Written Answers Nos. 168-175
168. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when funds will be made available to Cork City Council to deal with the backlog of priority 1 housing adaption grants (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15996/15]
View answerMy Department provides funding to local authorities for various social housing supports, including for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet needs of local authority tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Funding provided by my Department meets 90% of the cost of such works, with each local authority providing the remaining 10%. The administration of the grants is a matter for individual local authorities.
My Department has received proposals in relation to the scheme for 2015 from each local authority. The proposals are currently being examined with a view to allocating funding to each authority shortly.
169. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for improved library facilities in the Louth-East Meath constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15999/15]
View answerUnder Section 78 of the Local Government Act 2001, the provision of premises and facilities for the public library service is a reserved function of each local authority in its capacity as a library authority.
170. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the amount of local government funding that has been provided to each county in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16017/15]
View answerI assume that the Question refers to general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund. General purpose grants we re my Department’s contribution towards meeting the cost to local authorities of providing a reasonable level of services to their customers. The table below details the general purpose grant payments from the Local Government Fund to all local authorities in each county in the years 2010 - 2014. The 2014 figures recognise the removal of water related costs from local authorities to Irish Water in 2014 and are therefore not directly comparable to previous years ’ funding.
|
County |
2010 € |
2011 € |
2012 € |
2013 € |
2014 € |
|
Carlow |
11,921,250 |
10,817,411 |
9,609,458 |
9,826,750 |
5,352,469 |
|
Cavan |
17,655,857 |
15,988,124 |
14,450,581 |
14,745,113 |
8,458,415 |
|
Clare |
14,473,283 |
12,902,124 |
12,336,865 |
12,159,289 |
2,646,284 |
|
Cork |
66,552,694 |
61,095,683 |
54,956,413 |
53,963,353 |
11,495,809 |
|
Donegal |
37,761,835 |
35,462,317 |
31,616,582 |
32,977,301 |
22,720,760 |
|
Dublin |
140,534,617 |
128,137,487 |
116,233,737 |
113,375,580 |
9 , 770 , 529 |
|
Galway |
41,023,771 |
37,242,344 |
34,026,884 |
33,796,527 |
14,132,810 |
|
Kerry |
27,337,324 |
25,037,960 |
22,755,081 |
22,238,923 |
11,043,837 |
|
Kildare |
24,628,985 |
23,372,951 |
21,328,091 |
22,244,748 |
9,686,924 |
|
Kilkenny |
19,343,430 |
17,432,726 |
15,990,212 |
16,309,147 |
9,356,019 |
|
Laois |
15,583,946 |
13,819,010 |
12,752,890 |
13,136,013 |
7,631,324 |
|
Leitrim |
13,588,994 |
12,480,094 |
11,597,455 |
11,952,743 |
8,282,319 |
|
Limerick |
30,352,884 |
27,240,686 |
25,098,628 |
25,933,791 |
14,625,159 |
|
Longford |
13,852,495 |
12,993,934 |
11,808,277 |
12,318,890 |
8,119,493 |
|
Louth |
19,243,211 |
17,284,945 |
15,616,952 |
15,548,027 |
8,243,835 |
|
Mayo |
34,877,551 |
32,810,065 |
29,899,530 |
30,134,270 |
17,492,594 |
|
Meath |
26,795,657 |
24,459,917 |
22,309,091 |
22,580,768 |
8,799,199 |
|
Monaghan |
15,955,495 |
15,167,470 |
13,541,630 |
13,983,408 |
10,247,882 |
|
Offaly |
16,119,274 |
14,497,447 |
13,345,006 |
13,686,361 |
6,663,642 |
|
Roscommon |
18,508,006 |
17,051,277 |
15,521,073 |
15,828,208 |
9,107,439 |
|
Sligo |
17,653,955 |
16,186,298 |
15,403,304 |
15,584,848 |
9,243,352 |
|
Tipperary |
44,800,579 |
41,098,307 |
37,415,561 |
37,971,172 |
22,755,110 |
|
Waterford |
27,321,845 |
25,615,689 |
23,264,415 |
24,264,808 |
16,524,431 |
|
Westmeath |
20,206,571 |
18,717,046 |
16,936,827 |
17,287,004 |
10,115,479 |
|
Wexford |
22,376,390 |
21,127,486 |
19,155,737 |
19,217,103 |
11,888,576 |
|
Wicklow |
24,314,451 |
21,723,093 |
20,136,035 |
19,839,289 |
6,846,310 |
|
Total |
762,784,350 |
699,761,892 |
637,106,314 |
640,903,434 |
281,250,000 |
171. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the details of those on local authority housing waiting lists in Waterford city and county from 2009 to 2015. [16041/15]
View answer172. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons deemed to be in overcrowded accommodation in Waterford city and county from 2009 to 2014 and in 2015 to date. [16042/15]
View answer189. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons who currently have allocated medical points in Waterford city and county. [16184/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 171, 172 and 189 together.
Based on the results of the statutory social housing needs assessments carried out in 2008, 2011 and 2013, details on the numbers on social housing waiting lists in Waterford during the period concerned, including the number who were categorised as having a housing need due to their current accommodation being overcrowded, are as follows:
|
Year |
Waterford City Council |
Waterford County Council |
Dungarvan Town Council |
Total on list |
|||
|
|
On List |
Over- crowded |
On List |
Over- crowded |
On List |
Over- crowded |
|
|
2008 |
932 |
33 |
510 |
29 |
348 |
16 |
1790 |
|
2011 |
1520 |
82 |
553 |
19 |
302 |
16 |
2375 |
|
2013 |
1374 |
27 |
375 |
15 |
128 |
5 |
1877 |
The full results of the assessments undertaken in 2008, 2011 and 2013 are available on my Department’s website at the following links:
2008: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/FileDownLoad,27868,en.pdf.
2011: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,27864,en.pdf.
2013: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,34857,en.pdf.
The 2013 results are not directly comparable to previous results as the 2013 summary was the first to employ new and updated methodologies and to be carried out under the 2011 Social Housing Assessment Regulations.
My Department does not hold details on the number of households currently on waiting lists in Waterford which have been awarded medical priority. Decisions as to the priority to be awarded to individual households, for medical or other circumstances, in the allocation of dwellings are a matter for the housing authority concerned, having regard to section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009 and the associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011.
In relation to the current level of overcrowded accommodation in Waterford, my Department does not hold information on the number of households in such accommodation. However, applicants for social housing support are required to indicate on the prescribed application form if their existing accommodation is overcrowded, in order to determine the applicant’s need for housing.
The Social Housing Strategy 2020 includes a commitment to increase the regularity of the Housing Needs Assessment by undertaking it on annual basis, from 2016 onwards.
173. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of new housing units built in Waterford city and county in each year from 2009 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; his plans to build new units specially in 2015. [16043/15]
View answerMy Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing statistics, including data on local authority housing completions and acquisitions for individual years, broken down by county. Statistics in relation to County Waterford up to and including 2014 are available at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/.
The Social Housing Strategy 2020 targets the delivery of over 35,000 new social housing units over the period to 2020 and in that context, I recently announced social housing targets for all local authorities for the period 2015-2017. Each local authority has responsibility for identifying their area’s social housing need and responding as required, including planning and undertaking new social housing developments to meet this need and the targets now set. Of the 760 units that I announced for County Waterford City and County out to 2017, a target of 164 units has been set for delivery under capital programmes, which includes construction, acquisitions and returning vacant properties to productive use. This target has been notified to Waterford City and County Council. Proposals already made by local authorities for the development of social housing units have been assessed and a first phase of announcements of initial project approvals will be made shortly.
We are working with all local authorities to ensure that the projects proposed represent value for money and I will be monitoring progress on delivery of units and if satisfactory progress is not being made, I will reallocate funding between local authorities in order that national targets are achieved.
174. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, by county, a breakdown of the number of units to be delivered through the rental accommodation scheme and social leasing as part of the Government housing strategy by the end of 2017. [16044/15]
View answerUnder the Social Housing Strategy 2020 15,400 additional units of social housing are targeted nationally under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) to 2017. Under SHCEP, previously referred to as the Social Housing Leasing Initiative, 11,400 units are targeted with 3,000 of these for delivery in 2015. The number of additional social housing units targeted under the Rental Accommodation Scheme nationally to 2017 under the Social Housing Strategy is 4,000, with 2,000 of these in 2015.
A breakdown of the national target by Local Authority is provided below:
|
Local Authority |
Target |
|
Carlow County Council |
341 |
|
Cavan County Council |
180 |
|
Clare County Council |
405 |
|
Cork City Council |
706 |
|
Cork County Council |
816 |
|
DLR County Council |
365 |
|
Donegal County Council |
337 |
|
Dublin City Council |
1,849 |
|
Fingal County Council |
980 |
|
Galway City Council |
382 |
|
Galway County Council |
464 |
|
Kerry County Council |
754 |
|
Kildare County Council |
850 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
471 |
|
Laois County Council |
208 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
99 |
|
Limerick City and County Co |
460 |
|
Longford County Council |
176 |
|
Louth County Council |
490 |
|
Mayo County Council |
420 |
|
Meath County Council |
385 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
150 |
|
Offaly County Council |
310 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
127 |
|
Sligo County Council |
200 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
1,095 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
545 |
|
Waterford City and County Co |
596 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
394 |
|
Wexford County Council |
563 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
282 |
|
Overall |
15,400 |
175. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the funding for home adaptation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16074/15]
View answerMy Department provides funding to local authorities for various social housing supports, including for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet needs of local authority tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Funding provided by my Department meets 90% of the cost of such works, with each local authority providing the remaining 10%. The administration of the grants is a matter for individual local authorities.
My Department has received proposals in relation to this scheme for 2015 from each local authority which are currently being examined with a view to allocating funding to each authority as soon as possible.
