Written Answers Nos. 180-185
180. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the removal of gravel and silt from rivers that flood adjoining properties; if any European or Irish legislation precludes landowners from doing this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3348/16]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 464 of 19 January 2016 in which I set out the roles and responsibilities of statutory bodies with regard to the maintenance of rivers and waterways. The position in this regard remains unchanged.
181. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there is sufficient staffing and expertise in the technical departments of local authorities to deliver increased build in social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3384/16]
View answerUnder 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. In this regard, it is a matter, in the first instance, for Chief Executives, to ensure that the appropriate staffing and service levels are delivered and maintained.
My Department, however, works closely with local authorities with regard to the implementation of the Government's Social Housing Strategy and in 2015 all local authorities were invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate its delivery. Furthermore, the staffing approval process was also streamlined to ensure the fast tracking of staffing sanction requests. As a result, in 2015, over four hundred local authority posts were sanctioned for recruitment, to support the delivery of the Social Housing Strategy.
Moreover, new recoupment arrangements were also put in place in October 2015 with regard to additional recoupment of administrative and other costs associated with new build social housing projects.
In terms of technical expertise a new procurement framework for the sourcing of professional and technical services has been put in place which will allow local authorities to source technical support more quickly and efficiently.
In addition to staffing, major financial resources have also been allocated to local authorities to fund increased delivery of social housing.
182. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will take into account the concerns about tyre waste regulations of the Irish Tyre Industry Association and the Independent Tyre Wholesalers and Retailers Association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3399/16]
View answerExtensive discussions with the tyre industry through the establishment of a Tyres Working Group have taken place since the publication of the Producer Responsibility Initiative Review Report on Tyres and Waste Tyres in November 2013.
Recently, the National Executive Council and the members of the Irish Tyre Industry Association voted to re-engage in the discussions surrounding the new structures to be put in place for the tyre sector. I am very pleased with this development; I thank them for this decision and welcome the expertise that they will bring to future discussions.
Despite numerous requests and informal contacts, the Independent Tyre Wholesalers and Retailers Association remain outside the process.
183. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he provides a scheme to assist in the renovation and modernisation of a private dwelling (details supplied) to make it habitable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3415/16]
View answerMy Department does not provide a scheme to assist in the renovation and modernisation of a private dwelling to make it habitable in the circumstances described. Support provided by my Department in respect of refurbishment or adaptations to houses are primarily in respect of social housing. In the case of private houses, the main programme of support funded by my Department is via the local authorities and is focussed on house adaptations for older people and people with a disability.
The suite of grants under the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability has the objective of facilitating the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. It supports necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works to be carried out to make accommodation more suitable to the needs of such persons.
Householders may qualify for relief under the Home Renovation Incentive Scheme, introduced under Section 5 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2013. The Scheme covers main residence repairs, renovations and improvements and is administered by the Revenue Commissioners; full details are available on their website www.revenue.ie.
184. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government why no funding was allocated under the urban regeneration project schemes for regeneration in Cavan town as it was designated some years ago as a hub town under the national spatial strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3431/16]
View answer185. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government why no funding was allocated for regeneration in Monaghan town under the urban regeneration project scheme given that the town was designated as a hub town under the national spatial strategy some years ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3432/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together.
The Urban Development Grant Scheme announced last week, which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is administered in Ireland by the two Regional Operational Programme Managing Authorities, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly.
The approach adopted by the two Managing Authorities in the allocation of ERDF funding for urban related projects in their respective regions in the current EU Budget cycle covering the period 2014 – 2020 was largely dictated by the level of ERDF funding available to Ireland in the period.
For the previous ERDF co-funded Urban Development Grant scheme covering the period 2007 - 2013, the Northern and Western Region - then known as the Border Midland and Western (BMW) Region - was classified as a “transitional EU region” which qualified it for higher entitlement to ERDF funding. Arising from this, the €28m ERDF funding that was available to Ireland for the Urban Development Operational Programme for the 2007 – 2013 period was apportioned as follows–
- €17m to the BMW region, and
- €11m to the Southern and Eastern Region.
This larger share that was allocated to the BMW Region in that period allowed projects in both the gateways and hubs in the BMW region - as designated in the National Spatial Strategy 2002 – 2020 (NSS) - to be ERDF co-funded, with the Southern and Eastern Region being restricted to supporting projects in the designated gateways only.
In the new round for the 2014 - 2020 ERDF funding programme period, both Irish regions have been classified as ‘more developed’, and although the overall amount of ERDF funding available to Ireland under the Urban Development Operational Programme has increased to €40m, the reclassification of the Northern and Western Region has had the effect of considerably reducing the share of funding available to that Region. Consequently, the €40m total ERDF funding for urban projects in the 2013 – 2020 period has been apportioned as follows:
- €14m to the Northern and Western Region, and
- €26m to the Southern and Eastern Region.
In addition, during the negotiations on the new ERDF Operational Programmes, the European Commission stressed the need for the funding of larger scale projects and consequently suggested – having regard to the lower level of funding being provided to the Northern and Western Region - that only projects in cities and major urban centres should be eligible for funding in that Region. Arising from this, it was agreed that only the NSS designated gateways in the Northern and Western Region would be co-funded this time, while the additional funding available to the Southern and Eastern Region allowed projects in both the designated gateways and hub towns in the region to be eligible. This position was agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform – which has overall responsibility for the management of the ERDF Operational Programmes in Ireland - and the draft programmes were approved by the Government on this basis. Furthermore, the Regional Assembly members were briefed on the outcome of the negotiations and on the agreed position with regard to the allocation of the urban funding under the new round of ERDF funding.
