Written Answers Nos. 331-48
331. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the composition of the projected capital investment spend by Irish Water for 2018-2021, as per the Irish Water business plan; and the portion which is expected to come from Exchequer funding, Government borrowing, equity or debt financing, in tabular form. [26752/16]
View answerIrish Water’s capital investment in the period 2018-2021 will be funded by a mix of debt and equity (including capital transfers from Government). Its investment programme for the period 2018-21 will be subject to review by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), and Government funding will be subject to future budgetary decisions.
332. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total number of septic tank owners nationally; the total number of septic tank units inspected in each of the years 2014, 2015 and to date in 2016 and planned inspections for the remainder of the year; the total number of septic tank units that failed and passed inspections in 2014, 2015 and to date in 2016; the total number of septic tank owners that were awarded grant aid annually in this period; the total amount of grant aid in monetary value paid to septic tank owners; the average grant amount paid to septic tank owners in this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26761/16]
View answerCensus 2011, published by the Central Statistics Office, indicates that there were 437,652 septic tanks and 50,259 individual treatment systems in Ireland in 2011.
The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 assigns responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a National Inspection Plan (NIP) for domestic wastewater treatment systems and neither I, nor my Department, has any direct role in monitoring the implementation of the plan by the local authorities.
The EPA was the supervisory body for the purposes of the National Inspection Plan 2013: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems, which was adopted and published by the EPA in February 2013. The EPA has conducted a review of the implementation of the Plan for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. The report contains a breakdown by county of inspections that have taken place and includes details relating to non-compliant treatment systems and advisory notices. It is available on the Agency’s website at the following link:
http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/wastewater/Report%20National%20Inspection%20Plan%20Web.pdf.
A further NIP Inspection Data Report 1st July 2013 - 31st December 2014 provided an update to the previous review and included data from inspections carried out in the period 1st July 2013 to 31st December 2014. This is available at: http://www.epa.ie/water/wastewater /nip/nip2013inspectiondatareport/.
The National Inspection Plan 2015 to 2017: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems was adopted and published by the EPA in 2015. The Plan provides for a minimum of 1,000 inspections to be carried out by the water services authorities (which are the 31 county, city, and county and city councils) on an annual basis up to December 2017. Details of the minimum number of inspections to be carried out in each county are included in the Plan. This plan is also available on the Agency’s website at :
http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/wastewater/nationalinspectionplan2015-2017.html.
Applications for grant aid in respect of remediation works are submitted to, and processed by, the local authorities who then seek recoupment of the amounts paid from my Department. Information is not therefore held by my Department on grant applications approved or paid by local authorities. However, details of the grant amounts recouped by my Department to local authorities since the scheme was introduced in 2013 are published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-quality/domestic-waste-water-systemsseptic-tanks/septic-tank-grants-paid-2014-to-2016.
333. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the latest statistics his Department has on the yield from motor tax for each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26798/16]
View answerMotor tax receipts for each licensing authority from January to 31 August 2016 (including online receipts) are set out in the following table.
2016 (to 31 August)
|
Licensing Authority |
(€) |
|
Carlow |
10,633,688 |
|
Cavan |
11,694,488 |
|
Clare |
19,759,520 |
|
Cork |
88,666,385 |
|
Donegal |
23,469,198 |
|
Dublin City |
189,737,398 |
|
Galway |
41,007,855 |
|
Kerry |
25,149,198 |
|
Kildare |
35,571,788 |
|
Kilkenny |
15,906,349 |
|
Laois |
12,286,028 |
|
Leitrim |
5,244,666 |
|
Limerick City and County |
30,998,595 |
|
Longford |
6,372,319 |
|
Louth |
17,658,140 |
|
Mayo |
21,774,445 |
|
Meath |
30,869,256 |
|
Monaghan |
9,930,868 |
|
Offaly |
12,148,809 |
|
Roscommon |
11,186,805 |
|
Sligo |
10,390,504 |
|
Tipperary |
27,827,166 |
|
Waterford City and County |
18,943,887 |
|
Westmeath |
14,517,539 |
|
Wexford |
26,209,272 |
|
Wicklow |
24,695,337 |
|
Total |
742,649,503 |
334. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the position on the review of the boundaries for the 2019 local government elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26813/16]
View answerThe most recent review of local electoral areas was carried out from November 2012 to May 2013 by a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee established under the Local Government Act 1991. The recommendations of that committee were implemented through 30 Statutory Instruments made in January 2014.
Unlike the position for Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, there is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of local electoral areas.
There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to consider reducing the size of the local electoral areas; this will be examined in the preparation of a report for Government and the Oireachtas by mid-2017 on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability.
335. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide a thatching grant in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26835/16]
View answerMy Department provided a Thatching Grant in 2014 for the full eligible amount in respect of the property referred to in the Question. The completion of the work, as funded in 2014, was verified by an on-site inspection by my Department.
Under the Thatching Grant Scheme, a premises is not eligible for new funding within 7 years of previous funding and the applicant in question has been notified of this.
336. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has received an application from Sligo County Council for a foreshore licence in respect of the development of the proposed pier and pontoon scheme in Rosses Point, County Sligo; when the licence will be signed and issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26838/16]
View answerAn application to carry out pier enhancement works at Rosses Point which will involve the extension to the slipway and remedial works to the existing slipway, provision of a floating pontoon and access gangway and mooring/anchoring arrangements at the pier was received from Sligo County Council in January 2016.
The consultation phase has been completed and the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC), which advises on foreshore consent applications, has furnished its report and recommendations to my Department. The application is currently at valuation phase and subject to my Department agreeing financial considerations with the applicant it will come before me for determination in due course. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.
337. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by his Department per annum from 2011 to 2015 and in 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26859/16]
View answerDetails of the total business related travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by my Department since 2011 are set out in the following table:
|
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 (to 22 Sept) |
|
€1,439,235.78 |
€1,891,342.56 |
€1,811,620.17 |
€1,399,278.50 |
€1,448,604.13 |
€814,135.98 |
The data in relation to expenditure from 2011 to 2015 reflect my Department’s then configuration as the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The 2016 information reflects the current position following the transfer of certain functions to other Departments and the related staged realignment of financial and accounting transactions. The 2012 and 2013 information reflects additional travel expenses incurred during 2012 in preparation for and during the Irish EU Presidency in 2013.
In the context of official travel, it is the policy of my Department that public transport should be used wherever possible. Staff are only permitted to hire taxis or use their cars for official purposes where no suitable public transport is available, where public transport is available only at equal or greater expense or where the use of public transport would result in the loss of official time which it is necessary to avoid. Staff travelling between Departmental offices, where public transport options are available, may claim the costs of travel on the basis of public transport rates only.
My Department minimises the amount of travel to attend internal and external meetings in different locations through the extensive use of video conferencing facilities available in meeting rooms in its Custom House, Ballina and Wexford offices and through the use of internal desk to desk video conferencing.
338. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has a specific data protection officer in place; if that position is exclusive or if the position holder has other duties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26876/16]
View answerMy Department has a Data Protection Officer. That official has other duties in addition to being the principal point of contact within my Department on data protection matters.
My Department is committed to meeting its obligations under data protection legislation and to operating in line with all relevant guidelines and best practice in this area. Guidelines on the security of personal and other confidential data have been made available to staff. A policy is also in place outlining the approach to be followed in the event of an information/data breach and to minimise the risk of any such breach.
339. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department received a request for additional resources from the chief executive of Sligo County Council; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the chief executive of the council is seeking the additional resources due to a number of factors (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26895/16]
View answer340. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department received a request from Sligo County Council to approve the filling of vacant positions in the Sligo county library service; when the request was received; the number of positions for which approval was sought; if the filling of any vacancies were approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26896/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 339 and 340 together.
It is a matter for each local authority, including Sligo County Council, to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which include adopting the annual budget and authorising borrowing, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority.
Sligo County Council’s financial position is a matter of serious concern. While it is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own day-to-day finances in a prudent and sustainable manner, my Department has been in regular consultation with the Council in relation to its financial position, resulting in the agreement of a long-term financial plan in December 2015. Further discussions have taken place between my Department and the Council during 2016 regarding the expenditure saving targets set out in the financial plan, including a meeting held on 7 September 2016 at which the Council supplied details of a number of issues associated with the advancement of the plan targets.
On 21 September 2016, I met with a delegation on behalf of the Council, including the Cathaoirleach and the Chief Executive; at the meeting, the Council provided a statement of their current position which included requests concerning financial and staff resources. It was agreed at the meeting that the Council will now prepare and submit for consideration a detailed formal outline of issues affecting the implementation of its financial plan, and the associated financial impacts, which, once received, my Department will consider carefully.
341. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the percentage reduction in the staffing level in each individual local authority since January 2008, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26897/16]
View answerThe information requested is contained in the following table. Staffing levels for 2008 are available only from end 2008. For consistency, successive years are also based on end-of-year staffing levels. It should be noted that the amalgamation of Limerick City and County Councils, Waterford City and County Councils and South and North Tipperary County Councils took place during the time period specified.
|
Year/ Local Authority |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
% decrease end 2008 - end 2015 |
|
Cork City Council |
1,493.00 |
1,407.50 |
1,360.00 |
1,322.00 |
1,270.42 |
1,247.02 |
1,210.06 |
1,217.68 |
18.44 |
|
Dublin City Council |
6,931.50 |
6,428.75 |
6,241.40 |
6,016.45 |
5,767.10 |
5,570.75 |
5,445.70 |
5,308.00 |
23.42 |
|
Galway City Council |
535.00 |
482.00 |
436.30 |
431.84 |
432.33 |
419.86 |
410.10 |
418.50 |
21.76 |
|
Carlow |
357.50 |
330.00 |
295.24 |
283.41 |
275.09 |
265.37 |
264.86 |
263.89 |
26.18 |
|
Cavan |
479.90 |
441.35 |
427.09 |
409.30 |
377.90 |
370.10 |
360.55 |
362.30 |
24.51 |
|
Clare |
907.90 |
826.36 |
802.19 |
777.50 |
749.98 |
749.88 |
712.81 |
719.21 |
20.78 |
|
Cork |
2,643.00 |
2,352.87 |
2,240.16 |
2,169.11 |
2,086.19 |
2,020.87 |
1,947.31 |
1,947.41 |
26.32 |
|
Donegal |
1,193.30 |
1,007.86 |
988.11 |
948.14 |
902.00 |
873.31 |
832.33 |
851.91 |
28.61 |
|
Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown |
1,242.00 |
1,185.60 |
1,129.40 |
1,049.60 |
1,014.30 |
994.90 |
951.00 |
930.90 |
25.05 |
|
Fingal |
1,589.79 |
1,475.79 |
1,427.30 |
1,377.30 |
1,329.70 |
1,296.33 |
1,250.66 |
1,242.07 |
21.87 |
|
Galway |
1,066.23 |
931.27 |
843.87 |
808.61 |
769.28 |
746.02 |
752.08 |
740.22 |
30.57 |
|
Kerry |
1,347.20 |
1,220.29 |
1,188.63 |
1,159.77 |
1,118.56 |
1,101.61 |
1,050.34 |
1,063.72 |
21.04 |
|
Kildare |
1,094.50 |
935.60 |
913.50 |
870.00 |
841.62 |
815.40 |
793.70 |
803.10 |
26.62 |
|
Kilkenny |
615.67 |
565.44 |
541.64 |
525.49 |
506.46 |
494.02 |
486.86 |
482.25 |
21.67 |
|
Laois |
438.27 |
401.50 |
388.79 |
364.88 |
342.70 |
341.93 |
348.57 |
376.12 |
14.18 |
|
Leitrim |
330.15 |
301.50 |
293.85 |
278.13 |
266.15 |
258.98 |
253.09 |
251.05 |
23.95 |
|
Limerick County (Merged w City Council Q4 2013) |
793.60 |
731.60 |
677.38 |
648.65 |
617.33 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
22.21 (2008-2012) |
|
Limerick City (Merged w County Council Q4 2013) |
554.90 |
527.30 |
484.41 |
464.14 |
443.54 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
20.06 (2008-2012 |
|
Longford |
381.70 |
328.20 |
302.01 |
295.94 |
287.75 |
289.80 |
272.85 |
268.60 |
29.63 |
|
Louth |
733.83 |
687.90 |
670.64 |
648.64 |
652.51 |
634.98 |
606.05 |
594.28 |
19.02 |
|
Mayo |
1,296.30 |
1,173.80 |
1,097.65 |
1,055.50 |
998.53 |
963.73 |
927.01 |
928.71 |
28.35 |
|
Meath |
800.04 |
700.58 |
665.82 |
638.64 |
623.58 |
611.56 |
621.98 |
631.87 |
21.02 |
|
Monaghan |
454.57 |
427.99 |
407.72 |
399.69 |
384.05 |
369.83 |
362.74 |
364.25 |
19.87 |
|
Offaly |
499.00 |
476.00 |
416.50 |
397.00 |
388.60 |
379.70 |
376.00 |
373.80 |
25.09 |
|
Roscommon |
581.50 |
546.50 |
481.12 |
455.07 |
432.80 |
414.59 |
407.89 |
403.96 |
30.53 |
|
Sligo |
586.80 |
521.92 |
500.45 |
478.74 |
451.98 |
429.28 |
414.44 |
390.39 |
33.47 |
|
South Dublin |
1,472.25 |
1,393.05 |
1,329.20 |
1,261.30 |
1,172.47 |
1,098.79 |
1,055.69 |
1,017.17 |
30.91 |
|
Tipperary |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
1,002.33* |
975.62 |
2.66 (2014-2015) |
|
Tipperary North (Merged South Q2 2014) |
512.15 |
504.22 |
514.57 |
467.83 |
449.36 |
447.85* |
n/a |
n/a |
12.55 (2008-2013) |
|
Tipperary South (Merged North Q2 2014) |
707.00 |
651.30 |
648.10 |
629.26 |
605.31 |
576.53* |
n/a |
n/a |
18.45 (2008-2013) |
|
Waterford County Council - (Merged City Council Q2 2014) |
600.50 |
561.50 |
495.61 |
468.00 |
442.06 |
446.06 |
n/a |
n/a |
25.72 (2008-2013) |
|
Waterford City Council - (Merged County Council Q2 2014) |
464.00 |
410.32 |
372.93 |
359.09 |
338.18 |
334.58* |
n/a |
n/a |
27.89 (2008-2013) |
|
Westmeath |
537.36 |
486.92 |
479.43 |
461.79 |
447.26 |
431.59 |
458.54 |
462.07 |
14.01 |
|
Wexford |
863.47 |
796.51 |
780.38 |
757.76 |
723.60 |
715.65 |
699.90 |
693.68 |
19.66 |
|
Wicklow |
903.65 |
824.25 |
786.45 |
744.05 |
716.65 |
709.65 |
678.65 |
666.85 |
26.20 |
|
City & County Council - Limerick |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
1,035.89* |
1,008.14 |
1,034.05 |
0.02 (2014-2015) |
|
City & County Council - Waterford |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
773.13* |
785.73 |
+1.63 (2014-2015) |
*Point of amalgamation of staffing returns between City and County Councils (Limerick, Waterford) or between two county councils (Tipperary).
342. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the locations, by area, the 47,000 new social housing units will be built, acquired and leased as promised in his Department's action plan on housing. [26996/16]
View answer343. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of the 47,000 new social housing units promised in his Department's action plan on housing which will be owned by local authorities or any other State agencies. [26997/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 342 and 343 together.
Of the 47,000 social housing units to be delivered under Rebuilding Ireland, an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, it is estimated at this stage that approximately 26,000 will be constructed, while 11,000 will be acquired by local authorities and AHBs directly from the market or the Housing Agency, with a portion of these being newly built units. 10,000 units will be leased by local authorities and AHBs, which includes an estimated 5,000 units to be sourced from the NTMA Special Purpose Vehicle and a further 5,000 properties to be secured from a combination of the Repair and Leasing Initiative that will be piloted shortly and under long-term lease arrangements by local authorities and AHBs from a range of different sources, not including Part V. This therefore includes a mix of units from the existing housing stock and newly built units. Overall, it is estimated that around 4,700 units could be secured for social housing from Part V agreements.
The following table shows a breakdown of the 47,000 units and the final delivery will ultimately depend on many factors, including activity in the private sector, capacity of local authorities and AHBs and readiness of projects. Targets for social housing delivery to end 2017 have already been issued and details of these are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/minsters-kelly-coffey-announce-eu15-billion-social-housing-targets-local.
It should be noted that the allocation, by local authority area, of the increased targets under the Action Plan will be linked to the 2016 Housing Needs Assessment, which is currently underway. This link will mean that the Action Plan targets will be aligned to the up-to-date, priority housing needs locally.
|
- |
Build |
Acquire |
Leasing |
Totals |
|
LA |
18,718 |
2,276 |
3,500 |
24,494 |
|
AHB |
4,698 |
8,652 |
- |
13,350 |
|
LA/AHB |
2,620 |
- |
6,536 |
9,156 |
|
- |
26,036 |
10,928 |
10,036 |
47,000 |
344. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will investigate his Department's failure to intervene in relation to the fact that the Wexford Local Development Company refused to honour Labour Court recommendation LCR 19755 26/3/2010 on the grounds that it was a private matter between the company and its employees, when it later emerged that the company, which has consistently been funded by his Department, stated that it was a former Minister (details supplied) who advised it not to do so. [27039/16]
View answerI am aware of the Labour Court recommendation in the case in Question. The position is that neither my Department, nor the former Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, was the employer referred to in the Labour Court recommendation. My understanding is that the individuals were employed by an independent company, limited by guarantee, and had employment contracts with that company. Therefore, any employment matters are solely for the board of the company. There could be no role for my Department in such a case.
Section 2 (3) of the Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2007, provided that:
"The Minister shall not be, or be deemed to be, an employer, within the meaning of the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994 and 2001, by virtue of the provision of funding to a person or persons under any scheme".
This position is fully consistent with that of the then Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in place at that time.
345. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of properties that have been remediated under the pyrite remediation scheme; the number accepted into the scheme awaiting commencement; the number of applications pending, refused acceptance onto the scheme, appeals made and appeals upheld; the number of properties with a DCR of 1 or 1 with progression that have been included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27044/16]
View answerThe latest figures available from the Pyrite Resolution Board indicate that 1,315 applications have been received under the pyrite remediation scheme, of which 985 have been approved for inclusion in the scheme as follows: 286 are at remedial works planning stage; 209 are at tender/tender analysis; 2 are at tender decision; 87 are under remediation; and 401 are complete.
In addition, a further 173 applications were at the initial application and validation stage of the scheme, while another 97 applications are at the assessment and verification stage. A total of 60 applications have been refused under the scheme since it was first introduced in February 2014; appeals were received in respect of 12 applications of which 3 are currently under consideration by the Board. In the remaining cases, the appeals from applicants were upheld in 2 cases.
The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and Categorisation. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a building condition assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2.
As matters currently stand, a total of 7 dwellings which had a Damage Condition Rating of 1 when their building condition assessments were first completed, and which were refused under the scheme, have now progressed to a Damage Condition Rating of 2; these dwellings have now been included in the pyrite remediation scheme following the submission of new applications.
While dwellings with Damage Condition Ratings of 1 do not qualify under the scheme, some may be considered in accordance with the exceptional circumstance provisions set out in section 17 of the Act. To date, no dwellings have been included in the pyrite remediation scheme under the exceptional circumstances provisions of the Act.
Ultimately, the Board, together with the Housing Agency, will arrange for all eligible dwellings to be remediated to a high standard and at no additional cost to the affected homeowners. Remediation works will continue to be carried out at the earliest possible opportunity having regard to the existing demands of the scheme and the optimum use of available resources.
346. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for voter registration for the 2017-2018 register of electors. [27086/16]
View answer347. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will report on the assistance his Department will provide to local authorities in voter registration for the 2017-2018 register of electors. [27087/16]
View answer348. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the steps he will take to ensure new citizens are made aware of the need to have their citizenship status accurately recorded on the electoral register in order to avail of their full voting rights in view of the fact that local authorities will be preparing the 2017-2018 register of electors in the coming months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27088/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 346 to 348, inclusive, together.
In law, the preparation of the register of electors is a matter for each local authority as a cooperation of the public, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the register. The draft register is published on 1 November each year and is generally available for examination at post offices, Garda stations and local authority offices and on-line at www.checktheregister.ie up to 25 November. In support of activity by local authorities in preparing the 2017-2018 register of electors my Department will, during November, promote greater awareness of the register through promotional posters, newspaper advertisements and on-line and social-media campaigns. People will be invited in this campaign to check the draft register during November to make sure that they are correctly registered and to bring errors or omissions in the draft to the attention of the local authority.
A person who becomes an Irish citizen is entitled under the Electoral Act 1992 to be registered as a Dáil, Presidential or European elector in a constituency if he or she has reached the age of 18 and was on the qualifying date – 1 September in the year prior to the register coming into force – an Irish citizen ordinarily resident in that constituency. The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for amendment of the Electoral Act 1992 to enable persons who become Irish citizens after the qualifying date for the register of electors to apply for entry in the supplement to the register of electors. They no longer have to wait until the following register is being prepared.
My Department works closely with the Citizenship Division of the Department of Justice and Equality to arrange for the provision of information leaflets about voter registration to new Irish citizens. These leaflets, which are included in the information pack that every new Irish citizen receives at their citizenship ceremony, detail the steps required to change citizenship status on the register of electors. My Department has supplied 7,000 such information leaflets to cover citizenship ceremonies in 2016.
