Written Answers Nos. 200-223
200. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will commit to raising the issue regarding subsidiary earners on disability allowance being assessed for rent in council tenancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29510/16]
View answer226. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will consider in his deliberations on the new local authority rent scheme removing both disability allowance and family income supplement for subsidiary earners from rental assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29487/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 226 together.
The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. It is a matter for local authorities, when assessing individual households, to consider whether rents payable are in accordance with the authority’s rent scheme. Therefore, decisions on whether or not to disregard either a proportion of income or particular sources of income for the purposes of calculating rents are matters for each individual local authority to consider in accordance with their own rent scheme.
Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 allows the Minister to make regulations in respect of various matters to be included in a rent scheme. These can include the sources of household income that may be assessed for the purpose of determining rent levels.
Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft framework for a harmonisation of the approach to be taken by local authorities in regard to various aspects of rent schemes. This includes providing for a common set of income disregards to be applied by all housing authorities in determining a household’s assessable income for rent calculation purposes.
These proposals are now being examined further in the light of the broader commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, to review the disparate systems of differential rents for social housing in place across local authorities to ensure that housing supports are fair and sustainable, prioritise those on lowest incomes and avoid creating social welfare traps that may prevent people from either returning to work or to the private housing market. This review will be completed by the end of Quarter 2 2017.
201. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the alarm system for elderly persons and persons residing alone can be provided for persons who do not have a landline. [29630/16]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind.
The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of Pobal, who took over this role from my Department in September 2015, given that organisation’s significant experience delivering programmes on behalf of Government. Alarms are available for both landline and mobile operation.
In consultation with my Department, Pobal recently commenced a general review of the scheme, which will identify potential improvements, including technological advances and additional services. Consultation with relevant stakeholders is a key component of this review, the results of which will inform my Department’s policy on the future direction of the scheme.
Individuals can find out more about the Seniors Alert Scheme via Pobal’s Helpdesk at 01-5117222 or online at https://sas.pobal.ie/SitePages/Home.aspx
202. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the consideration which is being given by his Department to rebalance the burden of commercial rates between large multinationals and SMEs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29650/16]
View answerLocal authorities are required by legislation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation for each property determined by the Valuation Office to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority in the annual budget and its determination is a reserved function.
As the amount of rates payable is largely determined by an independent valuation of the premises occupied by the ratepayer, there is no unfair burden on any category of ratepayer.
203. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire den Aire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil an bhfuil sé ar intinn aige le linn shaolré an Rialtais seo Coimisiún Toghcháin buan a chur ar bun, a bheadh freagrach as reifrinn, toghcháin agus vótálacha eile a eagrú agus as eolas a scaipeadh fúthu, agus a bheadh freagrach as clár na dtoghthóirí a riar agus gnóthaí comhchosúla eile; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [29213/16]
View answerSa bhliain 2015, rinne Comhchoiste an Oireachtais um Chomhshaol, Cultúr agus Gaeltacht próiseas comhairliúcháin phoiblí maidir le bunú coimisiúin toghcháin a chur i gcrích ar bhonn páipéar comhairliúcháin a d’ullmhaigh mo Roinnse agus tar éis don Aire a bhí ann an tráth sin iarraidh ar an gComhchoiste déanamh amhlaidh. D’fhoilsigh an Coiste tuarascáil faoin gcomhairliúchán i mí Eanáir 2016. Sa tuarascáil sin, tá sraith moltaí ann maidir le bunú coimisiúin toghcháin, lena n-áirítear moltaí maidir le feidhmeanna ar ceart iad a shannadh don choimisiún, maidir le comhaltas, maidir le sásraí cuntasachta agus maidir le próiseas bunaithe an choimisiúin. Bainfear leas as an eolas atá le fáil sa tuarascáil sin nuair a bheidh an tiomantas atá i gClár don Rialtas Comhpháirtíochta maidir le coimisiún toghcháin a bhunú á chur i bhfeidhm. Faoi láthair, nílim in ann léiriú a thabhairt ar an amlíne i ndáil le coimisiún toghcháin a bhunú, ar coimisiún é a dhéanfaidh athrú bunúsach ar an tslí ina mbainistítear agus ina riartar toghcháin agus beidh gá le mionbhreithniú agus mionanailís ina leith sula rithfear reachtaíocht chun é a bhunú; ach tá breithniú á dhéanamh ar an ábhar seo i mo Roinn faoi láthair.
204. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire den Aire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas maidir le seasamh an Rialtais i dtaobh an athbhreithnithe ar struchtúir rialtais áitiúil i gCorcaigh, cén gníomh atá ar intinn ag an rialtas a dhéanamh anois, cad é beartas an Rialtais ó thaobh struchtúir rialtais áitiúil i gCorcaigh faoi láthair; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [29214/16]
View answerCeapadh Coiste neamhspleách in 2015 chun athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar shocruithe rialtais áitiúil i gcathair agus i gcontae Chorcaí, go háirithe athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar teorainn na gcathrach, agus moltaí a dhéanamh maidir le cibé ar chóir an teorainn a athrú nó ar chóir Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí agus Comhairle Contae Chorcaí a aontú. Chuir an coiste a thuarisc ar fáil ar 2 Meán Fómhair 2015. Bhí tuairisc mionlaigh cuimsithe sa tuarascáil fhoriomlán.
Bhí an dá thuarascáil comhaontaithe nach bhféidir cúrsaí a fhágail mar atá, ach bhí difríocht maidir leis an cúrsa gníomhaíochta a bhí molta sna tuariscail.
Cuirfear an cheist chun tosaigh mar chuid de chláir athchóirithe an rialtais áitiúil atá luaite sa Chlár don Rialtas Comhpháirtíochta. Dá bhrí sin, tá grúpa saineolaithe curtha ar bun agam chun comhairle a thabhairt dom ar na roghanna atá ar fáil maidir le socruithe rialtais áitiúil sa todhchaí i gCorcaigh, chun comhaontu a thógáil agus chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na chéad chéimeanna eile atá i gceist chun leasa mhuintir na cathrach Chorcaí agus contae araon.
205. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire den Aire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil an bhfuil sé ar intinn aige Coimisiún a chur ar bun chun teorainneacha na dtoghcheantar do na toghcháin áitiúla a scrúdú agus a athbhreithniú, agus má tá, an féidir leis amscála a thabhairt maidir leis an obair sin; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [29215/16]
View answer207. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire den Aire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil an bhfuil sé ar intinn go ndéanfar aon athrú ar theorainneacha na dtoghcheantar i gComhairle Contae Chorcaí, nó i gComhairle Cathrach Chorcaí, roimh an gcéad toghchán áitiúil eile, agus má tá, an féidir leis amscála a thabhairt maidir leis an obair sin; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [29217/16]
View answerTá fúm glacadh le Ceisteanna Uimh. 205 agus 207 le chéile.
Rinneadh an t-athbhreithniú is déanaí ar thoghlimistéir áitiúla sa tréimhse ó Shamhain 2012 go Bealtaine 2013 ag an Coiste um Theorainneacha Toghlimistéar Áitiúil, arna bhunú faoin Acht Rialtais Áitiúil 1991.
Murab ionann an cás le dáilcheantair Dhála agus toghlaigh Pharlaimint na hEorpa, níl aon cheanglas bunreachtúil nó reachtach ann maidir le hathmheas toghlimistéar áitiúil.
Tá tiomantas sa Chlár Rialtais go ndéanfar breithniú ar laghdú méid na dtoghlimistéar áitiúla; déanfar scrúdú ina leith sin le linn tuarascáil a ullmhú don Rialtas agus don Oireachtas faoi lár na bliana 2017 maidir le bearta féideartha chun ceannaireacht agus cuntasacht rialtais áitiúil a neartú.
206. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire den Aire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil an bhfuil sé ar intinn aige Coimisiún a chur ar bun chun teorainneacha na ndáilcheantar a scrúdú agus a athbhreithniú roimh an gcéad olltoghchán eile, agus má tá, an féidir leis amscála a thabhairt maidir leis an obair sin; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [29216/16]
View answerDíreach tar éis don Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh réamhthorthaí Dhaonáireamh 2016 a fhoilsiú ar an 14 Iúil 2016, agus de réir fhorálacha an Achta Toghcháin 1997, rinne mise Ordú a bhunaigh Coimisiún um Thoghlaigh chun dáilcheantair Dhála agus toghlaigh Pharlaimint na hEorpa a athbhreithniú.
Is é feidhm an Choimisiúin um Thoghlaigh tuarascáil a thabhairt maidir leis na dáilcheantair do thoghadh comhaltaí na Dála agus comhaltaí Pharlaimint na hEorpa, agus aird á thabhairt ar Airteagal 16 den Bhunreacht agus ar na téarmaí tagartha atá leagtha amach in alt 6(2) den Acht Toghcháin 1997.
Tá sé de cheangal ar an gCoimisiún tuarascáil a thabhairt do Chathaoirleach na Dála tráth nach déanaí ná trí mhí tar éis don Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh torthaí deiridh an Daonáirimh a fhoilsiú agus táthar ag súil le foilsiú na dtorthaí sin i mí an Mhárta 2017.
208. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total number of staff vacancies in the public library service per local authority, which have not been filled since 2008 in tabular form. [29218/16]
View answer209. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total number of county librarian posts which have not been filled since 2008. [29219/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 208 and 209 together.
Under 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. In this regard, it is a matter for each individual Chief Executive to recruit and assign staff to specific divisions.
My Department does not maintain information on specific vacancies or recruitment within local authorities.
210. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will address the issue of lone working by part-time branch librarians in rural libraries on health and safety grounds. [29220/16]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each local authority Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of their local authority.
My Department works closely with each local authority to ensure the right number of staff are in place for optimal service delivery. However, it is a matter for each Chief Executive to recruit and assign staff to specific business areas within their organisation, including in the library service. My Department has no role in this regard.
211. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason the four Dublin local authority library services are not participating in the so-called nationwide sharing of library book stock and in the national library management system. [29221/16]
View answerThe national library management system being introduced for all public libraries will provide significant benefits to the public. The system will facilitate a number of new services such as a single membership card across all public libraries, universal membership for all children and a virtual library. The quality and strength of the library collections will be enhanced and resource-sharing between libraries will increase.
The four Dublin local authorities are participating in the national library management system, the implementation of which is being managed by Dublin City Council on behalf of the sector.
A collection and delivery system is also being trialled on a pilot basis for thirteen local authorities. The pilot will examine the business case for shared access to the collections of all authorities and a decision will be made on the national roll-out of the service in early 2017.
212. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to letters sent to persons who are local authority occupants (details supplied); if he will clarify the position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29254/16]
View answer237. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if it is possible under the current tenant purchase scheme for long time tenants of county councils to purchase their homes by way of a lump sum complete payment while not fulfilling the age criteria; and if not, the reasoning behind this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29779/16]
View answer238. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will examine the criteria set down under the tenant incremental purchase scheme and the €15,000 minimum income requirement to avail of the scheme, in respect of the applicants having a large down payment available to make up for the shortfall in yearly required income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29806/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 212, 237 and 238 together.
Under Section 3(A)(9) of the Water Services Act 2014 (inserted by Section 48 of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015) a person who is a tenant of a dwelling let to him under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014 and who proposes to purchase the dwelling shall before completion of the sale provide the local authority concerned with a certificate of discharge from Irish Water confirming that any charge under section 21 of the No. 2 Act 2013 in respect of the dwelling owed to Irish Water has been paid. The sale of the dwelling cannot proceed until a certificate of discharge in respect of the dwelling has been received from Irish Water.
The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2016 suspended charges for a period of 9 months, commencing on 1 July 2016 and ending on 31 March 2017. Irish Water customers remain liable for unpaid domestic water charges as it is the law of the land. This Act provides that during any period of suspension of domestic water charges, this shall not count towards the time period for the calculation of late payment charges in respect of unpaid water bills. However, arrears of water charges incurred by households remain to be discharged.
The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support for at least 1 year.
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. Reckonable income is calculated as gross income. Income from social welfare payments is included in the reckonable income but only where these payments constitute a secondary source of income.
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. This ensures compliance with the conditions of the order transferring the ownership of, and responsibility for, the house from the local authority to the tenant.
In line with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government and reaffirmed in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, it is intended that a review of the Scheme will be initiated in January 2017 following the first 12 months of operation and any changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme which are considered necessary based on the evidence gathered at that stage will be brought forward.
213. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of moneys granted to rural resettlement Ireland each year for the past 20 years; the number of families resettled from an urban centre to each county for each of the years; if consideration has been given in view of the housing emergency to increase that funding and to accelerate the process to help those on the cities' housing lists, in particular to rural areas under threat of loss of local services due to falling local populations, emigration, aging and urbanisation. [29289/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, has overall responsibility for regional and rural matters and is advancing a broadly-based rural development strategy, in the context of the Programme for a Partnership Government.
However, up until 2012, my Department provided grant assistance to Rural Resettlement Ireland for each year as follows:
2004 - €135,000;
2005 - €145,000;
2006 - €135,000;
2007 - €124,991;
2008 - €135,000;
2009 - €94,500;
2010 - €80,325;
2011 - €20,081; and
2012 - €10,000.
Information for pre-2004 funding is not readily available. Details of the number of families resettled in rural areas over this time are not held in my Department.
The Deputy may wish to note the inclusion, in the recently published Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, of a range of measures supportive of the regeneration and renewal of towns and villages across rural Ireland and, consequently, ensuring a vibrant population in those places. It is my aim that all steps are taken to secure the re-use of vacant and under-utilised properties for residential purposes, particularly in the many towns and villages in rural Ireland that contain a significant number of empty houses. Action 5.1 of the Action Plan relates to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy and I intend to examine the potential to widen the geographical range of social housing location options available to persons seeking such accommodation.
The Strategy will examine the potential for bringing existing but vacant housing back into beneficial use and I intend to examine mechanisms to match such accommodation potential to prospective applicants for social housing, through measures such as the Repair and Leasing Initiative, which will see up-front financial assistance being made available to upgrade empty, but sub-standard, accommodation in return for leasing the property back for social housing purposes. Acquisition and leasing options are also available to local authorities to ensure that households needing accommodation may be provided with that accommodation.
The development of a rural resettlement programme will be considered further, in conjunction with the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, in the context of taking forward these measures, the details of which are set out in the Action Plan, which is available on the website www.rebuildingireland.ie.
214. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the level of Exchequer funding provided for social housing across all programmes between 2006 and to date in 2016 in tabular form. [29307/16]
View answerInformation regarding the annual Estimates of public expenditure, including the amounts allocated to housing programmes, is available on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at the following link: http://www.per.gov.ie/en/rev/
The following table contains the figures for housing expenditure for the period 2006 to 2015. In relation to 2016, the following table contains the budgeted amount for the current year.
In respect of 2016, total expenditure on housing programmes to date is €468.5 million.
Exchequer Housing Expenditure 2006-2016
|
Year |
Total € m |
|
2006 |
1,289.876 |
|
2007 |
1,507.662 |
|
2008 |
1,710.008 |
|
2009 |
1,391.575 |
|
2010 |
1,065.279 |
|
2011 |
754.630 |
|
2012 |
672.099 |
|
2013 |
579.915 |
|
2014 |
585.330 |
|
2015 |
761.441 |
|
2016 |
933.279 |
215. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the level of Exchequer funding provided for homeless services between 2006 and to date in 2016 in tabular form. [29308/16]
View answerMy Department provides current funding to housing authorities towards the cost of providing accommodation and related services for homeless persons under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988.
Under ‘Section 10’ funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of any service they are funding, from within their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Section 10 funding arrangements.
Details of the Section 10 Exchequer funding provided to housing authorities by my Department for the years 2006 to date in 2016 are set out in the following table. Budget 2016 confirmed a national budget of €70 million in Exchequer funding under Section 10 arrangements; recoupments amounting to some €40 million have been made to housing authorities to date.
Exchequer Funding provided under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988
|
Year |
€ |
|
2006 |
49,360,115 |
|
2007 |
52,987,377 |
|
2008 |
53,234,999 |
|
2009 |
56,056,856 |
|
2010 |
54,703,457 |
|
2011 |
48,123,050 |
|
2012 |
46,545,963 |
|
2013 |
45,000,000 |
|
2014 |
49,205,774 |
|
2015 |
64,770,970 |
|
To date - 2016 |
40,121,046 |
216. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of tenancies which have been delivered in 2016 to date under the homeless housing assistance payment pilot; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29346/16]
View answer218. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of tenancies which have been delivered to date in 2016 under the housing assistance payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29348/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 218 together.
The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a key Government priority and the accelerated roll-out of the scheme on a national basis is an important early action for completion in the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. Local authorities and my Department are working closely together in order to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme. Training will be provided in nine more local authority areas (Cavan, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow) before the end of November 2016 and the scheme will be commence in these administrative areas on a statutory basis on Thursday, 1 December 2016, subject to the necessary regulations being in place.
As of 10 October, 2016, a total of 8,976 new households have been supported by the HAP scheme in 2016. A weekly average of 225 HAP tenancies has been set-up during 2016, and this figure continues to rise with 291 HAP tenancies signed-up to start in the current week and a further 292 signed up for week commencing October 17th 2016. Some 13,800 households are currently being supported by the HAP scheme across the 19 local authority areas where the scheme is operational, including eligible homeless households under the HAP Pilot scheme managed by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) for all four local authorities in the Dublin region.
The Homelessness Pilot of the HAP scheme is being managed by the DRHE and has been operational since February 2015. Some 581 households are currently being supported by the scheme across the four housing authorities in the Dublin Region where the pilot is operational, i.e. Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council. The focus of this pilot scheme is to transition qualified households from emergency accommodation, including hotels, into private rented tenancies. To date in 2016, 529 homeless households have had their housing needs met by the HAP scheme.
In general, I am satisfied with how the HAP scheme is operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme under Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness.
217. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of units of social housing which have been acquired or completed by local authorities under the social housing investment programme in 2016 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29347/16]
View answerUnder my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is provided to local authorities to support the development of new social housing units, through the acquisition and construction of houses and apartments to accommodate persons on local authority social housing waiting lists.
Data on the number of units acquired and constructed in respect of all local authorities funded by direct capital investment from my Department is published on my Department’s website at the following links:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1b1-la-bld-by-area_4.xlsx
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1c1-la-acq-by-area_4.xlsx
At the end of quarter 2 2016, a total of 117 units were completed under the construction programme and a further 430 units purchased by local authorities.
219. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of units of rapid build housing which have been delivered to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29349/16]
View answerTo date 22 rapid-build housing units have been delivered in Poppintree, Ballymun. I am advised that works will commence on a number of sites very shortly and units will be handed over on a phased basis, to local authorities, over the coming months.
I envisage that there will be more than 320 homes either complete or under construction on site by end-2016.
220. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the national tender for public library services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29355/16]
View answerThe provision of public library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority under the Local Government Act 2001. This includes the procurement of books and other library related services. My Department has no direct role in these matters.
I understand that the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is currently working with the Educational Procurement Service on a collaborative engagement for book stock procurement under the new Office of Government Procurement centralised model. A Working Group has been established by the LGMA to oversee the process. It is planned to publish the national tender later in the year in order to have a national procurement in place for 2017.
221. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the public library services that are currently practising staffless hours; the public libraries which plan to use staffless hours in the foreseeable future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29356/16]
View answer223. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of public library and book-mobile closures there have been in the past five years; the number of closures he foresees based on recommendations of the final report on the pilot by the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29359/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 223 together.
The provision of public library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority under the Local Government Act 2001. This includes determining the need for library branches or mobile libraries in their respective areas. My Department has no role in this matter.
My Department is currently working with local authorities to extend the initial pilot phase of the Open Library service, an initiative under ‘Opportunities for All’, A Strategy for Public Libraries 2013-2017.
The initial Open Libraries pilot was introduced in three branches from November 2014, in Tullamore and Banagher Libraries in Offaly and Tubbercurry Library in Sligo. The service continues to operate and feedback from users has been very positive to date.
It is planned to extend the service to a further 23 branches from early 2017. The aim of the extended pilot is to gather further learning and to develop a model that may be rolled-out on a mainstream basis in the longer term. I am confident that the service will continue to grow in popularity with users and communities and will be supported fully by staff in the participating branches.
The branches that are expected to offer the service in 2017 are in the following table.
|
Library Branch |
County |
|
Mhuine Bheag |
Carlow |
|
Johnstown |
Cavan |
|
Ennis |
Clare |
|
Buncrana |
Donegal |
|
Deansgrange |
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
|
Oranmore |
Galway |
|
Ballinasloe |
Galway |
|
Castlecomer |
Kilkenny |
|
Portarlington |
Laois |
|
Cappamore |
Limerick |
|
Ballymahon |
Longford |
|
Ardee |
Louth |
|
Swinford |
Mayo |
|
Ballina |
Mayo |
|
Trim |
Meath |
|
Carickmacross |
Monaghan |
|
Ferbane |
Offaly |
|
Edenderry |
Offaly |
|
Nenagh |
Tipperary |
|
Dungarvan |
Waterford |
|
Moate |
Westmeath |
|
Gorey |
Wexford |
|
Arklow |
Wicklow |
There will be no closure of library branches as a result of the Open Library service. Similarly, there will be no reduction in staffing levels or staffed hours as a result of the service, either in the short or long term.
222. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the cuts in funding to the State's public library services by local authorities in each of the past five years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29357/16]
View answerUnder section 78 of the Local Government Act 2001, the provision and management of library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority. Accordingly, expenditure on library services is a matter for each local authority. My Department has no direct role in these matters.
However, information is compiled by the Department on annual budgets and expenditure by local authorities, which includes a breakdown for library and archive services. Data for the period 2011 to 2015 is detailed in the following table.
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2011 |
€143m |
|
2012 |
€140m |
|
2013 |
€142m |
|
2014 |
€141m |
|
2015 (budgeted) |
€145m |
My Department provides capital funding each year for the development of new library projects by local authorities. Some €22m will be provided for this purpose through the Libraries Capital Investment Programme for the period 2016 to 2021, with €2.75m to be provided nationally this year. In addition, limited funding is available to support local authorities in meeting the costs associated with libraries including the costs of operating from leased premises; in 2016, approximately €1m nationally is provided for this purpose.
Funding provided directly by my Department to support the development and operation of library services by local authorities from 2011 to 2015 is set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Expenditure |
|
2011 |
€7.6m |
|
2012 |
€6.3m |
|
2013 |
€4.7m |
|
2014 |
€2.2m |
|
2015 |
€2.4m |
