Written Answers Nos. 535-558
535. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has received the report from Dublin City Council regarding access routes to the site in Jamestown Road, Dublin 8, given that he referred in a reply to Parliamentary Question No. 589 of 15 December 2015, that he was expecting the report. [5089/16]
View answerI understand that Dublin City Council and the approved housing body involved with this development are considering a revised plan for the entire site at Jamestown Court, which will include any issues relating to access. It is a matter for the Council and the housing body to decide the best approach to implementing this project and I expect that once the revised plan has been agreed by them, it will be submitted to my Department for consideration.
536. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will address the need for a new fire station in Glencolmcille, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5111/16]
View answerThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Act 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects. Donegal County Council, in partnership with my Department, has made substantial progress in modernising fire stations in County Donegal and has replaced 12 of its 15 fire stations following investment of some €11 million by my Department over the last fifteen years or so. The following towns in County Donegal are now served by modern fire stations with full facilities: Millford (1998); Buncrana (2000); Letterkenny (HQ) and An Fal Carrach (both in 2003); Carndonagh and Donegal Town (both in 2004); Killybegs (2005); An Clochan Liath, Glenties and Moville (all in 2007); and most recently Gaoth Dobhair and Stranorlar (2009).
In February 2016, I announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme with an allocation of €40 million, based on the current annual €8 million allocation, to be used for the purchase of fire appliances and specialist equipment, building or upgrading of prioritised Fire Stations, an upgrade of the Communications and Mobilisation system and improvements to Training Centres. Under this programme, the list of priority projects to be progressed will be kept under review on an annual basis.
With regard to a fire station project in Glencolmcille, which is not included in the current five-year programme, my Department will have regard to Donegal County Council’s priorities and national priorities for funding in further considering any proposal. The status of existing facilities, having regard to area risk categorisation, will also be considered.
538. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he will announce the funding for the grant scheme for housing aid to the elderly and for the housing adaptation grant. [5149/16]
View answerOn 5 February 2016, I announced total funding of €56.25 million for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. I have increased the level of funding available for the grants by some 10% in 2016. This funding will see over 8,000 homes receiving grant aid in 2016. Details of the allocations are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/grantsfinancial-assistance/ministers-kelly-coffey-announce-eu5625-million-improve-homes.
539. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of mortgage to rent schemes which have been approved since the scheme was announced; and his plans to amend the qualifying criteria for same. [5150/16]
View answer540. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how many applications under the mortgage to rent scheme were assessed in the past three financial years; how many were successfully adopted onto the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5244/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 539 and 540 together.
My Department has developed two Mortgage to Rent schemes - one which is available to borrowers of private commercial lending institutions and a separate scheme for local authority borrowers.
The Local Authority Mortgage to Rent (LAMTR) scheme has been developed specifically for local authority mortgage borrowers, as part of the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) arrangements which operates in local authorities. The Scheme was piloted in Dublin City and Westmeath County Councils in 2013 and rolled out nationally in 2014. In total, 195 LAMTR cases have been completed to date with a significant number of other cases being progressed by local authorities in the context of their operation of the MARP.
The LAMTR scheme is similar to the scheme for borrowers with mortgages from private commercial lending institutions, insofar as it also targets low income families whose mortgage situation is unsustainable and where there is little or no prospect of a significant change in circumstances in the foreseeable future. Both schemes also ensure that the family remains in their home . In the case of LAMTR, ownership of the home is transferred to a local authority, rather than to an Approved Housing Body (AHB) as is the case under the MTR scheme in the private lending sector. Both schemes require the household to be eligible for social housing in order to access to the scheme.
At the end of February 2016, a total of 785 cases were either complete or being actively progressed under the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme for borrowers of private commercial lending institutions. Of these 150 cases had completed all stages of the process. In total, since the introduction of the Scheme in 2012, 3,256 cases had been submitted. There are a variety of reasons why cases have not progressed including the householder’s circumstances improving during the process, no social housing demand in the area, the householder’s income being in excess of the statutory limits for eligibility for social housing, and poor condition of the property. My Department continues to work together with the agencies involved with the Scheme including lenders, to streamline the administrative process and ensure that all potential cases are dealt with speedily and efficiently.
In addition, the package of commitments on mortgage arrears announced by Government in May 2015 included a number of amendments to the Mortgage to Rent Scheme which will enable more properties to qualify, and make it more flexible and accessible to borrowers. Amendments made with effect from July 2015 include raising the valuation thresholds for properties, flexibility in relation to the size of properties, more efficient assessment of a borrower’s eligibility for social housing support and flexibility to allow cases of marginal positive equity to avail of the scheme. Additional financial support has been made available by increasing the ceiling of support under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) for MTR cases from 30% to 40%.
My Department continues to keep the operation of both Mortgage to Rent schemes under review.
541. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how he will alleviate the housing crisis including what he will implement in lieu of modular housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5245/16]
View answerA shortage of supply is at the heart of the current challenges in the housing sector. A number of important measures have been taken already aimed at improving housing viability and increasing supply, through the actions set out in Construction 2020 and the Social Housing Strategy 2020. The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, which commenced in September 2015, introduced a number of reforms in relation to, inter alia, Part V of the Planning and Development Acts; the retrospective application of reduced development contributions; and the introduction of a vacant site levy.
These measures were introduced to incentivise the development of vacant and underutilised sites for housing and regeneration purposes. Together, these legislative provisions are aimed at putting in place structural reforms of planning and land development processes that will support an increase in the output of housing to meet the needs of everyone in Ireland.
Given that these measures will take time to fully impact on supply, a comprehensive suite of shorter-term measures was put in place to improve the operation of the private rental sector and stimulate increased housing supply. Details of the full package of rent stability and housing supply measures, as set out in the document Stabilising Rents, Boosting Supply, are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad%2C43556%2Cen.pdf.
I brought forward two major pieces of legislation to put the key elements of Stabilising Rents, Boosting Supply on a statutory footing, namely:
- The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2015, which strengthens the status of aspects of planning guidelines issued to local authorities on planning matters to ensure their consistent application, particularly in relation to Apartment Standard Guidelines. It also streamlines the process for the making of modifications to Strategic Development Zone planning schemes; and
- The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015, which provides for an increased rent review period from one to two years , increased notice periods for rent reviews and greater protections for both tenants and landlords. These measures will bring much-needed stability to the rental sector pending the coming on-stream of the supply of new housing.
With regard to the supply of social housing, the Social Housing Strategy 2020 provides for clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list with flexibility to meet future demand. In total, 110,000 new social housing units are targeted for delivery with 35,000 new units to be delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies, and 75,000 households to be supported mainly through the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme. The Social Housing Strategy 2020 can be found on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/social_strategy_document_20141126.pdf.
The Social Housing Strategy 2020 and associated funding of €1.7 billion under budgets 2015 and 2016 provided for the delivery of 13,000 social housing units in 2015, under a range of programmes, by local authorities and approved housing bodies. This represents an increase of 86% on the circa 7000 units delivered in 2014. The target for 2016 is again ambitious at 17,000 units.
Evidence that the Strategy is delivering can be found in the report, Social Housing Output in 2015, which I published on 26 January 2016. The report is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/social_housing_output_in_2015_0.pdf.
Moreover, the programme for rapid-delivery of 500 housing units for homeless families across Dublin continues to be implemented to mitigate the issues associated with an increasing volume of homeless families accommodated in inappropriate commercial hotel arrangements.
542. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how many applications were made and how many successful applications were awarded under the Dublin regional executives tenancy protection scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5246/16]
View answer543. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will extend the tenancy protection scheme to areas adjoining, but outside the Dublin regional homeless executive area, which are also excluded from accessing the advice services; when he will implement this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5247/16]
View answer544. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the tenancy protection scheme is permitted to allow tenants to negotiate contracts to remain within their homes where landlords have notified them in terms of rent increases, despite new regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5248/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 542 to 544, inclusive, together.
The Department of Social Protection’s Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol currently operates in Cork and Dublin in conjunction with a local authority funded tenancy protection service; the local authority funded service is provided through the non-governmental organisation Threshold. Under these arrangements, Threshold provides advice and advocacy for tenants who are at risk of losing their homes. When necessary, Threshold may refer the case directly to the Department of Social Protection and that Department may apply a discretionary uplift to Rent Supplement rates, thereby securing the continuation of the tenancy.
While the protocol arrangements are currently only operational in Cork and Dublin, the Department of Social Protection continues to exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis for Rent Supplement clients nationwide under its National Tenancy Sustainment Framework. Under both Tenancy Sustainment arrangements, uplifts have been granted at the discretion of the Department of Social Protection’s Welfare Officers to over 7,100 clients nationwide, with approximately 4,700 of these in the Dublin Region. Operational issues in this regard are a matter for the Department of Social Protection.
My Department is currently working with housing authorities and the Department of Social Protection to extend the Interim Tenancy Sustainment arrangements to certain local authority areas were the most severe rental market pressures have been noted – namely, Galway City Council and Kildare, Meath and Wicklow County Councils. Arrangements for the extension are well advanced and it should be formalised in the very near future.
545. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has approached the National Asset Management Agency in respect of purchasing banks of apartments or houses with a view to resolving the homelessness crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5249/16]
View answerThe National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is already playing an important role in the delivery of social housing. To the end of December 2015, a total of 2,000 residential properties which are part of the security for loans that NAMA has acquired had been secured for social housing use . These comprise 1,426 completed properties and a further 574 that had been contracted and where completion work is on-going. A further 249 properties are considered as being active transactions whereby terms are agreed or active negotiation is on-going , and 341 other properties are to be further appraised for their suitability . Overall, I expect this initiative will result in over 2,200 units being made available for social housing purposes. These and other statistics are available on the website of the Housing Agency at http://www.housing.ie/NAMA. In addition, within the context of its statutory independent commercial mandate, NAMA expects to be in a position to fund the construction of up to 20,000 new residential units, predominantly located in Dublin and the neighbouring counties of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath over the next five years. In line with residential planning and regulatory requirements, developments funded by NAMA are subject to policy relating to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. As such, I expect 10% of the output of this investment by NAMA, or roughly 2,000 units, to become available for social housing. It will also be open to local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to seek to purchase additional units , including blocks or groups of units, within these developments for social housing purposes, with the assistance of one of the capital or current funding programmes available from my Department and subject to the normal criteria for sustainable mixed tenure communities.
My Department will continue to work closely with NAMA to ensure that maximum social housing benefit is gained through NAMA activities.
546. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence concerning liquidation and support for a creditor (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5251/16]
View answerI have no function in relation to the matter of a building firm undergoing liquidation. It is important in such circumstances for creditors to bring any claims to the notice of the appointed liquidator without delay. Under the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2014, primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings. Enforcement of the Building Regulations is a matter for the 31 local building control authorities who have extensive powers of inspection and investigation under the Acts.
While I appreciate the distressing situation that a homeowner has to deal with when faced with the consequences of the use of defective materials or poor workmanship, in general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved, i.e. the homeowner, the builder/developer and/or their respective insurers. Where a structural guarantee is in place, there may be obligations on the guarantee provider if the defects fall within the scope of the guarantee and are within the period of cover which may be up to 10 years. The Owner Management Company of a development may have a role in particular if other apartments in the development are affected. The homeowner may also wish to consider seeking the advice of a legal professional such as the law agent who acted on their behalf in connection with the purchase of the property.
547. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of social housing (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5292/16]
View answerThe most recent statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments was carried out as at 7 May 2013 which showed that there were a total of 4,112 households on the local authority waiting lists for Kerry County Council and the former town councils in the county. These results are available on my Department’s website at:
http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad,34857,en.pdf.
The 2013 figures are the most up-to-date figures available on waiting list numbers. Further summaries of social housing assessments will be carried out on an annual basis from this year and will provide up-to-date and comprehensive data on the numbers of households qualified for social housing support on an on-going basis.
548. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the purchase of social housing (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5303/16]
View answerInformation on social housing units constructed and acquired in respect of all local authorities and approved housing bodies and funded by direct capital investment by my Department, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
Data up to Quarter 3 of 2015 are currently published, including a breakdown across the different categories of delivery for all local authorities. Data for the full 2015 calendar year will be published shortly.
Details in relation to further social housing projects that I have approved, including for Kerry, are also on my Department’s website at the following links:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm .
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,42225,en.htm.
http://www.environ.ie/housing/social-housing/ministers-kelly-coffey-announce-further-1000-social-housing-units.
These new projects that are now in development, to a total national value of almost €680 million for over 3,900 social housing new builds and acquisitions, follow from substantial announcements I made in May 2015, in July 2015 and in January 2016. These mean that there is now a strong pipeline of new social housing construction, acquisition and turnkey approvals in place, including some €20 million for 122 new units for Kerry.
With regard to land in the ownership of Kerry County Council that is suitable for social housing, the Housing Agency, in consultation with my Department and local authorities, is updating data and developing a detailed database and GIS map of all local authority owned lands, as well as the Land Aggregation Scheme lands, showing their location, size, boundaries and other information. This map will be up-dated over the course of the Social Housing Strategy to record the development and use of these lands.
In addition, in 2014, my Department, in conjunction with local authority planning departments, carried out a national survey of all lands zoned for residential development in statutory local authority development plans and local area plans across Ireland. This exercise, the Residential Land Availability Study determined the location and quantity of lands, including those in the Kerry County Council area, that may be regarded as being undeveloped and available for residential development purposes at 31 March 2014. The Residential Land Availability Study is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Planning/FileDownLoad%2C40214%2Cen.pdf.
550. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify a situation whereby a person who is non-judicially separated from a partner can apply for local authority housing (details supplied). [5311/16]
View answerUnder section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and Regulation 22(1) of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, a household is ineligible for social housing support if a member owns alternative accommodation, to the household’s current accommodation, that is suitable for the household to live in. Regulation 22(2) of the 2011 Regulations provides that this ineligibility does not apply where an applicant for social housing support owns accommodation that is occupied by his or her spouse, from whom he or she is formally separated or divorced. Under the enactment, a deed of separation is sufficient to set aside this ineligibility ground and it is not necessary to await judicial separation or divorce to get a decision on social housing support in these cases. The rationale for this exception is that the terms of a formal separation or divorce will provide for the future ownership and occupation of the family home and it will be clear whether the household that has left the family home can return to live there.
In order to provide more flexibility to housing authorities to deal with cases where the ownership of the family home had not yet been finalised, the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 amended section 20 of the 2009 Act. Housing authorities may now provide such households with social housing support under the Rental Accommodation Scheme or the Housing Assistance Payment scheme until ownership of the family home is resolved in a formal separation or divorce settlement.
The 2014 Act amendment provides that support in these circumstances will be reviewed by the housing authority at prescribed intervals and the household will not be able to transfer to other forms of social housing support while ownership of the family home remains to be determined. However, where the household ultimately qualifies for the full range of social housing supports, the length of time the household was supported under RAS or HAP will be reckonable for the purposes of determining the household’s relative priority for a transfer.
551. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of vacancies which exist within his Department for candidates who must display competence in the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5433/16]
View answerThere are currently no vacancies within my Department for which candidates must display competence in the Irish language.
552. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress in creating a new support scheme for renewable energy from a micro-generation perspective; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4719/16]
View answerThe first public consultation on the design of a new renewable electricity support scheme was published in July 2015. The initial phase of this consultation process, which closed on 18 September 2015, was designed to review the technology options that may be supported by any new scheme. There will be additional public consultation phases in 2016, which will explore the potential design and implementation options for the structure of the support scheme. These consultation phases will give interested parties further opportunities to participate in the development of the support scheme. Details will be advertised on the Department’s website www.dcenr.gov.ie. It is expected that the new scheme will be announced towards the end of this year subject to Government approval and State aid clearance from the European Commission.
In so far as microgeneration is concerned, the Energy White Paper 'Ireland's Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future 2015-2030', published on 16 December 2015, sets out a high-level framework for Ireland's energy transition to a low carbon economy and society and identifies a range of measures and actions to support this aim. One key action is to explore the scope to provide market support for microgeneration. This will be informed by an analysis which has been completed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) of the potential of technologies in the field of small-scale wind, solar, micro-CHP and small-scale hydro.
553. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the 14 rural areas (details supplied) in County Carlow that were promised high speed broadband in 2014. [4774/16]
View answer554. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when Tullow town and the surrounding area in County Carlow will receive a quality broadband service. [4775/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 553 and 554 together.
The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.
The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services in the last four years, and is continuing to invest. These very significant investments represent a step change in the quality of broadband services available.
On the 22 December 2015, I formally launched the procurement process for the State Intervention to provide high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland that may not be served through commercial investment. The formal procurement commenced with the publication of the Project Information Memorandum and the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. In addition, my Department also published:
- the National Intervention Strategy – updated in December 2015, which takes account of responses to the public consultation which took place in July 2015 and subsequent expert analysis; and
- the High Speed Broadband Map 2020 which follows ongoing engagement with industry and public consultation.
The Intervention strategy sets out a detailed service specification including a requirement that the State-funded network must be capable of delivering high-quality, high speed broadband of at least 30 Mbps download and 6 Mbps upload. It must also be capable of catering for higher performance in the future so as to keep pace with consumer demand. It is therefore a matter for bidders to select the technology which will show how they propose to meet these contractual requirements.
The 2020 map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours, BLUE and AMBER.
The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. My Department continues to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area to ensure that High Speed Broadband is delivered.
The areas marked AMBER represent the target areas for the proposed State intervention and will be a matter for discussion with bidders during the NBP procurement process which is currently in train.
Members of the public can see whether their individual premise is in the BLUE or AMBER area by inserting their Eircode, and/ or address, or scrolling through the map.
The specific information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
|
County |
Name |
Townland |
Premises currently expected to be covered by State intervention under NBP |
Existing and Planned commercial High Speed Broadband |
|
Tullow Town |
Tullowbeg Tullowphelim |
1% 4% |
99% 96% |
|
|
Ballinabrannagh |
Ballinabrannagh |
100% |
||
|
Ballymurphy |
Ballymurphy (St Mullin’s Lower By) |
100% |
|
|
|
Bilboa |
Clogrenan |
100% |
|
|
|
Clonmore |
Rathvilly By |
100% |
|
|
|
Corries Cross |
Corries or Corry More |
100% |
|
|
|
Hacketstown |
Hacketstown Lr |
100% |
|
|
|
Kernanstown |
Kernanstown |
3% |
97% |
|
|
Kilbride |
Kilbride Knockdoorish |
100% 100% |
|
|
|
Myshall |
Myshall |
100% |
|
|
|
Nurney |
Nurney |
100% |
|
|
|
Palatine |
Knockbane |
100% |
|
|
|
Rathoe |
Rathoe |
100% |
|
|
|
St Mullins |
Glebe (St Mullins Lower By) |
100% |
|
|
|
Carlow |
The Ridge |
Ridge |
100% |
|
The intention is to build out the network in the AMBER area as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be achieved within 3-5 years of the contract award.
In this context, the NBP proposes that through the combination of commercial investment and State intervention, 85% of addresses in Ireland will have access to high speed services by 2018, with all addresses passed by 2020.
555. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the Government's national broadband plan in relation to the roll-out of infrastructure in County Sligo, County Leitrim and in the surrounding areas; when households will receive access to faster broadband in these areas which currently have no access; if he will speed up the overall project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4839/16]
View answerThe Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services in the last four years, and is continuing to invest. These very significant investments represent a step change in the quality of broadband services available.
On the 22 December 2015, I formally launched the procurement process for the State Intervention to provide high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland that may not be served through commercial investment. The formal procurement commenced with the publication of the Project Information Memorandum and the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. In addition, my Department also published:
- the National Intervention Strategy – updated in December 2015, which takes account of responses to the public consultation which took place in July 2015 and subsequent expert analysis; and
- the High Speed Broadband Map 2020 which follows ongoing engagement with industry and public consultation.
The 2020 Map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours, BLUE and AMBER. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. The areas marked AMBER represent the target areas for the proposed State intervention. Members of the public can see whether their individual premise is in the BLUE or AMBER area by inserting their Eircode, and/or address, or scrolling through the map. The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including Counties Leitrim and Sligo.
The map shows the extent of the High Speed Broadband deployments by commercial operators, indicating that 70% of addresses in Ireland fall to be covered by commercial operators while the remaining 30% represents the target for the proposed State intervention.
The Intervention strategy sets out a detailed service specification including a requirement that the State-funded network must be capable of delivering high-quality, high speed broadband of at least 30 Mbps download and 6 Mbps upload. It must also be capable of catering for higher performance in the future so as to keep pace with consumer demand.
The intention is to build out the network in the AMBER area as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be achieved within 3-5 years of the contract award.
In this context, the NBP proposes that through the combination of commercial investment and State intervention, 85% of addresses in Ireland will have access to high speed services by 2018, with all addresses passed by 2020.
556. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he plans to install broadband in an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4908/16]
View answer557. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will install broadband in an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4936/16]
View answer558. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will install broadband in an area (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4945/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 556 to 558, inclusive, together.
The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.
The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services in the last four years, and is continuing to invest. These very significant investments represent a step change in the quality of broadband services available.
On the 22 December 2015, I formally launched the procurement process for the State Intervention to provide high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland that may not be served through commercial investment. The formal procurement commenced with the publication of the Project Information Memorandum and the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. In addition, my Department also published:
- the National Intervention Strategy – updated in December 2015, which takes account of responses to the public consultation which took place in July 2015 and subsequent expert analysis; and
- the High Speed Broadband Map 2020 which follows ongoing engagement with industry and public consultation.
The 2020 map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours, BLUE and AMBER.
The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
The areas marked AMBER represent the target areas for the proposed State intervention and includes Behenagh in the townland of Ed Knocknagoshel, Kilderry, South Milltown in the townland of Kilderry South, and the townland of Muckross, County Kerry. Members of the public can see whether their individual premise is in the BLUE or AMBER area by inserting their Eircode, and/or address, or scrolling through the map. The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including County Kerry.
The map shows the extent of the High Speed Broadband deployments by commercial operators, indicating that 70% of addresses in Ireland fall to be covered by commercial operators while the remaining 30% represents the target for the proposed State intervention.
The Intervention strategy sets out a detailed service specification including a requirement that the State-funded network must be capable of delivering high-quality, high speed broadband of at least 30 Mbps download and 6 Mbps upload. It must also be capable of catering for higher performance in the future so as to keep pace with consumer demand.
The intention is to build out the network in the AMBER area as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be achieved within 3-5 years of the contract award.
In this context, the NBP proposes that through the combination of commercial investment and State intervention, 85% of addresses in Ireland will have access to high speed services by 2018, with all addresses passed by 2020.
