groups who received LCDP funding in 2014 are being funded through LCDP interim arrangements until 31 March 2015, pending the outcome of the SICAP competitive process. 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.

Local Authority Housing Maintenance

Questions (207, 208, 209, 210)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

207. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for the upgrade to insulation of social housing stock; if he has prepared a targeted plan for the retrofit of the worst affected housing; if he will provide a table of intended retrofit projects by town and by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3185/15]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

208. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the obligations on local authorities to ensure that the building energy rating is improved in social housing stock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3186/15]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

209. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the obligations that lie with local authorities in relation to repairs for housing stock, targets and standards for resolving issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3187/15]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

210. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if damp that is occurring in social housing stock is an issue that should be dealt with by the local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3188/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 to 210, inclusive, together.

The management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock, including the compilation and implementation of planned maintenance programmes and the carrying out of responsive repairs, including addressing damp, and pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. My Department is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and improving the quality of the national social housing stock through a range of measures including large-scale urban regeneration programmes, estate-wide remedial works and improving the standard and energy efficiency of individual dwellings.

Local authorities are undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting, with the support of my Department, on the least energy efficient social houses over a 3 year period. Funding of €50 million is being provided over the period 2013-2015 for improving the energy performance of older local authority housing stock. This programme will improve energy efficiency and comfort levels, and therefore BER ratings, in 25,000 local authority homes.

Phase 1 commenced in June 2013 and is focused on providing attic/roof insulation and cavity wall insulation in all relevant properties. Once a local authority confirms that all houses requiring attic/roof and cavity wall insulation have been dealt with, my Department will allocate funding for Phase 2 works which will include external insulation or dry lining of houses with solid wall or hollow block construction. The details of the 2015 programme are currently being finalised with local authorities. The identification of individual social housing units on which improvement works are carried out is a matter for individual local authorities.

Electricity Transmission Network

Questions (211)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

211. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which funds may be available to facilitate undergrounding of overhead cables in Celbridge, County Kildare, and similar heritage towns throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3219/15]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

In January 2014, an Independent Expert Panel was established to oversee preparation by EirGrid of the comprehensive, route specific studies and reports of fully undergrounded and overhead options for the Grid West and Grid Link projects. The studies and reports are to include assessments of potential environmental impacts, technical efficacy and cost factors. In due course, the Panel will provide an opinion to the Minister on the completeness, objectivity and comparability of the studies and reports and will oversee their publication by EirGrid prior to the company proceeding to public consultation on the two projects. The Panel expects to be in a position to provide an opinion to the Minister on the Grid West project in Quarter 1 2015 and one on the Grid Link project in Quarter 3 2015.

The Commission for Energy Regulation will have a role in considering relevant costs associated with the proposed transmission system investment prior to any final decision being made to proceed with the project. As Minister, I have no role or function in this matter.

Energy Prices

Questions (212)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

212. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding the cost of utilities considering the cost of oil (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3145/15]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

I refer the Deputy to my comprehensive reply to the topical issue debate on this matter in the House on 15 January. I am acutely aware of the financial challenges faced by families and businesses from high electricity prices. However, it is important to note that the electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive and that they operate within national and European regulatory regimes. I have no statutory function in the setting or review of electricity or gas prices. Responsibility for electricity and gas market regulation is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory body.

It should be noted that wholesale electricity prices tend to reflect the price-setting fuel in the market, which is natural gas, not crude oil. Oil accounts for only around 1% of electricity generation fuel and has little or no impact on the wholesale or retail price of electricity.

Communications Masts

Questions (213)

Michael McCarthy

Question:

213. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of the ownership of a telecommunications mast (details supplied) in County Cork if he will facilitate a meeting between the person and 2RN; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3155/15]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

I refer to the reply to Question No. 426 of 30 April 2014. The position is unchanged.