Written Answers Nos. 230-239
230. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which the higher education grant entitlement of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been reduced for 2015, in view of the fact that that person's circumstances are no different to previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6592/15]
View answer231. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which the higher education grant entitlement of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been reduced for the current year, in view of the fact that that person's circumstances are no different to previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6593/15]
View answer232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which the higher education grant entitlement of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been reduced for the current year, in view of the fact that that person's circumstances are no different to previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6594/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 230 to 232, inclusive, together.
As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.This service complements the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
233. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the local property tax is a hypothecated tax; if it will be used for local services, including the provision of water services; the mechanisms he has in place for the disbursement of this tax from the Revenue Commissioners to the local government fund and other areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6380/15]
View answerSection 157 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, as amended, provides that, in each financial year commencing with 2014, the Minister for Finance shall pay from the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax, including any interest paid thereon, paid into the Central Fund during that year.
Details of the proposed expenditure from the Local Government Fund are set out in the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services 2015 as published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
In accordance with decisions taken by Government, Local Property Tax proceeds are used to fund programmes and services provided by local authorities. LPT is not used to fund the operational subvention to Irish Water.
I have advised all local authorities of their individual provisional LPT allocations, totalling €458.9m for 2015, which will be paid to them by my Department from the Local Government Fund over the course of 2015. Up to €153.4m is ring-fenced to fund local services in the Housing and Roads areas by 10 local authorities, as set out in the reply to Question No. 561 of 10 February 2015. It is a matter for the individual local authorities to decide how to spend the remaining €305.5m in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
234. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010, since 1 January 2012; particularly in reference to the regulation of dog breeding establishments by local authorities; the number of investigations into alleged puppy farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6367/15]
View answerThe implementation of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 is a matter for local authorities. Welfare standards regarding dog breeding establishments ha ve been provided for through Guidelines issued by my Department to coincide with the commencement of the Act on 1 January 2012 . Each local authority is responsible for monitoring these standards in its functional area. My Department publishes data annually concerning the dog control functions of local authorities, including information on the number of dog breeding establishments registered by each local authority, and information on implementation of the Act, including enforcement activity under the Act.
Both the data published by my Department concerning dog breeding establishments, as well as the Guidelines regarding the welfare of dogs in dog breeding establishments, are available at http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/DogControl.
235. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of bank accounts, to which receipts are lodged, under the local government fund, that are in existence; the source and amount of funds lodged to each account in 2013 and 2014; the method by which payments were made from these accounts and to where they were made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6383/15]
View answer236. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of all payments from the local government fund to Irish Water in 2014; the dates of each payment; the amounts paid; the total paid to Irish Water; if he will provide an analysis of all other payments out of the fund in 2014; when the audit of the fund for 2014 will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6385/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 236 together.
For the Local Government Fund, I presently maintain three accounts; two accounts at Permanent TSB Bank and one investment account at the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).
The Local Government Fund Public Bank Account 1 is used to receive income. Daily payments of Motor Tax receipts are made by Local Authorities and payments from the Exchequer and any other relevant income, such as payments from the Local Government Management Agency in relation to Household Charge income related to previous years, are also made into this account. Payments into this account from the Exchequer include payments of income equivalent to the level of Local Property Tax collected by the Revenue Commissioners. Funds in excess of a minimum agreed balance are automatically transferred to the Local Government Fund Investment Account held in the NTMA on a daily basis.
The Local Government Fund Public Bank Account 2 is used to make payments from the Local Government Fund throughout the year. Income to this account comprises payments from the NTMA Investment Account, which is transferred on foot of instructions from my Department. The Permanent TSB then makes payments to various funding recipients from the Local Government Fund on foot of instructions received from my Department.
The Local Government Fund is audited each year by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG). The audited 2013 accounts, which detail income and expenditure from the Local Government Fund for that year, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Administration/#d.en.35400.
The annual accounts of the Local Government Fund for 2014 are in the process of being finalised and the audit of these accounts will begin in March 2015. The accounts are prepared on an accruals basis and therefore expenses are matched with the related revenues and/or are reported when the expense occurs, not when the cash is paid. The table hereunder outlines a draft receipts and payment analysis for 2014. It should be noted that these are subject to change as accrued income and expenditure and the accounts for the year are finalised and audited.
2014 LGF Draft Receipts and Payment Analysis (pre-audit)
|
Income |
2014 €’M |
|
Motor Tax Income |
1,155.99 |
|
Local Property Tax |
491.35 |
|
Household charge |
0.17 |
|
Bank Interest |
0.37 |
|
Total Income |
1,647.88 |
|
Payments |
2014 €’M |
|
General-Purpose Payments |
281.00 |
|
LA Water Services Capital Loans Recoupment 2014 |
47.38 |
|
Water Services (Group Water Schemes) |
21.67 |
|
Local Government Innovation & Reform |
6.55 |
|
Department of Transport Tourism & Sport |
372 . 4 4 |
|
Exchequer |
520.00 |
|
Irish Water |
439.12 |
|
Other |
1 . 58 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,689.74 |
The 2014 Revised Estimates Volume provided for funding of €486.5m to be paid from the Local Government Fund to Irish Water for water-related expenditures incurred previously by local authorities. The payments made from the Local Government Fund directly to Irish Water in 2014 are set out in the table below.
|
Date |
Amount |
|
11 March 2014 |
€121,500,000 |
|
3 April 2014 |
€40,500,000 |
|
8 May 2014 28 May 2014 |
€40,500,000 €121,500,000 |
|
3 July 2014 |
€40,500,000 |
|
10 September 2014 |
€20,000,000 |
|
25 September 2014 |
€40,000,000 |
|
27 November 2014 |
€12,000,000 |
|
11 December 2014 |
€2,622,119 |
|
Total to Date |
€439,122,119 |
The balance of €47,377,881 was paid directly to local authorities in respect of water-related loans recoupment costs.
237. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of workers on temporary contracts in each local authority. [6401/15]
View answerMy Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The most recent data collected at the end of December 2014 in relation to temporary contracts, are set out in the table below on a whole time equivalent basis (WTE).
|
LOCAL AUTHORITY Temporary Contracts |
December 2014 Quarterly Return (Total WTE) |
|
Cork City |
28.6 |
|
Dublin City |
87.8 |
|
Galway City |
36.51 |
|
Limerick City & County |
43.41 |
|
Waterford City & County |
47 |
|
Carlow |
5 |
|
Cavan |
11.3 |
|
Clare |
27.01 |
|
Cork |
37.09 |
|
Donegal |
18 |
|
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown (DLR) |
14 |
|
Fingal |
22.4 |
|
Galway |
41.62 |
|
Kerry |
7.6 |
|
Kildare |
49 |
|
Kilkenny |
13 |
|
Laois |
15.19 |
|
Leitrim |
15.8 |
|
Longford |
3.81 |
|
Louth |
5.26 |
|
Mayo |
5.35 |
|
Meath |
17.03 |
|
Monaghan |
8 |
|
Offaly |
8 |
|
Roscommon |
18.82 |
|
Sligo |
10.56 |
|
South Dublin |
11 |
|
Tipperary |
51.71 |
|
Westmeath |
53.99 |
|
Wexford |
52.98 |
|
Wicklow |
42.8 |
|
OVERALL TOTAL |
809.64 |
238. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the displacement of workers in local authorities, where participants have been recruited under the Gateway scheme, in place of renewing rolling contracts for temporary workers. [6402/15]
View answerIssues concerning labour activation measures, including JobBridge and the Local Authority Labour Activation Scheme (Gateway), are primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minis ter for Social Protection. Labour Activation placements in local authorities do not require sanction by my Department. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible.
239. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of whole-time equivalent staff recruited in 2014, in each of the local authorities. [6403/15]
View answerThe information requested in relation to the number of whole time equivalent staff recruited in 2014 in each of the local authorities is not available in my Department.
