Written Answers Nos. 195-200
195. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he expects to roll out the housing assistance payment in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22676/15]
View answerThe implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, which I published on 26 November 2014. The HAP scheme will bring all social housing supports provided by the State under the aegis of local authorities. The scheme will remove a barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment. HAP will also improve regulation of the rented accommodation being supported and provide certainty for landlords as regards their rental income.
Further to the enactment of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 on 28 July 2014, the first phase of the HAP statutory pilot commenced with effect from 15 September 2014 in Limerick City and County Council, Waterford City and County Council and Cork County Council. HAP commenced in Louth, Kilkenny, South Dublin and Monaghan County Councils from 1 October 2014. Subsequently, on 18 December 2014, Dublin City Council became part of the statutory HAP pilot, with a specific focus on accommodating homeless households. Dublin City Council is implementing the HAP pilot for homeless households in the Dublin region on behalf of all 4 Dublin local authorities. The second phase of the HAP pilot has commenced with the HAP scheme becoming operational in Donegal County Council since 25 May 2015.
There are now over 2,000 households in receipt of HAP across the local authority areas taking part in the statutory pilot scheme.
During the legislation’s passage through the Oireachtas in July 2014 an undertaking was given that a progress report would be prepared for the relevant Oireachtas Committee. I can confirm that data from the pilot sites has been gathered and I submitted a report to the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht at the end of April 2015. Based on the findings of that review, consideration is currently being given to the sequencing of a further cohort of local authorities to commence HAP on an incremental basis this year. There are currently no plans to include Wexford County Council in this element of the pilot.
196. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding available for the refurbishment of a house made available by a local authority in Kilkenny to the Thomas Hayes Trust, County Kilkenny, for its use in promoting services for the prevention of suicide and for families affected by suicide; if applications for such funding are dealt with by the local authority or directly by his Department. [22677/15]
View answerMy Department’s Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the successor programme to the Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP), was rolled out across communities on 1 April 2015, following a procurement process. While SICAP provides supports to disadvantaged communities, including communities affected by suicide, there is no funding available under SICAP for the refurbishment of the type of house referred to by the Deputy.
My Department has provided funding for village enhancement infrastructure under the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. Funding under the current Programme is now fully committed but I expect that the LEADER element of the successor 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme will commence during 2015 and there may be potential under LEADER to fund a facility such as the one referred to.
It will of course be a matter for each Local Action Group selected to deliver the new LEADER programme to approve projects under the Programme that are in line with the Local Development Strategy ultimately approved for the area concerned.
197. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of the enormous potential for both monetary and energy savings, his views on the fact that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's better energy home owner grant scheme and better energy warmer homes scheme do not cover the replacement of external windows and doors; if he will use his influence with the authority to ensure the replacement of external windows and doors, especially those that are substandard or defective, is covered under its future grants and schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22647/15]
View answerThe Better Energy Homes and Better Energy Warmer Homes schemes are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland on behalf of my Department. Since 2009, the two schemes have supported the renovation of 261,795 homes in Ireland.
In late 2014 my Department working with SEAI reviewed the supports available under the Better Energy Homes scheme in conjunction with the financial resources available for the scheme. This review concluded that the most efficient way of using the limited resources available to the scheme was to increase the existing grant levels whose value had been eroded by inflation, to introduce a new bonus payment that encourages householders to engage in deeper renovations that could lead to more significant energy savings and to abolish the minimum grant threshold. These changes were made and announced in March of this year.
Under the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme, energy efficiency upgrades are provided free of charge to those households who meet the application criteria. Measures are provided under the scheme on an as needed basis. To balance the limited resources available with the significant demand for the scheme, typically the measures that can deliver the most energy savings at the lowest cost are supported.
198. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress his Department has made on making available a tariff to electricity customers who are producing electricity via solar or wind and who have capacity to supply electricity to the main grid for monetary gain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22516/15]
View answer200. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if it is intended to review the amount per unit of electricity paid to small wind turbines for power fed out to the national grid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22615/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 200 together.
The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers.
The Renewable Electricity Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) schemes are the principal means of supporting renewable electricity generators for renewable energy exported to the grid. The schemes operate by guaranteeing a minimum price for renewable energy generation over a 15 year period. The technologies supported include onshore wind energy, hydroelectricity, landfill gas, waste-to-energy and biomass technologies, including anaerobic digestion. Solar PV is not one of the qualifying technologies for this scheme. Further information is available on my Department's website, www.dcenr.ie.
Analysis of the potential of microgeneration technologies such as small scale wind, solar (including photovoltaic) and small scale hydro, has been carried out by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The SEAI's findings, along with responses to the recent consultation on the Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland, will inform future policy on the provision of any market support for microgeneration, and will be taken into consideration in preparation of the White Paper on Energy which will be finalised in September this year.
Given the emerging policy context and the requirements of the EU internal market for electricity, my Department is commencing the process of developing a new support scheme for renewable electricity, to be available from 2016 onwards. A key component of this will be consideration of the available technologies, their cost effectiveness and the level of support required. The scheme will be subject to State Aid clearance and the initial public consultation on a new scheme will commence in the coming weeks.
199. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to introduce supports for the commercial and community broadcasting sector, including radio and television, through the operation of the current television licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22599/15]
View answerA proportion of the television licence fee monies is already being made available to commercial and community broadcasters through the Broadcasting Funding Scheme, as provided for under Part 10 of the Broadcasting Act 2009. The purpose of this Scheme, which covers both radio and television, is to encourage the inclusion of additional programming of a particular character in broadcasters programme schedules. The Scheme is open to independent producers and all ‘free to air’ commercial, community and public service broadcasters. It is funded by way of a payment of 7% of net licence fee receipts, which is paid to the BAI in respect of this Scheme. This amount was increased from 5% to 7% under the Broadcasting Act 2009.
The current scheme, Sound & Vision III, was launched in February 2015 and will see up to €24 million in funding being made available to television and radio programmes through five funding rounds to be rolled out over the next two years.
