Wednesday, 17 Jun 2015

Written Answers Nos. 232-242

Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Questions (232, 233)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

232. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the portion of the capital budget intended for social housing builds in 2015. [24168/15]

Dessie Ellis

Question:

233. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of local authority houses to be built in each of the years 2015 to 2017. [24169/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together.

Under my Department’s Social Housing Capital Investment Programme, funding is provided to housing authorities to increase their supply of social housing stock through the construction and acquisition of houses and apartments. This year €171.825 million has been made available for the capital delivery of additional social housing units by local authorities, of which €43.039 million will be self-funded by certain local authorities through local property tax receipts.

On 5 May 2015, I announced a major Social Housing construction programme with €312m investment, comprising over 100 projects and 1,700 housing units. Full details, including specifics of the projects to be progressed, the funding allocated and the number of units to be delivered across all local authorities, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm.

I stated at the time that this announcement was part of the first phase of direct-build projects under the Government’s Social Housing Strategy and that further assessments of build proposals are being carried which will result in the approval of additional projects, details of which will be announced in due course.

It should also be borne in mind that the local authority building programme is just one of a range of mechanisms through which social housing need is to be met. Social housing targets have been set for each local authority out to 2017 and are available on my Department’s website, along with the provisional funding allocations, at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41016,en.htm.

Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists

Questions (234)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

234. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of applicants on the housing list, as of May 2015. [24170/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Summary of Social Housing Assessments 2013 identified 89,872 households assessed by local housing authorities as being eligible and in need of some form of social housing support as at 7 May 2013, and these results are the most up-to-date figures available on the number of households qualified for support. The Social Housing Strategy 2020, published in November 2014, includes a commitment to increase the regularity of the summary of social housing assessments by undertaking it on annual basis from 2016 onwards.

Private Rented Accommodation Price Controls

Questions (235)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

235. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the average private rent in each local authority area in 2014 and 2015. [24171/15]

Written answers

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

In May 2013, the PRTB launched a national rent index available at http://www.prtb.ie/landlords/rent-index-dec-2014. Compiled by the Economic and Social Research Institute and based on the PRTB’s own register of over 300,000 tenancies, this valuable source of information indicates the actual rents being paid for rented properties throughout the State. The rent index is updated quarterly and shows the percentage change in rents over the previous quarter and over the previous twelve months.

The PRTB website also contains an Average Rent Dataset which enables people to check the average rent being paid for five different categories of dwelling types throughout the country, in both urban and rural areas. Using a drop down menu, an individual can select up to five different property types (semi-detached, apartment etc.) and year from 2007 onwards to see the average rent for the selected location.

The dataset is available at http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/pssn/prtb/homepagefiles/rent_index_statbank.asp.

Housing Data

Questions (236)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

236. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total number of private house builds in 2014, and scheduled to be built in 2015 and 2016. [24172/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of policy. Data on number of private house completions are included within this range, and are available on my Department’s website at http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/FileDownLoad,15293,en.xls, by clicking on the “Qrtly house completions by sector 1970 to date” tab under the “House Building” heading. While my Department expects an increase in completions in 2015/2016, it is not possible to predict exact completion rates for the wider housing market for that time period.

Homeless Persons Data

Questions (237)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

237. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the average number of persons in emergency accommodation in 2014 and to date in 2015; and if he will provide a breakdown detailing the type of accommodation provided. [24173/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

Data on homeless households in emergency accommodation is provided through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). Monthly reports from lead housing authorities, which identify the number of people utilising State-funded emergency accommodation on a regional and county basis, are published on my Department's website as soon as they are available. These reports are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/SpecialNeeds/HomelessPeople/.

Homeless Accommodation Provision

Questions (238)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

238. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of all types of emergency and sheltered accommodation currently provided by the State, including local authorities; the moneys allocated to the funding of this accommodation; and the gap between funding and demand. [24174/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I understand that the question refers to accommodation arrangements that may be put in place by housing authorities to assist in cases of homelessness. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities; accordingly my Department does not fund any homeless services directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Under Section 10 funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of such services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Section 10 funding arrangements.

Housing authorities may provide a variety of emergency accommodation arrangements from placements into private emergency accommodation to facilities operated by non-governmental service providers. Details of the homeless services funded by housing authorities are available in quarterly financial reports which are published on my Department's website and are available at the following link:

http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/SpecialNeeds/HomelessPeople/.

While it is clear that a proportion of funding must be used to provide sufficient bed capacity to accommodate those in need of emergency accommodation, it is equally important that resources are channelled to deliver more permanent responses in a more focused and strategic way.

Details of the 2015 regional funding allocations are set out hereunder. The needs of the various regions will be kept under review on an ongoing basis.

Area	Amount
Dublin	€37,160,470
Mid-East	€934,267
Midlands	€794,972
Mid-West	€3,499,898 *
North-East	€977,737
North-West	€387,643
South-East	€2,394,619 *
South-West	€5,000,686
West	€1,698,834

* Following the amalgamation of North and South Tipperary County Councils into Tipperary County Council in 2014, the re-alignment of Tipperary County Council into the Mid-West Region is pending.

Tenant Purchase Scheme Data

Questions (239)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

239. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of houses estimated to have been sold by local authorities since the introduction of the tenant purchase scheme. [24175/15]

Written answers

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

National tenant purchase schemes have been in place since the early 1970s, enabling local authority tenants the opportunity to purchase their homes. The most recent schemes have been the 1995 Tenant Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses and the 2011 Fixed-Term Tenant Purchase Scheme for long-standing tenants, which closed in June 2014 and June 2013, respectively. There are incremental purchase schemes currently in operation for the sale of newly-built local authority houses and existing local authority apartments, which came into operation in June 2010 and January 2012 respectively.

The most recent returns from local authorities indicate that 24,439 houses were purchased by tenants under these schemes to the end of 2014.

Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides for a new tenant purchase scheme for the purchase of existing local authority houses along incremental purchase lines, similar to the schemes currently operating. The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020 includes a commitment to make the Regulations necessary for the scheme’s introduction, in the second quarter of 2015, which will set out the full details involved. It is expected that the new scheme will commence at the earliest possible date following the making of the Regulations which are at an advanced stage of drafting.

Housing Data

Questions (240)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

240. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of houses categorised as buy-to-let houses. [24176/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

While my Department publishes a wide range of housing statistics to inform policy, available at: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/, the information requested is not collected by my Department.

Water Conservation Grant

Questions (241, 242)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

241. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the expected cost to Government of paying the water conservation grant in 2015 and 2016, including the payments to be made to the Department of Social Protection for acting as an agent on the Government's behalf in administering this grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24186/15]

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

242. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the current cost to the Exchequer of the set-up costs and the administrative costs associated with the water conservation grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24187/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 242 together.

An allocation of €130m for the grant scheme has been provided in my Department’s Estimate for 2015 which is intended to cover grant payments and all administration costs including staffing. The Department of Social Protection will administer the grant on behalf of my Department.

The Department of Social Protection has estimated, on the basis of the scoping work done to date, that the once-off costs, together with the operational costs for 2015, will amount in total to approximately €6 million. This includes the development and implementation of ICT systems, ICT infrastructure and various customer support and communications services. Following the conclusion of a number of public procurement exercises by that Department, the budget will be finalised. As expenditure in forthcoming years will be limited to operational costs, it should be considerably less, resulting in overall administrative costs being within 2% to 3% of scheme costs.

The overall estimated requirement based on an estimate of up to 1.3 million households applying for the grant. This estimated level of demand for 2015 takes account of the number of primary residences recorded in Census 2011 as well as experiences with other demand-led schemes. The provisions required in future years will be determined as part of the annual budgetary process, having regard to the take-up of the scheme and forecast growth in household numbers.

The grant will be paid in one instalment to all eligible households from September 2015 and on an annual basis thereafter. During late August and September all households that have registered with Irish Water on or before the 30 June 2015 will receive a notice from the Department of Social Protection on how to apply for the Water Conservation Grant. A dedicated website www.watergrant.ie has also been established which provides information in relation to the grant.