Written Answers Nos. 245-266
245. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of funding outstanding to Dublin City Council from his Department for services delivered at the behest of his Department and for services for which reimbursement are due to be made by his Department. [31527/16]
View answerMy Department has a wide and diverse business agenda, including supporting citizens in safe and sustainable communities through the provision of access to good quality housing, fostering community development in partnership with local government, fostering sustainable development, supporting and enabling responsive local government and protecting and improving water resources.
In order to deliver on this broad business agenda, my Department recoups expenditure made by all local authorities, including Dublin City Council, under Departmental schemes. Claims from local authorities in respect of such schemes are normally verified and paid on a recoupment basis and reprocessed in a prompt manner. My Department does not collate the data requested in the question as the generally positive payment timeframes negate the need to do so.
246. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of landlords registered with the Residential Tenancies Board for each quarter since 2011; the number of tenancies held; and the number of tenancies held by the top five, top ten, top 20 and top 100 landlords for each quarter, in tabular form. [31547/16]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and I have no function in relation to the operational matters of the Board. Consequently, my Department does not hold or collate the information requested. However, I am aware that over 320,000 tenancies are currently registered with the RTB.
The Clerk of the Dáil has requested that arrangements be put in place to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies to members of the Oireachtas. Following the issue of Circular LG (P) 05/16 on 20 September from my Department, the RTB have set up a dedicated email address for this purpose at OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie.
247. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of money which has been earmarked from his Department for the funding of the independent Commission on Domestic Public Water Services. [31648/16]
View answerI refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 576, 626 and 627 of 16 September 2016 which sets out the position in this matter. The position remains unchanged.
248. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when and the way in which the special Oireachtas committee to consider the report of the independent Commission on Domestic Public Water Services will be established. [31649/16]
View answerThe Expert Commission on Domestic Public Water Services has been established to make recommendations for the sustainable long term-funding model for the delivery of domestic water and waste water services by Irish Water. The Commission is expected to complete its deliberations and report by the end of November 2016. I expect arrangements will be concluded in the interim to ensure that the Oireachtas is in a position to commence its consideration of the report in a timely manner.
249. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of Irish Water's 2017 capital programme which will come from Exchequer funds; and the amount which will come from borrowing by Irish Water. [31650/16]
View answerThe Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the overall commitment to Irish Water's capital investment of €5.5 billion to end of 2021, as set out in Irish Water's Business Plan 2014-2021. The investment programme for the period 2017-21 will be subject to review by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), and any Government funding will be subject to future budgetary decisions.
On 30 September 2016, the CER published its consultation on the level of Irish Water's allowed revenue, including proposals on operational and capital budgets, for the 2017 and 2018 period with a view to a final decision being made by the CER in Quarter 4 2016. A copy of the CER's consultation paper is available on its website, www.cer.ie.
The Government's capital contribution for Irish Water in 2017 is €270m which was agreed as part of Budget 2017. The balance of Irish Water's capital investment is being supported through borrowing.
250. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the target date for completion of rehousing of families (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31655/16]
View answerAn operational sub-group under the auspices of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) Taskforce, composed of all relevant Departments of State and other bodies such as representatives of local authorities and the Irish Red Cross, is currently being established to support the process of housing the families referred to.
This sub-group will be co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality. Arrangements are being put in place at local authority level to support the housing of these refugees, including through the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP), and a range of other supports will be made available at local level to support the integration of the families concerned into their new communities.
251. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of money collected in respect of domestic water charges for 2015 and separately for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31659/16]
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. Irish Water customer billing and collection levels are a matter for the utility and one in which I have no function.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number,1890 578 578.
Irish Water has published information on bill payment levels on its website at www.water.ie, which indicates that some €162.5m had been collected in domestic water charges to the end of its 5th billing cycle.
252. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the process by which housing units are classified as single dwellings or as multi-unit dwellings for the purposes of sections 18, 19 and 22 of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 from which dwellings occupied as a single dwelling are specifically excluded; and if local authorities have any enforcement and inspection powers under the Fire Services Acts in respect of dwellings classified as single dwellings such as a neighbouring building if there is a risk to public safety. [31717/16]
View answerPremises consisting of a dwelling house occupied as a single dwelling are exempted from the fire safety duties, and inspection and enforcement provisions, in Part III of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. The Acts do not define a single dwelling and, while single dwellings are self-evident in most cases, consideration of a range of factors may be required on a case by case basis and may ultimately require interpretation by the Courts.
A single dwelling is generally either a dwelling house, a flat (separate and self-contained premises constructed or adapted for residential use and forming part of a building from some other part of which it is divided horizontally) or a maisonette (a dwelling forming part of a larger building, which has its rooms divided between two or more levels which are more than half a storey height apart).
Notwithstanding the exclusion of single dwellings from the provision of the Fire Services Acts, very considerable progress has been made on enhancing the safety of occupants of dwellings through community fire safety programmes and fire safety promotion over the years. This has focussed on the domestic smoke alarm campaign and, while each fire death is one too many, the fire death rate per million has been halved over the past decade.
The construction standards for dwellings are covered by regulation. Part B (Fire safety) of the Building Regulations sets down the statutory minimum standards of fire safety provision which must be achieved when a new building, including a dwelling, is designed and constructed or when an existing building is subject to works involving an extension, a material alteration or a material change of use. This includes a requirement for adequate resistance to the spread of fire to and from neighbouring buildings.
Technical Guidance Document B – Fire Safety (2006) provides specific guidance on construction methods to comply with this requirement. Where works are carried out in accordance with this document this will, prima facie, indicate compliance with the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations. Compliance with the Building Regulations is first and foremost the responsibility of the owners, designers and builders of the buildings or dwellings concerned.
In broad terms, local authorities have extensive powers of inspection and enforcement under the Building Control Act 1990, the Fire Services Act 1981 and the Planning and Development Acts, all of which may be relevant in relation to fire safety arrangements in residential buildings.
253. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the position regarding situations whereby issues are identified by a landlord or tenant, investigated by the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, and subject to an RTB tribunal ruling, following which the RTB will not take enforcement proceedings to enact its ruling; his views on whether the failure of the RTB in this regard is counterproductive to its obligations to landlords and tenants; his further views on whether the RTB has a duty to apply for the enforcement of its ruling and that failure to do so undermines the authority of the organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31726/16]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants.
Under the Act, enforcement of RTB determination orders is a discretionary power and the Board exercises this power taking account of the circumstances pertaining to each case. Given the demand for enforcement, it is not sustainable for the RTB to initiate proceedings on all requests. As the Board was established to take cases out of the Courts, it endeavours to secure enforcement initially by non-judicial means.
While there is no legal obligation on the RTB to enforce, the Board takes the issue of non-compliance with determination orders very seriously. In 2015 alone, it referred 312 cases to its legal advisors for enforcement proceedings. It is also open to parties to pursue enforcement independently through the Courts, including the seeking of a garnishee order. It should be noted that going to Court does not of itself ensure successful enforcement and more particularly, recoupment, of an award. In many cases the best option - and one which the RTB facilitates - is for the parties to agree a schedule of payments.
Section 124 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides for the enforcement of RTB determination orders in the Circuit Court. Section 57 of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 amends section 124 to provide for the enforcement of RTB determination orders through the District Court rather than the Circuit Court. This will considerably reduce the expense of enforcing a determination order and may in some cases provide for faster hearings, as there are more sittings of the District Court than the Circuit Court. Section 57 is subject to a Commencement Order which will be made in the coming months.
254. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for the introduction of a directly elected mayor for the city and county of Dublin; and the work his Department has undertaken on this matter since the consultation with the four Dublin local authorities in 2013. [31729/16]
View answerThe Local Government Reform Act 2014 provided for a process for the holding of a plebiscite on the possible introduction of an office of directly elected mayor for a Dublin metropolitan authority. This procedure was based on achievement of political consensus across the four Dublin local authorities, involving the adoption of a resolution by a majority of each Dublin council for the holding of a plebiscite in relation to proposals set out in the resolution.
In the event, the statutory requirement for the holding of a plebiscite was not met. Subsequently, my predecessor, in a meeting with the mayor/cathaoirleach of the four Dublin authorities on 7 July 2014, invited them to consider and revert with proposals that would address not only the concept of a directly elected mayor but also the wider governance of the metropolitan area including cost and functional implications.
The issue will now be re-examined in accordance with the Programme for a Partnership Government 2016, which includes a commitment to consider directly elected mayors in cities as part of wider potential local government reform measures. The Programme states that, having consulted widely with all relevant stakeholders, a report for Government, and for the Oireachtas, will be prepared by the Minister by mid-2017 on such measures.
Scoping work in relation to the development of proposals to address the range of issues in the Programme is being undertaken by my Department. This will identify the matters to be addressed in the report to be submitted by mid-2017. Decisions will be a matter for the Government and the Oireachtas, as appropriate, following consideration of the report.
255. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has received representations from members of Fingal County Council seeking to partition the local authority along the N2 to create a new local authority in the north County Dublin area outside the remit of the proposed directly elected mayor for Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31730/16]
View answer256. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has examined the redrawing of the boundary between Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council in the vicinity of the M50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31731/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together.
No representations of the kind referred to have been received in my Department and I have no proposals in that regard. It is open to a local authority, under Part V of the Local Government Act 1991, to initiate a proposal for the alteration of a boundary.
257. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department will be establishing a local government boundary committee to review local electoral areas in view of the population increases in the Fingal county area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31732/16]
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.
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 a Partnership 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.
258. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to extend pyrite remediation to deal with cases of muscovite mica. [31734/16]
View answerAn expert panel on concrete blocks was established by my Department in April of this year to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Donegal and Mayo. The panel have the following terms of reference:
(i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the Counties of Donegal and Mayo;
(ii) To carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected homeowners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings;
(iii) To outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and
(iv) To submit a report within six months.
The expert panel on concrete blocks has met on five occasions since it was established and is continuing to receive and review the information that has been made available to it in relation to the problems that have emerged in affected homes in Donegal and Mayo. A substantial volume of information has now been provided by affected homeowners in both counties, as well as from Donegal and Mayo County Councils, which will be of particular assistance in completing the necessary research to inform the preparation of the panel's report.
Further meetings have taken place with key stakeholders, including affected homeowners, the elected members of Donegal and Mayo County Councils, local authority officials, industry bodies and additional meetings are anticipated with other interested parties before the panel conclude their research into the problems that have emerged in the affected homes.
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 complete their report before the end of the year and, 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 the two counties.
259. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of housing units he expects to be delivered as a result of the additional €127 million allocated to local authorities in budget 2017; and the type of social housing he expects to be funded through this funding stream. [31753/16]
View answerBudget 2017 saw the Government allocating €1.2 billion to housing programmes, a 50% increase over 2016, which will underpin Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.
Of this increased funding, €127 million additional funding has been provided for 2017 in respect of the delivery by local authorities of new social housing via capital programmes supporting the construction and acquisition of houses and apartments. The overall budget for 2017 under this measure is now €307 million, which includes €43 million which will be self-funded by local authorities from their Local Property Tax receipts. I expect that over 1,500 new social homes will be provided by local authorities with this funding, mainly through construction activity, including rapid delivery projects and standard-build projects. An amount of acquisitions of new social homes will also be funded, both units that will be directly acquired by local authorities and units to be delivered under Part V arrangements.
This funding does not include the delivery of social homes via other capital programmes for construction activity, including refurbishment and regeneration.
260. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide additional detail on the buy and renew scheme announced in budget 2017; if this will be available to all local authorities; and the number of units he expects this fund to deliver. [31754/16]
View answerThe initiative to support the purchase and renewal of private houses for social housing use will be available in all local authority areas. I will be making an initial €25 million available for this initiative in 2017 and propose to increase this to as much as €50 million in 2018. I expect this investment to deliver between 400 and 500 renewed houses for social housing use. The full details of this initiative are being finalised and will be communicated to all local authorities in due course.
261. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide additional detail on the capital funding being provided to the Housing Agency in budget 2017; when this money will be made available to the agency; when they will be approved to start purchasing properties; the number of properties he expects to be purchased in 2017; if these will then be leased or purchased by councils or approved housing bodies; and the funding which will be used to secure these purchases or leases. [31755/16]
View answerWith the demand for additional social housing units delivered at an accelerated pace, initiatives which provide greater efficiency in the delivery of those units are vital. In particular, engaging with banks and investment companies in respect of their vacant/available property portfolios, which normally span a number of local authority jurisdictions, benefits from a national approach. In that context, the Agency currently acts as a central co-ordination body at national level for banks/investors to interact with. This activity began in early 2015 and to date has yielded 172 properties across 29 local authorities at a total value of just over €25m.
It is intended to formalise, extend and support this activity by directly funding the Housing Agency for these acquisitions. As a new initiative identified in Rebuilding Ireland, the Housing Agency is to be provided with capital funding with the specific focus of engaging with banks and investment companies to acquire properties for social housing nationally, thereby increasing social housing delivery.
Under the new acquisitions programme the Housing Agency will use a rotating fund of €70m which will be immediately available in 2017, to acquire vacant properties from banks and private equity investment funds in areas with high levels of social housing demand. In doing this, the Agency will be in close consultation with local authorities to ensure that suitable properties are only purchased in areas where there is a demand for social housing. It is estimated that this mechanism will deliver some 1,600 units over the period to 2020.
Properties purchased by the Agency will be passed on to Approved Housing Bodies and local authorities, who will purchase these units from the Housing Agency utilising loans from the Housing Finance Agency or other lending institutions, remunerated using funding under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (i.e. payment and availability type arrangements), and capital funding, as appropriate. This would allow the Agency's €70m fund to be replenished to purchase more properties.
262. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of locations which will be eligible for the additional pyrite remediation scheme announced in budget 2017; and the details of areas to be funded. [31756/16]
View answerThe Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme.
In accordance with the provisions of the Pyrite Resolution Act 2013, the Board is independent in the performance of its functions, and as Minister, I have no role in the operational matters pertaining to the implementation of the scheme. The Board may be contacted by telephone at Lo call 1890 252 842 or by email at info@pyriteboard.ie.
263. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide additional details of the repair and leasing initiative announced in budget 2017; the local authorities that will be able to avail of this scheme; when it will open; and the number of units he anticipates it will deliver. [31757/16]
View answer271. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the expected timetable for the roll-out of the repair and lease initiative announced in the budget to counties Louth and Meath; the reason it has not been rolled out to every county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31797/16]
View answer278. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he considers his Department's plan to restore 150 vacant properties through the new repair and leasing initiative as ambitious enough considering the homelessness crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31954/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 263, 271 and 278 together.
Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness recognises the important source of potential accommodation vacant private properties present. A new Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) has been developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to harness this potential, and bring these vacant houses into social housing use to provide homes for families on local authority waiting lists.
The new scheme has just been launched in Waterford and Carlow on a pilot basis, and depending on the take-up from private property owners, will be rolled out to further local authorities early in 2017. The purpose of the pilot is to ensure that the scheme is workable from local authorities' and AHBs' perspectives. It is anticipated that other local authorities will come into the scheme on a rolling basis, with full roll-out expected within 6 months.
AHBs have a proven record in managing the refurbishment of properties and being good landlords puts them in an excellent position to play a key role in the success of the scheme. Several AHBs will be working together with Waterford and Carlow local authorities to manage the scheme in those particular areas. As the scheme is rolled out in other local authority areas, more AHBs around the country will become involved with local authorities in the delivery of the scheme.
The scheme is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding required to bring them up to the standard for rental property. Subject to the suitability of the property for social housing, and the agreement of the property owner, the cost of the necessary repairs will be met upfront by the local authority or the AHB. This allows for the property owner to sign-up to a lease arrangement for a length that is linked to the value of the repairs, subject to a minimum of 10 years. The value of the repairs will then be offset incrementally against the agreed rental payment over a defined period within the lease.
A property owner can either choose to arrange a contractor to carry out the repairs themselves, or the local authority or AHB can arrange this instead. Property owners will not be required to take on landlord responsibilities and the local authority or AHB will have on-going management and maintenance responsibilities in respect of the properties.
The local authority will determine the eligibility for the scheme having regard to the location and the suitability of the property for social housing and also taking into consideration the extent of the repairs that may be required. The maximum costs of repairs allowable under this initiative will be €40,000.
Early estimates are that at least 150 units will be secured in 2017 and up to 3,500 properties will be targeted over the next five years. I have provided €6 million in capital funding in 2017 for the cost of the repairs, and €140 million over the lifetime of the Action Plan.
264. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount of funding allocated and drawn down by all local authorities for Traveller accommodation in 2015 and to date in 2016; and his plans for improving the drawdown of local authorities in 2017 as a result of the funding increase announced in budget 2017. [31758/16]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department's role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The capital allocations in respect of Traveller-specific accommodation for 2015 and 2016, and amounts recouped in 2015 and to date in 2016 are set out in the table below. Typically, the bulk of expenditure occurs in the last quarter of the year, having regard to lead in times for planning, design and construction of capital projects. To ensure maximum expenditure and delivery of accommodation, local authorities submit quarterly profiles of expenditure to my Department. These are monitored against actual expenditure and if a difficulty is identified in drawing down funding allocated for a particular scheme during the year, it is reallocated to another scheme. Expenditure during 2016 is being closely monitored and my Department is currently contacting every relevant local authority in order to ensure that drawdown is maximised.
My Department also provides current funding for accommodation-related supports to operate in tandem with the capital programme. Current funding of €4.3 million is being provided in 2016. Over €3.2 million has been recouped to local authorities in 2016 to date, of which €0.943 million was self-funded by local authorities from surplus Local Property Tax receipts. A similar level of current funding will be provided in 2017.
Capital funding of €9 million is being provided for Traveller-specific accommodation in 2017, an increase of €3.5 million (64%) on the 2016 allocation. This is the second consecutive year that the Traveller Accommodation capital budget has been increased. Included in this is provision to assist local authorities with the costs of capital works arising from the fire safety review of traveller-specific accommodation.
As regards the delivery of Traveller-specific accommodation and associated funding, the Programme for Partnership Government commits to establishing a special working group to audit the current delivery and implementation of local authorities' Traveller Accommodation Plans and consult with stakeholders on key areas of concern. This commitment has been underpinned in Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which provides for the commissioning by the Housing Agency of an expert, independent review of Traveller accommodation expenditure and delivery of units, having regard to the targets contained in the local authority Traveller Accommodation Programmes. The review has commenced and is due to be completed in quarter two of 2017. The review will provide factual information and a key platform for the special working group to progress its work effectively. The working group will be established as soon as possible after completion of the review.
|
County Council |
Capital Allocation - 2015 - € |
Recouped - 2015 - € |
Capital Allocation - 2016 - € |
Recouped to date - 2016 - € |
|
Carlow |
0 |
0 |
130,000 |
|
|
Cavan |
0 |
0 |
8,600 |
|
|
Clare |
37,000 |
0 |
200,000 |
|
|
Cork |
149,000 |
0 |
30,000 |
|
|
Donegal |
0 |
4,750 |
82,000 |
|
|
South Dublin |
0 |
0 |
63,000 |
|
|
Fingal |
645,000 |
1,113,425* |
26,842 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown |
0 |
1,592,429 |
419,095 |
|
|
Galway |
0 |
0 |
117,000 |
3,810 |
|
Kerry |
4,550 |
3,810 |
57,000 |
198,730 |
|
Kildare |
200,000 |
0 |
200,000 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
551,626 |
397,577 |
377,500 |
107,356 |
|
Laois |
0 |
30,600 |
0 |
|
|
Leitrim |
0 |
65,975 |
18,800 |
|
|
Longford |
78,000 |
88,966 |
2,900 |
|
|
Louth |
0 |
7,620 |
0 |
|
|
Mayo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Meath |
0 |
0 |
120,000 |
|
|
Monaghan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Offaly |
3,069 |
85,000 |
73,000 |
|
|
Roscommon |
19,622 |
0 |
50,000 |
|
|
Sligo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Tipperary |
800,000 |
23,142 |
900,000 |
1,059,189 |
|
Westmeath |
95,000 |
0 |
208,000 |
|
|
Wexford |
0 |
30,906 |
96,000 |
|
|
Wicklow |
63,097 |
27,891 |
46,000 |
|
|
City Council |
|
|
|
|
|
Cork |
800,000 |
427,304 |
400,000 |
|
|
Dublin |
366,299 |
99,162 |
1,405,198 |
238,861 |
|
Galway |
0 |
62,150 |
40,000 |
|
Traveller Accommodation: Capital Allocations and Amounts Recouped
|
City County Council |
Capital Allocation - 2015 - € |
Recouped - 2015 - € |
Capital Allocation - 2016 - € |
Recouped to date - 2016 - € |
|
Limerick |
7,500(City & County Councils merged in 2014) |
68,923(City & County merged in 2014) |
81,000 |
|
|
Waterford |
413,347 (City & County Councils merged in 2014) |
0 |
263,000 |
|
|
Reserve |
66,890 |
|
85,065 |
|
|
TOTAL |
4,300,000 |
4,129, 630 |
5,500,000 |
1,607,946 |
*Includes €55,000 which was self-funded by Fingal County Council from surplus Local Property Tax receipts.
265. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide additional details of the community facilities fund announced in budget 2017, including which local authorities will be able to avail of the fund; the measures on which they can spend this money; and the way in which they can apply for same. [31759/16]
View answerThe Programme for a Partnership Government included a commitment to develop a new Community Development Scheme. An indicative budget of some €2 million has been provided for the new scheme in 2017.
The full details of the scheme are being finalised. However, the intention is that it will be targeted at disadvantaged urban and rural areas and will fund capital projects that seek to enhance communities, address disadvantage and improve social cohesion at a local level.
266. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason the additional funding for housing grants will only be available to private homeowners; and his plans for tackling the backlog of private and social housing adaptation grants. [31760/16]
View answerMy Department provides funding to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out to the private houses of older people and people with a disability. There is a strong social benefit accruing from this funding in terms of supporting older people and people with a disability to continue to live independently in their own homes and, in some cases, to avoid an outcome where people may otherwise require social housing. The Programme for a Partnership Government committed to support further increases in funding given these benefits and the peace of mind the grants provide.
My Department also provides funding to local authorities for a range of programmes that support local authorities to improve the housing conditions of social housing tenants. This includes funding for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Funding for the latter has increased over recent years and as with the private house grants, my Department stays in ongoing contact with local authorities regarding the implementation of the schemes, with authorities having the option in recent years to draw down additional funding to address backlogs. On the basis of current funding drawdown for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock, I intend to provide significant funding for the scheme again in 2017.
