Written Answers Nos. 315-328
315. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the supports available for a search and rescue organisation (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20794/16]
View answerThere is no funding available in my Department for the type of initiative referred to. Responsibility for maritime issues, including the provision of an effective emergency response service, is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.
316. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that two homeless persons died on the streets in 2015 because they could not secure accommodation in Cork after undergoing rehabilitation treatment for their addictions; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 35 beds are available through Cuan Mhuire to accommodate homeless persons in Cork but there is no funding available to open them; and his plans to make funding available to open these step-down beds. [20803/16]
View answerMy Department’s role is in relation to homelessness and 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. In accordance with section 37(2) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services, including accommodation, rests with individual housing authorities. The purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988.
My Department does not fund any service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. The bulk of Section 10 funding from my Department goes towards the costs incurred in the provision of accommodation services by the voluntary sector providers who have built up the services over the years. In addition, Section 10 funding is used to support day services such as drop-in centres and food services, as well as outreach services, settlement and tenancy sustainment services and the cost of local authority and voluntary sector staff.
Responsibility for policy development in relation to addiction and rehabilitation issues rests with the Minister for Health and the delivery of services in this regard is managed through the Health Service Executive. The Cuan Mhuire services fall into this category and funding for these facilities is, therefore, a matter for the HSE. I understand that the Department of Health is currently working on the development of a new National Drugs Strategy for the post-2016 period.
317. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to reverse the decision to impose a recycling levy on tyres which is a cost burden to the consumer that amounts to a stealth tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20837/16]
View answerThere is a serious problem with waste tyres in Ireland. In discussions prior to the adoption of the 2007 Tyre Regulations, it was made clear that this was the last opportunity for the tyre industry to embrace environmental compliance and take responsibility for the waste it produces. If the required improvement did not happen, it was made clear to the tyre industry that the system would be reviewed and replaced with a full Producer Responsibility Initiative (PRI) model.
As part of a wider review of producer responsibility arrangements completed in 2014, the structural and environmental effectiveness of all aspects of the current system for managing waste tyres was assessed. The results of this examination were stark. The report, published for consultation in November 2013 and in final form in April 2014, found:
- a non-compliance rate with the Tyre Regulations of 46%,
- a lack of consistent and accurate data,
- that the current system was not tracking data flows well, and
- between 25% and 50% of waste tyres were not accounted for, with widespread illegal dumping.
Following extensive discussions with the tyre industry through the establishment of a Tyres Working Group, the then Minister announced the decision to establish a full PRI scheme for Tyres and Waste Tyres in Ireland on 30 January 2015. Since then, significant progress has been made in discussions with the tyre industry.
There will be no new tyre tax or levy under the new system being introduced; consumers already pay a disposal fee to their tyre retailer whenever they buy a new tyre. The model that is being introduced will formalise a charge that tyre retailers already apply, but which does not currently go towards the cost of managing the waste in all cases, as it is supposed to. It is absolutely right and fair to provide a system that ensures that the existing levy is properly directed in the future, so that the consumer does not pay twice - once at the point of purchase and again, when the taxpayer has to meet costs incurred by local authorities for the clean-up of illegally dumped tyres.
My Department is in the process of drafting the regulations to underpin the new PRI scheme. The intention is to introduce the visible Environmental Management Charge from 1 January 2017.
318. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will increase the funding allocation to local authorities for housing adaptation grants; the actions he will take to reduce the waiting times for such work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20845/16]
View answerFunding for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability has been increased in 2016 by some 10%, to an overall funding availability of €56.25m. Some 7,600 households benefited under this Scheme in 2015 and with the additional funding this should increase to 8,000 in 2016.
I am conscious of the social benefit accruing from this Scheme in terms of facilitating the continued independent living by older people and people with a disability in their own homes. In line with the Programme for a Partnership Government, further consideration will be given to increasing this funding over the coming years.
It is also important that grant schemes such as this can be readily accessed by those who need them and, accordingly, my Department will continue to work with local authorities to review the delivery of the scheme and streamline the application process, where possible, so as to reduce the waiting times for such work.
319. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will ensure that there is a weight cap on waste collection charges for households where non-infant continence care is provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20846/16]
View answerThe waste management industry has committed to providing a full weight allowance for the disposal of non-infancy incontinence wear to the estimated 60,000 patients supplied with such products by the HSE if a pay by weight per kilogramme charging system is introduced for household waste collection. For its part, the Government is prepared to allow a 50% exemption from the landfill levy in respect of such waste under a pay-by-weight per kilogramme charging system.
However, since the waste industry began releasing its proposed prices under the planned introduction of pay-by-weight, the Government has expressed concern regarding the reported escalation of waste bills for some customers, particularly in relation to some proposed increases in service charges.
I have actively engaged with representatives of the waste industry and agreed a way forward that results in customers paying no more than they are currently paying for waste over the next 12 months for the same level of service by way of a price freeze to end-June 2017.
It is intended that customers will be able to see from January 2017, through a dual billing process, details of the weight of waste they are presenting for collection, their costs under the continuation of their current price plan and details of the comparative pay-by-weight charge.
At the end of this 12-month transition period (in July 2017), the Government will review the operation of pay-by-weight, including the effectiveness of the transition process, and make decisions regarding its further roll-out, regulation and oversight.
320. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for appropriate housing provision for senior citizens in coming years, in particular those with physical and-or intellectual disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20847/16]
View answerThe provision of housing services is the responsibility in the first place of local authorities, as the housing authorities for their areas. My Department provides funding to the authorities for the provision of social housing supports for their citizens, including the construction and acquisition by the authorities of new social housing stock and support for adaptations to existing housing stock to meet the need of elderly people. Local authorities may provide accommodation for elderly people as part of their broader programme of social housing provision.
The Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) is an important programme of Exchequer support for the provision of suitable housing for priority groups, including the elderly and persons with physical and or intellectual disabilities. Projects under this Scheme are implemented by approved housing bodies, who have considerable expertise in this area of housing provision and, currently, there is an invitation issued to those concerned to submit new proposals under the Scheme. This is in addition to the €151 million of funding for new projects approved under the Scheme in July 2015, many of them for elderly people.
In addition, the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability provide funding across three different schemes to support the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. These grants assist such people in private houses to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried out in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.
Given that the ageing of our population represents one of the most significant demographic and societal developments that Ireland will encounter in the years ahead, the issue of the provision of housing for older people is being considered in the context of the Action Plan for Housing, which is at an advanced stage of development within my Department.
321. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider allowing pensioners to buy out local authority houses using social protection payments under the tenant purchase scheme in cases where sites were originally provided by tenants to the local authority to build on as was the case in older social housing schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20854/16]
View answerThe new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme and applies to all existing local authority houses, other than those classes of houses excluded under legislation. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having been in receipt of social housing support for a minimum period of one year and having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum.
The minimum reckonable income for eligibility under the Scheme is determined by the relevant housing authority in accordance with the detailed provisions of the Ministerial Directions issued under Sections 24(3) and (4) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. In the determination of the minimum reckonable income, housing authorities can include income from a number of different sources and classes, such as from employment, private pensions, maintenance payments and certain social welfare payments, including pensions, where the social welfare payment is secondary to employment income.
In determining reckonable income, the income of the tenants of the house, including adult children that are joint tenants, can be included, as can the income of the spouse, civil partner or other partner/co-habitant of a tenant who lives in the house with them.
In order to ensure the sustainability of the scheme, it is essential that an applicant’s income is of a long-term and sustainable nature. This is necessary to ensure that the tenant purchasing the house is in a financial position, as the owner, to maintain and insure the property for the duration of the charged period, in compliance with the conditions of the order transferring the ownership of, and responsibility for, the house from the local authority to the tenant.
The terms of the Scheme involve discounts of 40%, 50% or 60% off the purchase price of the house, linked to tenant income. In cases where the original site was provided by the tenant, the legislation governing the Scheme provides that the value of the site is considered in determining the purchase price of the house.
In line with the commitment in the new Programme for a Partnership Government, I intend to undertake a review of the 2016 scheme following its first 12 months of operation. I will bring forward any changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme which are considered necessary based on the evidence gathered at that stage.
322. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the work up until 30 June 2016 of the expert group on pyrite in houses in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20897/16]
View answerThe expert panel on concrete blocks has met on three occasions since it was established in April last and is reviewing the information that has been made available to it in relation to the problems that have emerged in affected homes; this includes a number of technical reports provided by Mayo County Council on problems within their social housing stock. Additional information has also been sought from Mayo County Council, which will be of assistance in the research necessary to inform the preparation of the panel’s report.
The panel visited the owners of nine affected homes in Donegal during May in order to view first-hand the problems that have emerged in those homes and during their visit met with representatives from the Mica Action Group, as well as with elected members and officials from Donegal County Council. The panel now propose to visit a number of affected homes in Mayo and will seek similar meetings with homeowners and with the elected members and officials from Mayo County Council. It is anticipated that the panel will visit Mayo in early September. Further meetings will also be held with a broad range of stakeholders, other interested parties and elected representatives over the course of the panel’s investigations.
Separately, I also intend to visit a number of affected homeowners in Mayo within the next few weeks to view directly the damage to their homes and to hear of the difficulties and distress they are facing due to such damage.
Ultimately, the panel’s terms of reference aim to establish the facts behind the problems that have emerged in Donegal and Mayo and to outline technical options for addressing the problems identified in order to assist affected homeowners. It is anticipated that the panel will require in the order of six months to complete their work. In this regard, I will await the outcome of the panel’s report before considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in Donegal and Mayo.
323. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 242 of 5 July 2016 on funding allocated to the mortgage to rent scheme in the years 2013 to 2016 to date, the number of units approved housing bodies and local authorities acquired, by year, in tabular form. [21022/16]
View answerThe information requested is set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Local Authority Mortgage to Rent Acquisitions |
AHB Mortgage to Rent Acquisitions |
Total Mortgage to Rent Acquisitions |
|
2013 |
18 |
22 |
40 |
|
2014 |
63 |
29 |
92 |
|
2015 |
112 |
96 |
208 |
|
2016 (up to 5 July) |
5 * |
15 |
20 |
*Of which, 3 were self-funded by Dublin City Council from their surplus Local Property Tax (LPT) receipts.
324. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Ceanncora Lawn, Ballinlough, County Cork, which should result in the creation of one housing unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21024/16]
View answerThe advancement of the social housing project at Ceanncora Lawn, Ballinlough, Cork City through design, planning and construction is a matter, in the first instance, for Cork County Council. The Council has recently provided my Department with designs and costings for this project, which are now being reviewed and a response will issue shortly.
325. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Gerald Griffin Street, County Cork, which should result in the creation of 17 housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21025/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Gerald Griffin Street, Cork City to construct new social housing units through design, planning and construction is a matter in the first instance for Cork City Council. I understand that this project has been revised and will now deliver 40 units and a revised design and layout is now being prepared by the Council.
326. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Dean Rock, Togher, County Cork, which should result in the creation of 60 housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21026/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Dean Rock, Togher, Cork City to construct new social housing units through design, planning and construction is a matter in the first instance for Cork City Council.
I understand the project has been revised to now deliver 65 new homes and the Council’s intention to undertake a Part VIII planning process was recently advertised.
327. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Kilnagleary, Carrigaline, County Cork, which should result in the creation of 48 housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21027/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Kilnagleary, Carrigaline, County Cork to construct new social housing units through design, planning and construction is a matter in the first instance for Cork County Council.
I understand it is the Council’s intention to commence a Part VIII planning process in August. The Council is currently developing designs and costings for this project and I look forward to their submission to my Department as soon as possible.
328. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Beechgrove, Clonakilty, County Cork, which should result in the creation of 45 housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21028/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Beechgrove, Clonakilty, County Cork to construct new social housing units through design, planning and construction is a matter in the first instance for Cork County Council.
I understand that the project has been revised by the Council to deliver 56 units and a design team is now being recruited by the Council to undertake design work on this expanded project.
