Written Answers Nos. 329-345
329. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Rosscarbery, County Cork, which should result in the creation of nine housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21029/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Rosscarbery, 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 Council is currently developing designs and costings for this project and I look forward to their submission to my Department as soon as possible.
330. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Fairfield, Masseytown, Macroom, County Cork, which should result in the creation of seven housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21030/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Fairfield, Masseytown, Macroom, 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 Council is currently developing designs and costings for this project and I look forward to their submission to my Department as soon as possible.
331. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Charleville, County Cork, which should result in the creation of four housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21031/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Charleville, 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 Council is preparing pre-tender designs and costings and I look forward to their submission to my Department as soon as possible.
332. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Ballingeary, Macroom, County Cork, which should result in the creation of three housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21032/16]
View answerThe advancement of the project at Ballingeary, Macroom, 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 local authority is currently preparing designs and costings for this project and I look forward to their submission to my Department as soon as possible.
333. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the construction project at Mount St. Joseph, Chapel Hill, Macroom, County Cork, which should result in the creation of five housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21033/16]
View answerThe advancement of the social housing project at Mount Saint Joseph, Chapel Hill, Macroom, County Cork through design, planning and construction is a matter in the first instance for Cork County Council and Anvers Housing Association, which is the approved housing body implementing the project.
I understand that the approved housing body was unable to proceed with their original construction proposal and is currently pursuing alternative options to deliver the units concerned.
334. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will publish his action plan for housing and make arrangements with the Government Chief Whip to ensure there is a debate on it in Dáil Éireann prior to the 2016 summer recess. [21034/16]
View answerA Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to the preparation and publication of an ‘Action Plan for Housing’ within the Government’s first 100 days.
The Action Plan is currently being drafted in my Department, with input from key Government Departments and Agencies, and other stakeholders working in the housing and homelessness sector. In that regard, last week I hosted two important workshops to enable stakeholders including elected representatives, individually and collectively, to share their views in relation to priorities and possible actions. The feedback from these events will inform the finalisation of the Action Plan.
The Plan will also draw on the Report of the Special Committee on Housing and Homelessness, which was published on 17 June 2016, demonstrating this Government’s commitment to a collaborative approach to solving the housing crisis.
I have made the development and implementation of this “Action Plan for Housing” my number one priority. I am accelerating plans for Government approval and aim to publish the final Action Plan prior to Dáil Éireann’s Summer recess. I am positively disposed towards a Dáil debate on the Action Plan.
335. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 462 of 26 January 2016, if the investigation referred to in the response has concluded and its outcome; if the legal responsibility for these or any seized dogs or animals lies with the local authority, his Department or a local welfare group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21052/16]
View answerThe Control of Dogs Acts, 1986-2010, places statutory responsibility for dog control on local authorities. The rehoming policy in respect of dogs in local authority shelters for dogs seized, accepted or detained for the purposes of the Control of Dogs Acts 1986-2010 is a matter for each local authority and I have no function in the matter.
As the matter referred to by the Deputy is still the subject of an ongoing investigation by An Garda Síochána and the Local Authority, in this case Wexford County Council, it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further on the matter.
336. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason a waste collection company (details provided) are currently cancelling current consumer contracts and placing a new yearly charge on consumers; and his views on these actions. [21129/16]
View answerThe Government secured an agreement with all major waste collection companies to freeze charges, so that customers pay no more than they are currently paying for waste collection over the next 12 months for the same level of service.
I have also been clear that the operation of the price freeze by the industry will be closely monitored, indicating that, if there was evidence of the agreement being breached, I would look at whether further legislative measures were necessary to enforce it. In this regard, my Department met with representatives of the waste industry last week and will continue to liaise with operators as necessary with regard to the consistent implementation of the agreement.
337. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of households, the number of adults and the number of families with dependants that became newly homeless in 2015; and the number that have become newly homeless in 2016 on a county basis in tabular form. [21162/16]
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 accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
The official homelessness data provided by housing authorities are produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). These data capture details of individuals and households, including dependants, utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. Quarterly reports from lead housing authorities are published on my Department's website as soon as these are available. In addition, lead housing authorities provide monthly reports on homelessness which identify the number of people utilising State-funded emergency accommodation on a regional and county basis and also broken down by the number of families and dependants; my Department collates this information into monthly homeless reports. The specific data sought in the Question are not available in my Department. However, both the quarterly and monthly reports are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
338. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his proposal for a product (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21205/16]
View answerMy Department has no policy role in relation to the specification or promotion of fireworks.
Regarding the issue of noise more generally, a person experiencing noise nuisance may contact their local authority, which may initiate proceedings on grounds of noise nuisance under the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992. This Act also provides for any person, or group of persons, to seek an order in the District Court to have noise giving reasonable cause for annoyance abated. The procedures involved have been simplified to allow action to be taken without legal representation.
A public information leaflet, A Guide to the Noise Regulations, outlining the legal avenues available to persons experiencing noise nuisance, is available on my Department’s website:
http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/pdf_version_of_guide_to_the_noise_regulations_2015_0.pdf.
339. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the chief executive officer of Louth County Council has applied for funding from his Department for a director of services specifically for Drogheda in the past 12 months. [21208/16]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible.
My Department has not received a sanction request from Louth County Council for a Director of Services post in the past 12 months. Louth County Council currently has 5 posts at Director of Services grade which is the recommended allowable number for a Level 4 local authority.
340. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of applications for foreshore licences received, granted and not granted in each of the years 2006 to 2015, inclusive, and in 2016 to date; the reason for not granting the licences and for the backlog in processing licences; the steps he is taking to eliminate the backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21211/16]
View answerThe responsibilities of my Department in relation to the administration of the Foreshore Act are regulatory in character. The core responsibilities include the regulation and administration of the foreshore through a system of leasing and licensing. There has been a substantial increase in both the volume of foreshore consent applications and the complexity of these applications, particularly with regard to large infrastructural projects.
The types of activities and developments governed by the foreshore consent regime include: off-shore energy-related developments (including oil, gas, wind, wave and tidal energy); aggregate and mineral extraction developments on the foreshore; projects in ports and harbours (excluding designated fishery harbour centres); marinas, jetties, slipways, rock armouring etc. and outfall pipes from municipal waste water treatment plants.
Foreshore consent can only be granted by my Department if it is in the public interest. At present, the processing of a foreshore consent application includes the following:
- assessment of the application by the Department’s internal technical advisors, and where necessary, the Marine Licence Vetting Committee which advises on scientific matters;
- consultation with statutory and non-statutory consultees, including relevant Departments and Agencies;
- a period of public consultation, normally 21 working days;
- valuation of the site to be occupied by the applicant;
- other public interest elements that may arise in particular cases; and
- obtaining necessary legal advice in complex legal cases from the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and Attorney General’s Office and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanction, where appropriate.
The numbers of foreshore consent applications received and decided, since the foreshore function transferred to my Department in January 2010, are set out in the following table.
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
|
New applications received |
60 |
50 |
33 |
25 |
39 |
46 |
|
Cases decided by Minister |
31 |
35 |
28 |
25 |
34 |
24 |
The following table outlines the current position for 289 foreshore consent applications currently on hand.
|
CSSO1 |
On Hold / Dormant2 |
Live3 |
ORE4 |
|
|
Number of Cases |
135 |
63 |
77 |
14 |
Footnotes:
1. 135 applications have received Ministerial approval in principle and are with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office for finalisation of the relevant legal documentation.
2. Some 63 applications have been progressed administratively as far as possible and require either further information from the applicant or resolution of issues beyond the direct control of my Department.
3. 77 live applications are at varying stages of processing and have yet to be brought to Ministerial determination.
4. There are 14 lease applications on hand for offshore renewable energy projects. These are currently under review in light of the Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan.
The introduction by my Department of a mandatory pre-application consultation process has greatly improved the quality of applications in recent times and resulted in greater understanding by applicants of their obligations when applying for consent. The prioritisation of applications, based on a scheme of priorities and active case management through all stages of the process, has led to efficiencies in processing applications. In addition, my Department has established robust standard operating procedures, developed an IT system to support the application process, and has enhanced the staff training available.
The foregoing measures ensure that the foreshore consent process is as efficient as possible, whilst also fulfilling all EU and national legislative requirements.
In the Autumn I intend to publish the Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill which will further streamline the consent process. When enacted, the Bill will provide that development consent and environmental assessment of offshore projects will be carried out once within the planning system. It will remove the duplication that currently exists whereby environmental assessment of projects is carried out both in the planning and foreshore consent systems, although the Ministerial responsibility under the Foreshore Act for the property conveyancing aspect of transactions will be retained.
341. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total underspend from the Irish Water metering programme; and if these funds can be reallocated to other areas of capital expenditure by Irish Water in 2016 and 2017. [21249/16]
View answerSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. This includes the domestic water metering programme.
The domestic metering contracts, awarded in 2013 had the objective of installing 1,050,000 domestic meters over a 3 year programme, which started in August of that year. Ministerial consent was given to a budget of €614m including VAT for this purpose. I understand from Irish Water that the expected capital expenditure by August 2016 will amount to €465m, which will deliver circa 870,000-880,000 meter installations. As such, savings of about €148m will accrue on the capital metering programme. Up to 180,000 meters included in the original programme will not be metered at this stage, for a combination of health and safety reasons, service complexity or other technical reasons.
A Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the overall commitment to a capital investment of €5.5 billion to end 2021 as set out in Irish Water’s business plan, a copy of which is available within the Oireachtas library. Within this context, Irish Water has made initial proposals to my Department on the potential use of savings on the domestic metering programme to include work on priority non-domestic meters upgrades and the urgent provision of strategic water and wastewater infrastructure to enable priority development lands to be serviced where housing provision can most effectively contribute to resolving the current housing deficit. This re-orientation of funding requires Ministerial consent and regulatory approval from the Commission on Energy Regulation, processes for which have commenced.
Future phases of the metering of domestic premises will be prioritised along with other investment needs based on cost benefit assessment and policy considerations relating to the future decisions on billing and charging. Decisions on such investments will be made under the regulatory regime whereby the Commission on Energy Regulation approves the Water Services Capital Investment Programmes.
342. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of agency and or locum staff hired by his Department for each of the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21667/16]
View answerThere have been no agency or locum staff hired by my Department in the years in question.
343. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department's website is accessible to persons with a disability; if the accessibility of this website is regularly reviewed to take account of new and emerging technologies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21680/16]
View answerMy Department’s website, www.environ.ie, has recently been redesigned and was re-launched on 22 February 2016. As part of the redesign and re-engineering process, a strong emphasis was placed on the key areas of usability and accessibility. In line with best practice, Universal Design principles were applied across the project with the aim of ensuring consistent compliance with international standard Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.
As part of the ongoing management of the website content, my Department produced a web style guide for internal editors which contains instructions on how material, including images, data tables and graphs, are presented so that they are accessible to those using assistive technology. It is my intention to arrange for an independent accessibility assessment of the new website within the first year of its re-launch.
A separate project is currently underway to engage the services of a suitably qualified company to update the website of Met Éireann, which is a division of my Department. It is intended that the upgraded website will also be accessible up to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.
In addition, my Department has a number of other small external sites that have been set up for various purposes at different times and, while not all of these meet accessibility guidelines currently, work is underway to consider how best to address this issue.
Agreement has been reached on a new EU Directive on the accessibility of Public Sector websites, which will require Public Sector websites and mobile applications to achieve specific accessibility standards. My Department will consider any additional changes required to achieve the required standards when this Directive is transposed into national legislation.
344. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has considered if the equal rights of young persons are being infringed by there being three different rates of jobseeker's allowance dependent on age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14826/16]
View answerReduced rates for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009 and were further extended in subsequent budgets. Reduced rates of jobseeker’s allowance apply to jobseekers under 26 years of age.
This is a targeted measure aimed at protecting young people from welfare dependency. To guard against the development of welfare dependency I believe that it is necessary to provide young jobseekers with a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training or to take up employment. If a young jobseeker in receipt of the reduced jobseeker’s allowance rate participates on an education or training programme they will receive a higher weekly payment of €160.
Youth unemployment rose rapidly in the recession to over 30% in 2012. According to the Quarterly National Household Survey for Quarter 1 2016, youth unemployment continues to fall in line with the overall recovery and now stands at 16.9%.
The Youth Guarantee sets a medium-term objective of ensuring that all young people receive an offer of employment within four months of becoming unemployed. The main plank of the guarantee is assistance to young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs, through earlier and enhanced engagement processes.
Reserved places on a number of programmes and youth-oriented variants of existing schemes have also been rolled out. Overall, young people took up just over 19,000 Youth Guarantee-related programme places in 2015. These numbers exclude an estimated 24,000 places provided for young people through PLC courses and apprenticeships.
Other EU and OECD countries adopt a similar targeted approach in terms of young jobseekers receiving a reduced social welfare payment. Unless every effort is made to encourage and support our young people to engage in education and training there is a risk that they may drift into welfare dependency. This needs to be avoided at all costs as welfare dependency will have severe long term consequences for those affected and for the economy as a whole.
345. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the master's degree courses covered under the back to education allowance scheme; and if the rules on this scheme changed in the past year. [21037/16]
View answerThe objective of the back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) is to assist those who are distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system. The BTEA, which is designed to support second chance education, enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to meeting certain conditions.
Other than the Professional Masters in Education, which is a pre-requisite to taking up a teaching post, the BTEA does not provide income support to customers seeking to pursue a qualification at Masters Level.
The BTEA was never intended to be an alternative form of funding for people entering or re-entering the third level education system. The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant payable by the Department of Education and Skills represents the primary support for persons pursuing education. The eligibility rules that govern the payment of a student maintenance grant are a matter for that Department.
Overall, the priority for the Department is that the BTEA scheme will be focused, targeted and suitable for the needs of jobseekers and of the future skills needs of the economy. The operation of the BTEA has been comprehensively revised over the past two years and I have no plans to further alter the current criteria, as set out in the 2016 scheme guidelines.
