Written Answers Nos. 127-132
127. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of households, persons and children in emergency accommodation for more than six months, 12 months, 18 months, two years, four years and five years, in tabular form. [9238/16]
View answerMy 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 homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities. My Department has no function in relation to operational issues or the collation of the data requested in the Question, which are a matter for the relevant housing authorities.
However, lead housing authorities provide monthly reports on homelessness, through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), which identify the number of people utilising State-funded emergency accommodation on a regional and county basis. These monthly reports are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/SpecialNeeds/HomelessPeople/ .
128. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the social housing new build projects he has agreed, but which have not yet been completed, by unit, by size and by number of bedrooms in tabular form. [9239/16]
View answerFollowing the announcement I made on social housing targets in April last year, to be delivered by all local authorities via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes and supported by over €1.5 billion in funding allocations, I have since approved substantial new social housing projects in May 2015, July 2015 and January 2016.
Between these three major announcements, almost €680 million has been allocated for over 3,900 social housing units, mainly via new construction projects and also including turnkey developments and acquisitions. Details of these project approvals 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.
The number of new social units planned with each of these individual projects is set out in the details I have announced. Detail such as the number of bedrooms being provided in a particular scheme is not listed as the detailed design of each build development is the responsibility of the local authority or approved housing body implementing the project and is subject to adjustment as they advance their planning work in line with local social housing need.
Overall, I am keen that these new announced projects are advanced as soon as possible and I have assured local authorities that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard.
129. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if involuntary long-term homelessness will be brought to an end by the end of 2016, as committed to in the Government's February 2013 homeless policy statement. [9240/16]
View answerWhilst there is a necessary focus at the moment on providing suitable emergency accommodation for homeless families currently in hotels, the Government is fully committed to ending long-term involuntary homelessness by the end of 2016 through the housing-led approach articulated in the Government’s 2013 Homelessness Policy Statement and through the detailed measures set out in the Government's Implementation Plan on the State's Response to Homelessness (May 2014) and in the Action Plan to Address Homelessness (December 2014).
Substantial progress has been made in implementing these plans. Progress updates are provided to the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform and these progress updates are made publicly available on my Department's website. Given the extensive range of actions involved, it is not possible to outline the full range of progress made on implementation. However, some of the measures successfully implemented to date include the public awareness campaigns that have been implemented by the Dublin housing authorities, the Department of Social Protection and the Private Residential Tenancies Board designed to better inform tenants in private rented accommodation of their rights; the tenancy sustainment arrangements in relation to Rent Supplement operated by the Department of Social Protection; and the introduction of the pilot Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) for Homeless households in the Dublin region.
My Department will continue to pursue the full implementation of the range of measures designed to achieve the Government’s commitment to end long-term involuntary homelessness by end-2016, working in partnership with other relevant Government Departments and public bodies.
130. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will proceed with annual housing needs assessments from 2016; and the additional resources he is making available to local authorities to deal with the significant administrative burden this will involve for them. [9241/16]
View answerThe Social Housing Strategy 2020 – Support, Supply and Reform, published by the Government in November 2014, included a commitment to undertake summaries of social housing assessments on an annual basis from 2016. Arrangements to carry out the 2016 summary, which will provide updated figures of national housing need later this year, are well advanced.
I am aware of the level of work involved on the part of housing authorities in carrying out statutory summaries. In order to assist authorities in undertaking the 2016 summary, it is intended that they will have sufficient time to review their files and upload their returns. In addition, my Department and the Housing Agency will issue detailed guidance to all housing authorities on the summary process and host a number of information sessions to outline the process and to address any queries authorities may wish to raise. My Department is also examining the format of summaries to be carried out post 2016, with the aim of streamlining the reporting requirements for housing authorities.
Sanction has been granted for 420 housing staff to be recruited by local authorities and it is open to local authorities to seek any further sanction from my Department if they require additional staff for housing. Each staffing request is examined on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints.
131. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of staff and full-time equivalents working in local authority housing departments, by local authority in tabular form. [9242/16]
View answer132. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of staff and full-time equivalents working in local authority homeless sections by local authority in tabular form. [9243/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.
My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered does not provide detail in respect of numbers working in the housing departments or homeless sections within each local authority and accordingly the information requested is not available in my Department.
