Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Written Answers Nos. 194-214

School Transport Availability

Questions (194)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

194. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills why a school bus service is not available for a school (details supplied) with delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, status, given that over 28 of the pupils are travelling from a distance of not less than 3.2 km from their residence, they are all attending their nearest national school, the number includes the minimum number of ten children living in a distinct locality, thus meeting all the necessary criteria for a school bus service from Knocknacarra and Clybaun to the school, and yet Bus Éireann has confirmed that it cannot provide such a service unless directed by him to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11741/16]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The purpose of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

Under the terms of this scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann has advised that children residing in the area referred to by the Deputy are unlikely to be eligible for school transport to the school in question as it is not their nearest national school. They have also confirmed that no applications for school transport have been received from the families concerned for the 2016/17 school year.

Families who wish to avail of school transport and have their eligibility status assessed should, in the first instance, apply for school transport at buseireann.ie.

School Placement

Questions (195)

Andrew Doyle

Question:

195. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if sufficient school places are available to accommodate all the students who are to start junior infants in Greystones in September 2016; the number of children who do not have a place; and if he will provide an extra class if needed in one of the eight primary schools in the Greystones and Delgany area of County Wicklow. [11776/16]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department, in conjunction with the Patron of one of the schools in Greystones, has recently approved the development of a second stream at the school. This approval facilitates enrolment of an additional Junior Infants class from September 2016 onwards and my Department has approved additional interim accommodation to cater for this development.

The Deputy will be aware that a building project for the provision of a new primary school in Greystones, is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme announced last November. It is envisaged that this project will proceed to tender/construction in 2018, as outlined in the Programme.

The question of enrolment in individual schools, including the schools in Greystones/Delgany, is the responsibility of the managerial authority of each school. My Department does not therefore hold information relating to enrolment matters in the schools.

Questions Nos. 196 to 198, inclusive, answered with Question No. 164.

School Funding

Questions (199)

Martin Kenny

Question:

199. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Skills to issue the final letter of terms and conditions to a school (details supplied) in County Leitrim to facilitate getting the works under way. [11792/16]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that an approval letter outlining the terms and conditions of the grant in question will issue to the school this week.

School Transport

Questions (200, 204)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

200. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to a parliamentary reply in which the Bus Éireann auditors stated "the statement of account has been prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the summary of accounting arrangements relating to the transport scheme for primary and post-primary school children, dated 1 January 1975", his views on whether Bus Éireann's methodology of charging for maintenance charges is in accordance with the 1975 agreement. [11802/16]

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

204. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to page 99 of the Farrell Grant Sparks report of 2009 which states with regard to Bus Éireann charges for maintenance of school buses that the apportionment basis is calculated on the ratio of the school bus fleet to total bus fleet, if this means that this is a different method of charging from the summary of accounting arrangements relating to the transport scheme for primary and post-primary school children, dated 1 January 1975, which provides for charges based on mileage; and the year from which the apportionment basis based on the ratio of buses came into effect. [11884/16]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 204 together.

The comment referred to by the Deputy on page 99 of the Farrell Grant Sparks Report (2009) is contained in a section entitled "Commentary of Associated Maintenance Staff Number", discussing the apportionment basis for maintenance staff numbers between the Road Passenger and School Transport fleet.

I am satisfied with the finding of the independent external auditors that the financial information of Bus Éireann's School Transport Scheme is prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the Summary of Accounting Arrangements relating to the Transport Scheme for Primary and Post-Primary School Children dated 1 January 1975, and includes maintenance charges.

State Examinations

Questions (201)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Question:

201. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills how he is ensuring that students sitting State examinations are treated in a fair and equitable manner with regard to reasonable accommodations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11816/16]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Currently the SEC operates a Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Leaving and Junior Certificate examinations for candidates with special needs in the examinations. The Scheme applies to candidates who have a physical or medical disability, including visual and hearing impairments, or a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia is one such specific learning difficulty). All applications for reasonable accommodations are considered within a published Framework of Principles established by an Expert Advisory Group.

The Board of the SEC is currently undertaking a review of the operation of the RACE Scheme. As part of this review the SEC is considering the recent High Court Judicial Review findings referred to by the Deputy. Following the review the SEC will develop proposals and plans for any changes to the RACE Scheme it considers necessary.

Reasonable accommodations are intended to:

(a) to remove, as far as possible, the impact of the disability on the candidate's performance and thus enable the candidate to demonstrate his or her level of attainment and

(b) to ensure that, whilst giving candidates every opportunity to demonstrate their level of attainment, the special arrangements will not give the candidate an unfair advantage over other candidates in the same examination.

The SEC has an Independent Appeals Committee to which applicants, if they are not satisfied with the accommodations provided or denied, may appeal to.

In addition, applicants when not satisfied with the decision of the Independent Appeals Committee may apply to the Ombudsman or the Ombudsman for Children to consider their complaint.

School Catchment Areas

Questions (202)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Question:

202. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills to review the data on demographics in south County Kildare on the requirement for an additional secondary level school there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11817/16]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Social Protection together with information from my Department's school databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed. The outcome of the latest demographic exercise was that in November 2015, the establishment of 13 new schools to open nationwide in 2017 and 2018 was announced.

With the addition of both planned and recently delivered infrastructural provision in areas in South Kildare, the existing schools should between them be able to cater for the overall level of demographic demand for post-primary school places. The announcement in November also highlighted announced that a range of areas nationwide are experiencing demographic pressures and would be kept under review. In this regard, the school planning areas in south County Kildare are being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated child benefit data and enrolment data and also the impact of existing and planned capacity increases to schools in these areas.

School Curriculum

Questions (203)

Jack Chambers

Question:

203. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills to include cardiopulmonary resuscitation education in the junior certificate curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11853/16]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The curriculum in second level schools meets an extensive range of needs in catering for the cognitive, emotional, imaginative, aesthetic, social, physical and moral development of students, and in preparing them for the demands of citizenship, lifelong learning and social and economic participation.

The Social Personal and Health Education curriculum, which is currently mandatory for junior cycle students, is focused on promoting the health and well-being of children, including their personal safety. Teachers can include CPR/first-aid in their SPHE programme but it is not a mandatory requirement.

Schools are encouraged to engage actively with community groups and a wide range of stakeholders to provide for extra-curricular learning opportunities. Many schools invite organisations such as the Red Cross or the Order of Malta to provide some first aid training or to give talks to students.

Under the new Junior Cycle, the curriculum will be made up of a combination of full subjects and short courses. Short courses are designed for 100 hours of engagement over the three years of junior cycle. Some short courses have been designed centrally by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and others by schools themselves or other bodies, using the template provided by the NCCA.

It is therefore open to a school or other body to develop a short course in first aid training, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for use in schools. Further details on how to develop a short course for Junior Cycle can be accessed at the following link: http://www.juniorcycle.ie/Planning/Short-Course-Development.

Question No. 204 answered with Question No. 200.

Social and Affordable Housing

Questions (205)

Jim Daly

Question:

205. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his role in ensuring an adequate supply of social housing is available to approved social housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11798/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

Housing is an absolute priority for this Government and, accordingly, a key priority of the Programme for a Partnership Government, which can be accessed at the link below, is the preparation and publication of an ‘Action Plan for Housing’ within the Government’s first 100 days. The Action Plan will be drafted with input from a number of key Departments, and will draw on the work of the Special Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness, which is due to submit a final report to the Dáil on 17 June 2016. http://www.merrionstreet.ie/MerrionStreet/en/ImageLibrary/Programme for_Partnership_Government.pdf.

With regard to the delivery of social housing, the ‘Action Plan for Housing’ will build on the momentum achieved to date under the Social Housing Strategy 2020 (November 2014), which 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 is available on my Department’s website at the following link:

http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/social_strategy_document_20141126.pdf.

The Strategy has been supported with funding of €1.7 billion under Budgets 2015 and 2016 providing for the delivery of 13,000 social housing units in 2015, representing an increase of 86% on the circa 7,000 units delivered in 2014. The target for 2016 is 17,000 units and I am committed to meeting that target and my ambition is to exceed it, if possible.

Importantly, with capital project announcements in May and July 2015, and in January 2016, local authorities and approved housing bodies now have a strong pipeline of construction, turnkey and acquisition projects, which will deliver some 3,900 homes, with approved budget costs of some €680 million.

A full report on actions delivered under the Strategy in 2015 can be found in the Social Housing Output in 2015 report. The report, which was published on 26 January 2016, in collaboration with the Housing Agency, 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.

Additional data on the breakdown of output, across all social housing delivery programmes, by local authority in 2015, is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1a2-sh-2015-brkdn_1.xlsx.

Rental Accommodation Scheme

Questions (206)

John Curran

Question:

206. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how he can assist landlords involved in the rental accommodation scheme (details supplied) who are having difficulties in getting insurance cover, due to the fact that the landlord does not directly vet the tenants. [11819/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Minister for Finance is responsible for the legal framework governing financial regulation. The provision of insurance cover and the price at which it is offered is a commercial matter for insurance companies and is based on an assessment of the risks they are accepting and adequate provisioning to meet those risks.

As a matter of course, my Department together with local authorities monitors current market issues that may affect the operation of the variety of social housing schemes that it administers. In cases where individuals are experiencing difficulties in obtaining insurance, I would advise them to contact Insurance Ireland which operates free insurance information for those who have queries or complaints, or experiencing difficulties in relation to acquiring insurance. That service can be contacted at 01 6761914 or by email at [e-mail].

I will ensure this matter is kept under review. As part of the development of the Government’s Action Plan for Housing, I am committed to examining a range of proposals designed to overcome barriers to increasing the supply of private rented accommodation for tenancies provided to households with a long-term social housing need.

Traveller Accommodation

Questions (207, 232)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

207. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount he has allocated to spend on Traveller accommodation in 2016. [12026/16]

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

232. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding his Department provided to local authorities for Traveller-specific accommodation, and the amount drawn down and the number of tenancies this supported, by local authority, for each of the years 2008 to 2016 to date, in tabular form. [11536/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 232 together.

In 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 (TAPs) 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.

The first three TAPs covered the periods 2000-2004, 2005-2008 and 2009-2013. Local authorities adopted the fourth and current round of TAPs in April 2014, with the five-year rolling programmes running from 2014 to 2018. These programmes provide a road map for local authority investment priorities over the period. They also form the basis for the allocation of funding from my Department for traveller accommodation. Local authorities submit proposals for individual traveller specific projects and developments, which are assessed on a case-by-case basis in my Department in advance of allocations being made.

The capital allocations and amounts recouped in respect of Traveller specific accommodation for the years 2008 to 2015 are set out in tables 1 and 2 below. The outputs with regard to the number of tenancies are set out in table 3 below.

A provision of €5.5m for Traveller specific accommodation is in place for 2016, an increase of €1.2m on the 2015 allocation, and allocations will be made very shortly.

Table 1:Allocations 2008-2015

County Council	Allocation 2008 €	Allocation 2009 €	Allocation 2010 €	Allocation 2011 €	Allocation 2012 €	Allocation 2013 €	Allocation 2014 €	Allocation 2015 €
Carlow	300,000	400,000	420,000	50,000	0	0	0	0
Cavan	150,000	20,000	30,000	10,000	0	0	0	0
Clare	2,000,000	2,350,000	1,900,000	500,000	300,000	343,450	181,976	37,000
Cork	1,900,000	650,000	930,000	425,000	300,000	110,000	0	149,000
Donegal	350,000	100,000	70,000	25,000	300,000	88,000	0	0
South Dublin	8,000,000	5,224,500	3,610,000	600,000	250,000	50,000	24,750	0
Fingal	4,000,000	4,200,000	5,000,000	700,000	150,000	115,000	222,575	645,000
Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown	2,000,000	1,000,000	750,000	750,000	313,150	160,000	8,793	0
Galway	1,200,00	805,500	600,000	100,000	500,000	190,000	0	0
Kerry	450,000	1,080,000	100,000	400,000	23,249	0	99,571	4,550
Kildare	450,000	500,000	1,100,000	200,000	30,000	113,000	300,000	200,000
Kilkenny	250,000	500,000	1,200,000	450,000	60,000	0	450,000	551,626
Laois	0	50,000	220,000	200,000	530,000	659,000	0	0
Leitrim	200,000	200,000	180,000	80,000	0	0	0	0
Limerick	700,000	650,000	100,000	200,000	134,400	29,110	0	*
Longford	250,000	800,000	750,000	0	0	0	0	78,000
Louth	100,000	750,000	515,000	235,000	150,000	155,000	0	0
Mayo	100,000	750,000	500,000	30,000	136,850	0	0	0
Meath	600,000	3,000,000	2,800,000	1,500,000	78,133	220,000	0	0
Monaghan	500,000	400,000	0	0	0	0	0	0
Offaly	1,250,000	95,000	110,000	400,000	0	0	70,000	3,069
Roscommon	400,000	500,000	900,000	495,000	373,587	427,000	54,000	19,622
Sligo	350,000	900,000	500,000	500,000	18,090	8,000	0	0
South Tipperary	950,000	500,000	500,000	250,000	27,641	0	0	*
Tipperary	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	800,000
Waterford	0	0	0		0	0	0	*
Westmeath	600,000	150,000	75,000	150,000	46,452	0	0	95,000
Wexford	700,000	200,000	300,000	100,000	285,000	150,000	105,901	0
Wicklow	200,000	600,000	300,000	600,000	550,000	108,300	0	63,097
City Council
Cork	200,000	100,000	40,000		62,000	0	256,687	800,000
Dublin	5,000,000	3,000,000	1,450,000	1,350,000	50,000	420,000	407,500	366,299
Galway	1,500,000	1,000,000	1,000,000	550,000	360,000	159,000	75,127	0
Limerick	5,000,000	400,000	1,000,000	1,150,000	250,000	295,000	350,000	7,500
Waterford	550,000	700,000	1,500,000	500,000	252,240	25,000	0	413,347)
Reserve**	n/a	3,000,000	5,000,000	2,000,000	329,700	48,540	39,464	66,890
TOTAL	40,000,000	35,000,000	35,000,000	15,000,000	6,000,000	4,000,000	3,000,000	4,300,000

* Limerick City & County Council merged 2014

* Tipperary County Councils merged in 2014

* Waterford City & County Councils merged 2014

** A portion of the overall capital allocation was held in reserve by the Department over the period 2009 – 2015 for the purposes of recouping to local authorities the purchase cost of houses which were required to meet the accommodation needs of Traveller families in specific instances.

Table 2: Recouped 2008-2015

County Council	Recouped 2008 €	Recouped 2009 €	Recouped 2010 €	Recouped 2011 €	Recouped 2012 €	Recouped 2013 €	Recouped 2014 €	Recouped 2015 €
Carlow	52,523	194,602	91,116	26,146	305,156	0	0	0
Cavan	102,043	18,842	0	6,356	0	57,412	0	0
Clare	4,443,487	2,710,533	544,603	481,387	183,281	248,290	250,613	0
Cork	349,390	72,308	500,559	10,132	171,103	148,865	15,322	0
Donegal	895,372	110,492	24,782	61,669	233,500	0	3,175	4,750
South Dublin	8,076,654	5,004,727	1,749,905	258,852	140,123	81,277	46,978	0
Fingal	1,171,907	2,335,136	2,860,494	0	0	55,000	424,754	1,058,425
Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown	1,450,782	404,627	65,263	330,349	155,051	204,352	23,986	1,592,429
Galway	1,206,899	634,516	185,830	292,947	0	138,840	0	0
Kerry	71,346	177,543	372,021	600,578	17,067	11,025	144,415	3,810
Kildare	183,538	220,000	0	0	30,000	148,352	0	0
Kilkenny	82,089	0	698,431	501,263	640	94,974	287,239	397,577
Laois	600	45,000	0	3,810	218,481	675,028	60,262	30,600
Leitrim	201,260	101,230	86,723	14,234	0	0	0	65,975
Limerick	581,787	341,977	0	81,600	98,400	31,760	***	***
Longford	0	120,768	0	0	0	0	25,000	88,966
Louth	15,236	24,997	331,874	504,109	239,508	155,000	0	7,620
Mayo	142,180	334,390	645,218	38,503	3,810	0	3,810	0
Meath	614,797	300,747	2,771,429	1,796,295	63,560	255,626	0	0
Monaghan	270,692	714,957	691,044	197,925	0	0	0	0
North Tipperary	254,202	365,080	659,924	174,323	46,947	244,346	***	***
Offaly	172,405	499,914	107,248	406,902	0	50,377	73,760	85,000
Roscommon	495,704	85,640	809,255	269,689	0	393,184	96,126	0
Sligo	489,749	265,397	513,481	624,885	17,225	9,700	0	0
South Tipperary	1,474,140	1,017,386	59,617	445,623	190,000	1,275	***	***
Tipperary	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	291,874	23,142
Waterford	12,634	97,303	0	0	0	0	***	***
Westmeath	807,678	17,745	210,000	174,718	48,655	0	0	0
Wexford	1,014,929	73,335	385,119	111,422	172,552	150,000	328,733	30,906
City Council
Cork	110,621	5,000	44,500	40,500	70,500	17,500	206,913	427,304
Dublin	1,085,968	1,441,543	389,146	433,099	287,402	465,000	481,693	99,162
Galway	2,107,520	764,310	707,431	135,328	391,250	0	72,241	62,150
Limerick	6,533,205	149,214	353,681	329,341	50,106	264,310	249,987	68,923
Waterford	0	614,557	250,000	503,019	259,846	76,756	9,769	0
TOTAL	35,000,000	19,601,975	16,108,693	9,314,910	4,000,000	4,142,933	3,163,688	4,074,630

***Limerick City & County Council merged 2014

***Tipperary County Councils merged in 2014

***Waterford City & County Councils merged 2014

Table 3: Outputs 2008-2015

LOCAL AUTHORITY	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
CARLOW CO. CO.	2	5	7	0	1	0	0	0
CAVAN CO. CO.	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
CLARE CO. CO.	6	18	7	0	0	0	0	0
CORK City Council	0	0	0	0	12	0	5	6
CORK County	6	4	2	0	1	3	0	0
DONEGAL CO. CO.	7	0	0	2	1	0	1	1
DUBLIN City Council	2	2	14	34	9	7	0	7
DÚN LAOGHAIRE-RATHDOWN	1	6	0	2	1	3	2	13
FINGAL CO.CO.	0	10	20	0	0	0	1	12
SOUTH DUBLIN CO. CO.	49	31	1	8	4	1	2	0
GALWAY City Council	0	20	1	0	1	0	1	2
GALWAY CO. CO.	8	6	0	14	0	2	1	0
KERRY CO. CO.	0	14	1	1	0	0	0	1
KILDARE CO. CO.	6	1	0	0	0	3	1	0
KILKENNY CO. CO.	0	0	3	3	0	0	1	6
LAOIS CO. CO.	0	1	0	0	1	7	7	3
LEITRIM CO. CO.	14	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
LIMERICK City and County	12	1	0	8	2	6	0	4
LONGFORD CO CO.	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3
LOUTH CO. CO.	0	0	2	3	0	2	1	2
MAYO CO. CO.	5	0	0	5	0	0	0	0
MEATH CO. CO.	7	0	24	38	1	0	1	0
MONAGHAN CO. CO.	20	0	12	1	0	0	0	0
OFFALY CO.CO.	14	0	9	0	0	0	0	1
ROSCOMMON CO. CO.	0	0	3	0	0	3	7	0
SLIGO CO. CO.	7	2	4	4	4	0	0	0
TIPPERARY CO. Cos	13	2	9	3	6	4	5	2
WATERFORD City Council	0	1	0	0	8	0	0	0
WESTMEATH CO. CO.	13	0	1	3	1	0	0	0
WEXFORD CO. CO.	7	0	3	2	0	2	2	1
WICKLOW CO. CO.	0	11	0	9	5	1	1	1
TOTALS	199	135	123	140	58	45	44	66

Departmental Administrative Arrangements

Questions (208, 209)

Barry Cowen

Question:

208. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government where he will locate the sections currently located in the environment section of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. [11440/16]

Clare Daly

Question:

209. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to which Departments the environment functions of his Department have passed; if he has successfully split all of the functions of the former Department or if he has dispensed with any of its functions. [11581/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 208 and 209 together.

Responsibility for the environment functions, including climate change, will transfer to a new Department of Climate Change, Communications and Natural Resources. The marine planning and foreshore functions will remain with my Department.

In relation to the community portfolio, responsibility for, inter alia, the LEADER programme; the CLÁR programme; an expanded Town and Village Renewal Scheme; the TidyTowns scheme; the Western Development Commission; the implementation of the report of the Commission on the Economic Development of Rural Areas; the dormant accounts fund and social enterprise will rest with a new Department of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts & the Gaeltacht.

Responsibility for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and other community-related functions including the PEACE programme; the scheme to support national organisations; support for volunteering and the Forum on Philanthropy and Fundraising will remain with my Department.

The statutory transfer of functions process to give effect to these changes in respect of the environment and community portfolios is under way.

Local Authority Housing

Questions (210)

Maureen O'Sullivan

Question:

210. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has assessed the effect on subsequent local authority housing output of the disposal by the State of the proceeds of certain mortgage loans associated with the local loans fund, which was established in 1935, to provide capital funding for local authority housing under the Securitisation (Proceeds of Certain Mortgages) Act, 1995; if he will enter into a comparable arrangement in order to increase local authority supply; the role of the Local Loans Fund Act 1935 in housing provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11194/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Local Loans Fund Act 1935 provides for the maintenance, financing and management of a fund to be a source from which loans from public moneys to local authorities or for local purposes and other similar loans can be made. Section 3 of this Act provides that the fund established shall be under the control of the Minister for Finance. As such, my Department has not carried out an assessment of this Act.

Work has been undertaken within my Department to consider the potential of a securitisation arrangement comparable to that undertaken previously, in accordance with the Securitisation (Proceeds of Certain Mortgages) Act 1995, in respect of certain local authority loans.

In 1995 and 1996 my predecessor as Minister directed, under section 14 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, that certain housing authorities should assign debt in respect of certain of their housing loans, in accordance with section 3 of the Securitisation (Proceeds of Certain Mortgages) Act 1995.

Under section 14(4) of the Housing (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 1992, an assignment which is the subject of a direction by Minister is an executive function.

A similar model for the securitisation of local authority mortgage loans as a means of raising additional funds for the provision of social housing was examined by my Department in 2015, with input from the Housing Finance Agency and local authority sector. Under such an arrangement the income stream from existing loans would be sold as an asset and the proceeds used for the development of social housing.

Following a detailed examination of the matter, it was considered that there were significant practical and policy challenges in proceeding with this as a model. The position of mortgage holders in respect of these loans was identified as a policy concern. The matter of whether any funding received could be used for the purpose intended was a further factor examined. It was recommended that securitisation not be pursued as an option at the present time, as there was considered to be an unacceptable imbalance between risk and reward.

Planning Issues

Questions (211)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

211. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will reverse the decision of his predecessor to reduce minimum apartment sizes; if smaller apartments are especially problematic to persons living with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11212/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The apartment minimum sizes specified in the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments - Guidelines for Planning Authorities, published in December 2015, are mandatory for all local authorities.

The sizes for 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments are not new standards but a restatement of the minimum apartment sizes for such apartments set out in previous statutory guidelines published in 2007 after extensive public consultation and the engagement of independent professional architectural and design expertise.

In addition, and more importantly, to ensure their consistent application, including in the many local authority areas with no minimum standards, the 2015 guidelines were drafted in a manner that avails of amendments to the Ministerial powers under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to issue guidelines to planning authorities, which amendments were inserted by the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2015.

The 2015 Act enables statutory guidelines to expressly state “Specific Planning Policy Requirements” to be applied by planning authorities, or An Bord Pleanála, as appropriate, in the exercise of their planning functions and where any conflict arises between such guidelines and local authority development plans, the requirements of the guidelines take precedence.

Whilst not all aspects of the 2015 Apartment Guidelines are mandatory, they identify a number of specific planning policy requirements that must be applied by local authorities. These include minimum apartment unit floor areas.

The 2015 guidelines therefore updated previous 2007 guidelines, which, in practice, had little if any real effect in terms of actual development, due to the post 2008 economic downturn and after which, despite challenging economic conditions, a number of local authorities set differing and higher minimum floor area standards.

Part M of the Building Regulations sets out the legally enforceable requirements that an apartment or building must achieve in order that it can be accessed and used generally by persons irrespective of their age, size or ability.  Part M was last revised in 2010 and an accompanying Technical Guidance Document to Part M 2010 outlines how compliance may be achieved in practice.  Compliance with the regulations is first and foremost a matter for the owner/developer, the designer and builder concerned.  New guidance on apartment sizes does not prevent or restrict compliance with the current Part M requirement and does not override the statutory obligation to comply with same.

Question No. 212 answered with Question No. 57.

Waste Disposal Charges

Questions (213, 217, 218, 219, 240)

John Curran

Question:

213. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the rate per kilogram that will be charged for the black bin, the green bin and the brown bin, given the new pay-by-weight regulations coming into effect on 1 July 2016; if the current service charge will remain for householders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11236/16]

Barry Cowen

Question:

217. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if waste collection operators will still levy an annual fee to cover some costs or if all costs will have to be covered by the per kilogram bin charges under the proposed pay-by-weight bin charge regime to be introduced in July 2016. [11266/16]

Barry Cowen

Question:

218. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of waste as a percentage of overall domestic waste that will be diverted from landfill as a result of the proposed pay-by-weight bin charge regime; and if the introduction of a pay-by-weight charging regime is necessary to comply with the European landfill directive and the household food and bio-waste regulations. [11267/16]

Barry Cowen

Question:

219. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the average charge and the price range in charges for domestic waste collection, by local authority. [11268/16]

Gerry Adams

Question:

240. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the regulatory procedure for pay-by-weight waste charges, including the process for ensuring the implementation of fair costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11548/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 213, 217 to 219, inclusive, and 240 together.

Government waste policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. A number of specific measures have been, and will continue to be, introduced to reduce the amount of waste generated in the State and to increase the segregation of waste which cannot be prevented in line with Government policy. The introduction of pay-by- weight charges for the collection of household waste is one such measure.

In terms of the per kilogram and service fees which will be charged under pay by weight, the legislation requires that the collector will charge for each kilogram of waste collected (although it is intended a nil cent per kilogram fee may be applied for recyclable waste). The collector may also charge a service fee, which will typically cover staff, collection, administrative and back office, capital and overhead costs. The Government has set a minimum mandatory fee per kilogram for the different types of household waste: 11c for black bin (residual waste), 6c for brown bin (food/organic waste) and I have decided that a zero cent minimum fee per kilogram should be set for green bins (recyclate). It is a matter for the collector to set charges at the level they consider to be competitive, in compliance with the requirements of the legislation. Householders will be able to compare the charges more easily under the new system and choose the option that suits them best or is most cost effective.

Research indicates that over 440,000 tonnes of waste material could be diverted from landfill under pay-by-weight charging and its introduction will undoubtedly assist the State in achieving regional waste targets, in complying with national recycling and landfill targets under EU legislation as well as making sure that we are well placed to meet future more ambitious and sustainable targets.

In terms of the prices currently being charged by private operators, this is a contractual matter between collectors and householders.

Waste Disposal Charges

Questions (214)

John Curran

Question:

214. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the waiver scheme he will put in place for low-income families and persons, given the new pay-by-weight regulations coming into effect on 1 July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11237/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

Government waste policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. A number of specific measures have been, and will continue to be, introduced to reduce the amount of waste generated in the State and to increase the segregation of waste which cannot be prevented in line with Government policy. The introduction of pay by weight charges for the collection of household waste is one such measure.

During the period in which local authorities were directly involved in the collection of household waste, a minority of individual Councils offered different levels of discount to selected households, based on different qualification criteria. As local authorities exited the waste collection market, some required the private operators which took on the Councils’ customers to provide a level of discount for existing waiver customers only, and even then for a limited time. The vast majority of such contractual commitments for private operators to provide a waiver have now expired. In that context, the number of households in receipt of waiver discounts is likely to decline over time, especially as some householders were able to take advantage of special reduced offers elsewhere which actually undercut the waiver price. However, selected private operators still offer some level of discount to former waiver customers on a voluntary basis. In addition, a very limited number of local authorities make financial contributions towards the cost of, or pay for, the collection of waste from certain households. Again, the qualification criteria and level of support differ from area to area. Such expenditure means that these local authorities divert funding from other areas to support these waiver provisions.

With the exception of one or two municipal districts, local authorities no longer collect waste and the market is now serviced by a diverse range of private operators, where the fees charged are a matter between service provider and customer and the services offered vary across the country. In that regard, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a national waiver scheme could not be imposed in the context of an open market for waste collection.

However, under pay by weight charging for household waste collection, there is an opportunity for everybody to have more control over their waste charges and to minimise their waste costs by preventing waste and segregating waste through using the food waste and recyclable waste bins properly. In this regard a pay by weight awareness campaign, launched on 18 May 2016, will be rolled out at national, regional and local levels in the coming weeks and will give invaluable advice to householders on minimising their waste management costs under pay by weight charging.