Written Answers Nos. 145-150
145. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for an extension to a house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8703/16]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller accommodation programmes in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. My Department, therefore, has no function in relation to individual cases, such as that set out in the Question, which is a matter for the relevant housing authority, in this case Kerry County Council.
146. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he will make a decision on the allocation of funding to Limerick City and County Council under the 2016 social housing capital investment acquisition of properties for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8704/16]
View answerIn April last year, I announced over €1.5 billion in funding allocations in respect of social housing to be provided by all local authorities via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes. Those allocations and associated targets for each local authority, including Limerick, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/social-housing/minsters-kelly-coffey-announce-eu15-billion-social-housing-targets-local.
Following this notification of targets, I made announcements for substantial new social housing projects in May 2015, in July 2015 and in January 2016. Between these three announcements, almost €680 million has been allocated for over 3,900 social housing new builds, turnkey developments and acquisitions. Details of these project approvals, including those for Limerick, are available 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.
I am keen that local authorities advance these projects as soon as possible and have assured them that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard. While social housing construction projects are being advanced, acquisitions of new and second-hand houses and apartments remains an effective means of meeting immediate social housing need. In 2015, Limerick City and County Council secured the purchase of 33 housing units. The Council has been assured of funding support in 2016 for an ambitious programme of acquisitions and I understand that this programme is currently underway. The level of funding to be provided to the Council in 2016 will therefore depend on their advancement of acquisitions, construction and other projects.
147. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of restoring Leader funding (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8750/16]
View answerSome €250m will be provided to support the development of sustainable rural communities under the new LEADER Programme 2014-2020. The Programme will complement other supports being provided by my Department to support rural Ireland including, for example, the new REDZ and village renewal schemes. I am satisfied that these supports, targeted in a co-ordinated and integrated way, will help us meet the challenges currently facing our rural areas.
Under the LEADER Programme, funding will be distributed to communities by local action groups in line with approved LEADER local development strategies. These strategies are currently being evaluated and selected by an Independent Selection Committee established for this purpose.
As the value of the new Programme is less than the 2007-2013 LEADER Programme, allocations under the new Programme have inevitably reduced. Three objective criteria were used to determine allocations, namely, minimum allocation, population density and a Resource Allocation Model (RAM). The methodology was designed to ensure that funding was weighted appropriately towards the most rural populations and those experiencing most rural disadvantage. I believe the methodology was fair and consistent, and secured a fair and proportionate share of the funding available for all LEADER areas. In this context, €10.2m has been allocated to Kerry under the Programme, some 30% higher than the average allocation.
I have no plans to revisit LEADER allocations at this stage.
149. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how he is monitoring new applicants on the local authority housing list in County Louth who are in this position as a result of house repossessions and notice to quit from landlords; the action he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8785/16]
View answerThe assessment of applications for social housing support, and the management of the lists of qualified households, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. The prescribed application form for such support requires applicants to provide certain information on their current and previous accommodation, including whether they received a notice to quit or an eviction notice in respect of their current accommodation and the reasons for leaving previous accommodation. My Department does not collate day-to-day information on the number of applications made to each local authority nor the specific contents thereof.
Statutory Summaries of Social Housing Assessments are carried out at regular intervals and they provide information on the number of households on local authority housing waiting lists. Only those households which have been assessed as being eligible and in need of such support following the carrying out of the prescribed application process by the relevant housing authority are placed on the list.
The most recent summary, carried out as at 7 May 2013, provided details on the number of households categorised as having a housing need due to an unsustainable mortgage; details of the 2013 Housing Needs Assessment are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.ie/News/Current-News/18-12-13-Summary-of-Social-Housing-Assessments-201.pdf.
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, including the level of households which have a housing need arising from unsustainable mortgages.
150. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to investigate an issue (details supplied) in relation to a fixed line service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8726/16]
View answerThe Commission for Communications Regulations (ComReg), the independent market regulator, has imposed a universal service obligation (USO) on eircom Limited (trading as “eir”) to provide a connection to its network, which is capable of providing basic telephony services, including voice, fax and basic data access, if requested, at any fixed address in Ireland.
Any complaint that eir has not complied with its universal service obligation in any particular case should be addressed directly to ComReg, which is independent in the exercise of its function in accordance with a requirement of section 11 of the Communications Regulations Act 2002.
I have no statutory authority to participate in ComReg’s investigation of any complaint that eir has failed to perform its USO in any particular case or in any subsequent prosecution by ComReg of any related offence. I will however bring this matter to the attention of ComReg.
