Written Answers Nos. 169-181
169. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which community policing remains available to the various Garda divisions throughout the country; the extent to which this continues to be a feature of policing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35210/16]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Government has, in its Programme for a Partnership Government, recognised community policing as the embodiment of An Garda Síochána, providing a means of recognising that every community, both urban and rural, has its own concerns and expectations. It commits the Government to ensuring visible, effective and responsive policing in every community throughout the country in order to provide reassurance to citizens and prevent crime. This commitment is underlined by very significant investments in Garda resources.
Community Policing continues to be a key aspect of the Garda approach to the prevention and detection of crime. Gardaí engage with a wide range of community based groups, as well in more formal setting such as Joint Policing Committees, to ensure that local issues can be aired and appropriate partnerships formed with communities to address matters of concern.
Gardaí also support over 3,700 Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch Schemes nationwide, and these form an important partnership with An Garda Síochána to prevent crime and protect communities, especially the elderly and more vulnerable persons. In addition, the Garda Text Alert Scheme provides an effective means for Gardaí to communicate crime prevention information to local communities. Since it was launched in September 2013, it has grown quickly with a total of 164,000 subscribers and in the order of 3 million text messages sent annually. Every Garda Division, rural and urban, now offers the text alert service and An Garda Síochána has published guidelines to assist in the establishment and operation of local groups.
I was glad to announce a new cost rebate scheme recently which will assist local text alert groups with the costs incurred from service providers. The scheme is administered by Muintir na Tire and is open to all Text Alert groups registered with An Garda Síochána. Overall, the funding available from my Department for Community Crime Prevention, such as Community Alert and Text Alert, has been doubled in 2016.
On 9 June 2016 the Garda Commissioner launched a five year programme to professionalise, modernise and renew An Garda Síochána, to ensure that it can meet present and future policing and security challenges. Important elements of the Garda plan include:
- increased Garda visibility with crime prevention being the number one priority
- victims being placed at the heart of the Garda service
- introduction of advanced IT systems to enhance the investigation of crime
- enhanced collaboration with national and international partners to tackle and disrupt terrorism and organised crime.
The Garda modernisation plan was developed with the benefit of inputs from Garda personnel and community stakeholders, as well as the experience of police forces in other jurisdictions. The measures in the plan also respond to reports and recommendations of the Garda Inspectorate and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.
In conclusion, all Garda activities, including community policing, will undoubtedly benefit from the resources now coming on stream through the Garda recruitment programme, and in particular the Government's commitment to increase Garda numbers to 15,000, so that An Garda Síochána has the capacity to address the needs of communities throughout the country and into the future.
170. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which she expects Garda numbers in the various Garda stations throughout County Kildare to be replenished in line with demographics and criminal activity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35211/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.
I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Garda Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her Division.
I am further informed that the Garda strength of the Kildare Division, on the 30 September 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 307. There were also 23 Garda Reserves and 26 civilians attached to the Division. When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (formerly the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation) and the Garda National Drugs and Organise Crime Bureau.
This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging reform plan in train in An Garda Síochána. Appointments will also be made to the Garda Reserve of approximately 300.
Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. This is an ambitious target and will require a continuous pipeline of suitable candidates. I am pleased to say that the recruitment campaign launched by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Commissioner last September, the second campaign this year, again received a strong response.
I am assured by the Commissioner that the needs of all Garda Divisions are fully considered when determining the allocation of resources. Since the reopening of the Garda College, 534 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. I am informed that of these, 25 have been assigned to the Kildare Division. Another 150 trainee Garda will attest this Thursday, 17 November which will bring Garda numbers to around the 13,000 mark by year end.
The Government's plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 is complemented by substantial investment in resources across the board for An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be aware of the significant resources that have been made available to An Garda Síochána under the Government's Capital Plan 2016 - 2021. In particular, some €205 million in additional funding for Garda ICT and €46 million for new Garda vehicles has been allocated over the lifetime of the plan. This investment will facilitate the provision of more effective policing services and I expect that the Kildare Division, like all other Garda Divisions will benefit from these new resources becoming available.
171. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the expenditure limit for 2017; the amount of expenditure forecast for 2017; the consequences for Ireland of exceeding the expenditure limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34797/16]
View answerIn Budget 2017, total general government expenditure of €76.6 billion is forecast for next year. This is c.€0.2 billion more than the level that is forecast as being compliant with the expenditure benchmark. The calculation in Table A7 of the Budget book shows net fiscal space for 2017 of €-0.2 billion, indicating an excess over forecast permitted expenditure. This level of deviation equated to about 0.07% of GDP, which is substantially below the 0.5% of GDP that is defined as a significant deviation.
This excess over permitted expenditure in 2017 is due to the projected increase in our non-discretionary EU Budget contribution arising from the large revision in our GDP. As this is a factor beyond our control, the Government has decided not to alter its fiscal plans to cope with a one-off level shift in our EU contribution.
As regards our 2017 Budget, we expect that the European Commission will find that Ireland is broadly compliant with its obligation. Indeed, following the submission of draft budgetary plans for 2017, Ireland is one of the countries that the European Commission did not write to seeking clarification or changes.
172. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Finance following the publication of the action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.19; the progress being made with the Central Bank to ensure the code of conduct in mortgage arrears provides strong consumer protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35048/16]
View answer173. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Finance following the publication of the action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.20; the progress being made with the Central Bank to conduct an assessment of exiting sustainable restructuring solutions across all lenders and non-bank entities operating here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35049/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.
In relation to Actions 1.19 and 1.20 of the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness the Deputy will be aware that the Central Bank of Ireland's (The Central Bank) Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears (CCMA) provides a strong consumer protection framework to ensure that each borrower who is struggling to keep up mortgage repayments is treated in a timely, transparent and fair manner by lenders. In this context I wrote to the Governor of the Central Bank to request that an assessment be undertaken of the range of available sustainable restructure solutions offered by banks and non-bank entities and that this assessment should consider in particular how the available options may impact on the distressed borrower's capacity to remain in their primary residence.
The Central Bank has recently submitted its report to me and my officials are currently reviewing it. The report provides valuable insights on the range of available mortgage restructure options offered by banks and non-banks.
The CCMA is a statutory code under section 117 of the Central Bank Act 1989. The CCMA recognises that it is in the interests of borrowers and lenders to address financial difficulties as speedily, effectively and sympathetically as circumstances allow. The Central Bank has the power to administer sanctions for a contravention of the CCMA under Part IIIC of the Central Bank Act 1942.
Finally, the Deputy should be aware that the numbers in mortgage arrears have been steadily declining. Data released by the Central Bank on 13 September shows that to end-Q2 2016, the number of mortgage accounts in arrears for principal dwelling houses (PDH) has declined for the last twelve quarters. Some 120,614 PDH accounts were also classified as restructured. It is clear that where a borrower actively engages with their lender under the CCMA with a view to agreeing a sustainable arrangement to address their mortgage arrears, it is more likely that an equitable arrangement will be found and that the borrower will be able to remain in their family home.
174. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Finance following the publication of the action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 5.10 to review the living city initiative with a view to further enhancing the attractiveness and effectiveness of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35109/16]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the Living City Initiative was initially provided for in Finance Act 2013 and commenced on 5th May 2015. The Initiative was extended beyond the original planned pilot cities of Limerick and Waterford, to include the cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kilkenny. In line with my Department's commitment to evidence based policy-making, the inclusion of these additional four cities followed the completion of a comprehensive, independent ex-ante cost benefit analysis.
Following the commitment referred to by the Deputy, my officials have undertaken a further review of the Living City Initiative this year, and this was published in the Report on Tax Expenditures (October 2016) that was released on Budget Day. This document is available at http://budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2017/Documents/Tax_Expenditures_Report%202016_final.pdf.
In light of this report, and in consultation with the relevant councils and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, I announced a number of changes to the scheme in the Budget which aim to make the scheme more attractive and effective.
The principal change is to extend the residential element of the scheme to landlords, who will now be able to claim the relief by way of accelerated capital allowances for the conversion and refurbishment of property which was built prior to 1915, to be used for residential purposes. Eligible expenditure must be incurred during the relevant qualifying period which will begin on 1 January 2017 and terminate on 4 May 2020, which is the pre-existing end-date for the scheme. The allowances are at the rate of 15% per annum for 6 years with 10% in year 7.
In addition, I have decided to remove the requirement for a pre-1915 building to have been originally constructed for use as a dwelling in order to qualify for the residential element of the Initiative. The floor area restriction for owner-occupiers has also been removed and in its place, relief claimed by owner-occupiers under the Initiative will be subject to the high earners restriction. The minimum amount of capital expenditure required for eligibility for relief under all elements of the scheme is also being amended and must from 2017 exceed €5,000.
Subject to Oireachtas approval of the Finance Bill 2016, these changes will come into operation from 1 January 2017. My Department will continue to monitor the Initiative in consultation with the other stakeholders, particularly in light of these alterations.
175. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Finance the steps he proposes to undertake to ensure that properties which are remediated under the Government's pyrite remediation scheme can get home insurance in view of statements by insurance companies that they will not provide cover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34441/16]
View answerAs Minister for Finance, I am responsible for the development of the legal framework governing financial regulation. Neither I nor the Central Bank of Ireland, can interfere in the provision or pricing of insurance products, as these matters are of a commercial nature, and are determined by insurance companies based on an assessment of the risks they are willing to accept.
This inability to intervene in such matters is reinforced by the EU framework for insurance which expressly prohibits Member States from adopting rules which require insurance companies to obtain prior approval of the pricing or terms and conditions of insurance products.
Consequently, I am not in a position to take steps to require that insurance companies provide insurance cover to properties which are remediated under the government's pyrite remediation scheme.
176. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance the number of properties which have been deemed non-habitable and therefore exempted from property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34468/16]
View answerI am advised by Revenue that there is no liability to Local Property Tax (LPT) where a property is derelict to such an extent that it is not suitable for occupation and is not actually occupied.
In such circumstances there is no requirement on the property owner to file an LPT return. However it can happen that an LPT return issues because Revenue is not aware that the property in question is derelict. Where this occurs, the property owner should make contact with Revenue confirming the status of the property so the LPT Register can be updated.
There are currently in excess of 3,800 properties listed as derelict on the LPT Register.
177. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the reason a person (details supplied) is now paying almost double the amount of tax that they were paying before their spouse's death; his views on whether the living alone allowance does not adequately compensate for the loss of a second income; if the tax credits for widows and widowers will be reviewed to ensure that they are not charged more tax on income following the death of a partner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34525/16]
View answerI am advised by Revenue that without knowing the full circumstances of the particular taxpayer it is not possible to comment specifically on the case raised by the Deputy. However I can provide the following general information with regard to the taxation of widowed persons in the year of bereavement, and in subsequent years.
In regard to the tax year in which a spouse has died, the allocation of standard rate bands and personal credits varies depending on how the couple were assessed to tax.
In the case of a couple assessed on the basis of joint assessment where the deceased individual was not the "assessable spouse" (i.e. the spouse responsible for making a joint return on behalf of the couple), the assessable spouse will continue to be entitled to married persons' tax credits and rate bands until the end of that year.
Where the deceased individual was the "assessable spouse", the surviving spouse is taxed on a joint assessed basis for the period to the date of death, and for the balance of the tax year the surviving spouse is taxed as a single person but with an increased personal tax credit of €3,300 (equivalent to the married tax credit) in respect of that period.
Where the spouses were assessed on the basis of separate treatment (i.e., taxed as single individuals) the surviving spouse is entitled to the increased personal tax credit of €3,300 in respect the year of death.
In subsequent years, a person whose spouse has died will be entitled to the widowed person's tax credit of €2,190 if there are no dependent children. If there are dependent children the surviving spouse will be entitled to the single personal tax credit of €1,650 and the single person child carer tax credit of €1,650, and a widowed parent tax credit is also available for the five years following the year of bereavement. This credit tapers out over the five years and the current rates are: €3,600 in year one (the first year following bereavement), €3,150 in year two, €2,700 in year three, €2,250 in year four, and €1,800 in year five.
It is also worth noting that, following the death of a spouse, the surviving spouse may have an entitlement to a widow or widower's pension from the Department of Social Protection. As the Department of Social Protection do not operate PAYE, an individual's tax credits may be reduced in order to collect the tax due in respect of this payment. This could lead to an increase in the individual's tax deductions from other income sources in the period after the death of his or her spouse, as a result of the additional gross income received.
If the individual in question wishes to clarify any aspect of their tax treatment he or she should submit their details to their local Revenue district who will advise them of the position.
Details of the taxation of bereaved persons can also be found in Revenue leaflet IT40 available at www.revenue.ie
178. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Finance the criteria regarding the qualifying dates for the help-to-buy incentive; if a person who entered into a contract to buy or paid a deposit on a house before 19 July 2016 could qualify for this scheme, considering that the sale of the house would not have been completed before 19 July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34579/16]
View answerTo be eligible to apply for the Help to Buy incentive, a first-time buyer must have signed a contract to purchase a new build property on or after the 19th July 2016. In the case of a self-build home, they must have drawn down of the first tranche of the relevant mortgage on or after that date. The full conditions of the scheme and its commencement remain subject to the approval of the Finance Bill 2016 by the Oireachtas.
The date of 19 July was chosen as it was the date of the launch of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness when the introduction of the incentive was initially announced. The backdating of this incentive was announced at that time with a view to avoiding any potential interruption in house sales, by purchasers who may otherwise have deferred purchases, pending the announcement of full details of the incentive.
It is not clear if the Deputy is seeking a further backdating of the incentive prior to this date but those who entered into contracts to purchase new homes in advance of July 19th last would have made their purchasing decisions without any expectation that they would qualify for any tax relief to be introduced at a future date. Therefore any further backdating of the relief would consist of pure deadweight. As with all time-limited reliefs, there will always be people who just miss out. I do not intend to extend the parameters of this new measure as to do so would make it less targeted and more costly.
179. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Finance his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding dwelling house relief; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34588/16]
View answerI have put forward an amendment on the capital acquisitions tax relief known as the dwelling house exemption for the Committee Stage of Finance Bill 2016 which I expect will be discussed by the Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach on Tuesday 10 or Wednesday 16 of November. I consider that this particular relief has lost focus since its introduction because of changes made to how it operates over the years. The purpose of my amendment is to realign the exemption with its original policy objective i.e. to alleviate the hardship of an inheritance tax liability for a person who inherited a house in which he or she had been living with the deceased and to ensure that the person did not have to sell the house to pay the tax liability. The changes I have proposed will have two principal effects.
Firstly, the exemption will only be available for inheritances. With one exception, it will no longer be possible to receive a tax-free gift of a dwelling house. The exception will be where a person gifts a dwelling house to a dependent relative. For this purpose, a dependent relative is a direct relative of the donor, or of the donor's spouse or civil partner, who is permanently and totally incapacitated because of physical or mental infirmity from maintaining himself or herself or who is over the age of 65.
Secondly, the inherited dwelling house must have been the disponer's principal private residence at the date of death. This requirement will be relaxed in situations where the disponer lives elsewhere at the date of death-for example, in a nursing home-because he or she has had to leave the house because of ill health.
If my amendment is accepted by the Oireachtas and enacted in the Finance Bill, it will take effect from the date of enactment. There will not be any provision for transitional arrangements for those people who may have arrange their affairs with the intention of taking advantage of the exemption when the required three-year period of occupation comes to an end. As the provision was originally intended to alleviate hardship it is not my intention to make transitional arrangements to facilitate individuals who intended to make use of it to transfer assets free of capital acquisitions tax.
I am also aware that connected amendments have been proposed by other deputies which are likely to be discussed at Committee Stage.
180. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons that have taken out State Savings products offered by the NTMA to personal savers in the past five years; and the total amount accumulated over this period. [34633/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), a statutory body under the aegis of the Minister for Finance, has responsibility for the management of Ireland's range of Government savings products.
I am informed by the NTMA that the overall level of investment in State Savings products, including in Post Office Savings bank deposits, has increased from just under €12.7 billion at end-2010 to just under €19.5 billion at end-2015.
During this five year period, the following increases were observed in that the number:
- holders of Prize Bonds increased by some 230,000;
- customers of the Fixed Term products (such as Savings Certificates, Savings Bonds) increased by some 81,000; and
- Post Office Savings Bank deposit customers increased by some 250,000.
These trends demonstrate the demand for State Savings products. These products offer a range of options to suit the needs of personal savers and they are at competitive interest rates and provide good value for holders and customers.
181. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Finance the number of properties which were registered for the home renovation incentive scheme in Waterford city and county in 2015 and to date in 2016, and the total monetary value of these works. [34634/16]
View answerI am advised by Revenue that data relating to the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) are available from the statistics section of the Revenue website at http://www.revenue.ie/en/about/statistics/index.html. Specifically, the most recently available information on the scheme is in the Tax Expenditures section of the page at http://www.revenue.ie/en/about/statistics/hri-stats.htmlwhich contains a county breakdown of properties registering works and the value of these works in 2013-14, in 2015 and over the full period of the HRI scheme to date.
