Written Answers Nos. 290-303
290. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if Tipperary County Council has purchased and signed a contract on a property under the Limerick regenerate proposal. [34908/16]
View answerI understand that rather than purchasing a property, Tipperary County Council is seeking to acquire a site which includes an amount of housing, to facilitate the development of a project under the Limerick Hinterland Report. I understand that the draft contracts for this purchase are currently being considered by the Council.
291. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total funding provided to each local authority by his Department for homeless services expressed in monetary terms and as a percentage of the local authorities' overall housing budgets, in tabular form; the reason his Department's contribution to homeless services has been declining as a percentage of the overall homeless budget from approximately 90% to in some cases only 70%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34976/16]
View answerStatutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation, and related services, for homeless persons rests with housing authorities. Under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, my Department provides current funding to housing authorities towards the cost of providing homeless services, including accommodation. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1993 provide that such recoupment to housing authorities by my Department shall not exceed 90% of payments made; therefore this is a recoupment upper limit. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless services outside of the ‘Section 10’ funding arrangements. The overall amounts incurred by housing authorities on housing and homelessness related expenditure are a matter for the individual housing authorities. The funding needs of the various regions are kept under review on an on-going basis.
Under Section 10 funding arrangements, funding in respect of homeless services is made available on a regional basis and a regional allocation is delegated to a lead-authority in each region. Given the statutory position, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on housing and homelessness are a matter for those authorities and the amount of funding provided by my Department as a percentage of the local authorities’ own housing budgets is not available in my Department. However, for information purposes, details of Exchequer funding drawn down to date in 2016 are set out in the following table on a regional basis.
|
Funding under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988 |
|
|
Region |
2016 to date - € |
|
Dublin |
44,662,925 |
|
Mid-East |
1,620,628 |
|
Midland |
801,028 |
|
Mid-West |
3,150,000 |
|
North-East |
925,639 |
|
North-West |
305,696 |
|
South-East |
2,423,997 |
|
South-West |
4,450,084 |
|
West |
1,800,000 |
292. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the strategic designated zones that have been designated to date and the year in which they were designated. [34983/16]
View answerSDZs designated by Government, and the relevant years of designation, are set out below.
- Adamstown South Dublin County Council (2001)
- Clonmagadden Meath County Council (2001)
- Hansfield Fingal County Council (2001)
- Clonburris-Balgaddy South Dublin County Council (2006 and 2015)
- Cherrywood Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (2010)
- Monard Cork County Council (2010)
- Grangegorman Dublin City Council (2010)
- Dublin Docklands Dublin City Council (2012)
- Poolbeg West Dublin City Council (2016)
- North Quays Waterford City and County Council (2016).
293. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the publication of his Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness four months ago; the status of the progress made to date on action 1.1 to provide new units under the rapid build housing programme; the number of units that will be provided and ready for use in 2016 and in Q1 and Q2 of 2017; if any vacant units will be acquired in 2016 and the number that will be acquired in Q1 and Q2 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35030/16]
View answerMy Department is working closely with the four Dublin local authorities in relation to the Rapid Delivery Programme. As such, 22 rapid build units have already been delivered and are occupied. Dublin City Council is currently advancing a number of rapid build projects, including on four sites at Finglas, Darndale, Cherry Orchard and Drimnagh, which will deliver a further 131 units. These units will be handed over to Dublin City Council on a phased basis from the end of the year and delivery will be completed early in 2017. My Department is working closely with the Council to expedite delivery. The assignment of households to these units, once delivered, will be a matter for the City Council.
Further work is underway across the four local authorities, which will bring to 350 the total number of rapid delivery homes advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, by the end of the year, on additional sites in Dublin city and on sites in Dun Laoghaire, Tallaght, Blanchardstown and Balbriggan. Construction dates will be finalised in the context of completion of procurement and award of contracts.
Rapid delivery needs to be viewed in the context of the wider range of solutions to address the unacceptable level of families in emergency accommodation, including 1, 600 vacant units to be sourced by the Housing Agency and an expanded Housing Assistance Payment ( HAP ) Homeless pilot scheme – 550 tenancies in 2016 and 1,200 in 2017 - across the greater Dublin region. More than 1,350 exits from homelessness were achieved nationally in the first half of this year and, in Dublin , a further 411 exits have been achieved in the third quarter. This compares to 2,322 sustainable exits from homelessness in 2015.
Work has commenced with local authorities from outside of Dublin in terms of advancing rapid build projects in their areas. Following the putting in place of the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) Framework, a workshop will take place in January 2017 to support all local authorities advance rapid build projects.
294. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the progress made to date on action 1.2 to transition homeless households and persons from emergency accommodation through the Dublin region HAP homeless pilot; the number of tenancies that have been created to date and the number that will be created in the first half of 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35031/16]
View answer296. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.7; the new supports that have been put in place or proposed to be put in place for young persons leaving State care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35036/16]
View answer298. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.10; the details of the enhanced interagency arrangements in place to support prisoners on their release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35039/16]
View answer304. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.18; the details of the access to independent expert legal and financial advice for persons who are insolvent and are in serious mortgage arrears on their home, that is now available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35047/16]
View answer306. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.1; the construction and purchase plan for each local authority for 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35051/16]
View answer307. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.2 to review existing current and capital programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35052/16]
View answer310. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.5; the number of units acquired under this action to date in 2016; the number expected to be delivered by year end 2016 and delivered during 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35055/16]
View answer311. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.6; the number of units acquired under this action to date in 2016; the number expected to be delivered by year end 2016 and delivered during 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35056/16]
View answer313. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.8 to support the leasing of additional privately developed dwellings; the number of units secured under this action to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35058/16]
View answer314. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.9 to establish a dedicated housing delivery office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35059/16]
View answer315. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.10 that the housing agency will establish a housing procurement unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35060/16]
View answer316. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.11 to review processes and procedures for approving and advancing housing construction projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35061/16]
View answer317. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.12 to legislate to streamline Part 8 processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35062/16]
View answer319. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.14 to establish a dedicated one stop shop within the housing agency to support AHBs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35064/16]
View answer325. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.20 to support community based living for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35070/16]
View answer326. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.21; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35071/16]
View answer327. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.22 to extend the national housing strategy for persons with disabilities to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35072/16]
View answer328. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.23 to commission an expert independent review of capital and current funding for Traveller specific accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35073/16]
View answer330. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.1 to establish a €200 million local infrastructure housing activation fund; the details of projects that are being approved at this stage under this fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35075/16]
View answer332. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.3; the specific details of the competitive financing on a commercial basis that has been put in place to meet on-site and other infrastructure requirements on large development sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35077/16]
View answer333. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.4; if he will list the key 15 to 20 pathfinder sites referred to in this action and advise of the timeline for development to commence on each site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35078/16]
View answer335. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.6 to fast-track large-scale residential development planning applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35080/16]
View answer336. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.7; the changes made and any additional resources given to An Bord Pleanála to ensure all planning appeals in relation to large-scale housing developments will be dealt with within the 18 week statutory objective period; if this 18 week time period has now been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35081/16]
View answer337. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.8 to develop and publish an implementation plan to prioritise implementation of key recommendations within the An Bord Pleanála review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35082/16]
View answer340. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.11 to establish a competition to champion best practice, efficient and cost effective design and new approaches to both affordable and quality residential delivery; the status of the specific call for proposals and their evaluation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35085/16]
View answer346. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 4.6 to introduce a new affordable rental scheme; the number of units of accommodation that have been secured under this new affordable rental scheme, in view of the fact this action had a Q3 timeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35092/16]
View answer347. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 4.10 to fund a student housing officer; if this officer is now in position as the timeline for this action was Q3 of 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35096/16]
View answer349. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 4.13 to enable student accommodation projects for 100 units or more to go straight to An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35099/16]
View answer353. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 5.4 to introduce a choice based or equivalent allocation system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35103/16]
View answer361. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 5.14 to progress a national taking in charge initiative with €10 million funding from DHPCLG in 2016 coupled to bond and local authority funding; the list of estates that have been taken in charge to date under this initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35113/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 294, 296, 298, 304, 306, 307, 310, 311, 313 to 317, inclusive, 319, 325 to 328, inclusive, 330, 332, 333, 335 to 337, inclusive 340, 346, 347, 349, 353 and 361 together.
I refer to the reply to Question No. 167 of 2 November 2016.
Implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness is being advanced across a number of Departments, under the oversight of the Cabinet Committee on Housing, chaired by An Taoiseach. Within my own Department, an Implementation Board of senior officials, chaired by the Secretary General, monitors progress on a fortnightly basis. In addition, Project Working Group structures for each of the Action Plan’s five Pillars are being put in place to ensure that any operational considerations relating to the delivery of actions are identified early and resolved quickly and effectively.
Rebuilding Ireland contains a clear commitment to reporting regular progress, particularly through quarterly progress reports. The First Quarterly Progress Report on the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland (in respect of Quarter 3 commitments and actions), which was published on 1 November and can be accessed at http://rebuildingireland.ie/First-Progress-Report.pdf, sets out the progress on the implementation of the actions referred to.
Further progress reports will follow on a quarterly basis, with the next due to be published in January 2017. Each Quarterly Report will focus on the actions due to be progressed or completed in the preceding quarter.
Since publication of the First Quarterly Progress Report earlier this month, further updates arise with regard to a number of actions as outlined in the following table below:
|
Action No: |
Update since publication of Q3 Update Report ( 1 st November ) |
|
2.12 3.6 4.13 |
The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 was published on 8 November 2016 and is being taken in the Seanad for Second Stage on Wednesday, 16 November. |
|
3.1 |
Under LIHAF, there will be two phases of announcements. An initial announcement for successful, smaller-scale projects will be made in mid-December and a second phase announcement by end March 2017 for those project bids requiring detailed financial appraisals. |
|
3.4 |
On Thursday, 10 November, at the launch of Pillar 3 of Rebuilding Ireland, prioritisation of 23 Major Urban Housing Delivery Sites across the four Dublin local authorities was announced, as well as sites in the major urban centres of Cork, Limerick and Galway. The potential total housing output from these sites is 30,000 homes in the medium-term (three to four years), doubling to 60,000 in the longer term. Further details in respect of these Major Urban Housing Delivery Sites, including a map of the locations concerned, is available at http://rebuildingireland.ie/build-more-homes/. |
|
4.6 |
The affordable rental pilot scheme is being progressed within the context of the comprehensive strategy for the rental sector (Action 4.1), which is due for publication before the end of 2016. |
295. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.3 to establish one stop shop assessment centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35032/16]
View answer297. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.9; the progress being made to provide a new facility in Dublin in 2017 to accommodate pregnant women who are homeless; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35038/16]
View answer299. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.11; the details of the new national procedures being developed regarding the release and accommodation of sex offenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35040/16]
View answer300. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.12; the actions taken to date to ensure the provision of 300 tenancies in 2017 by Housing First teams in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35041/16]
View answer301. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.13; the details of the actions taken and the progress made focusing on persistent rough sleepers and long term homelessness households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35042/16]
View answer302. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.14; the analyses undertaken and the reasons found as to why offers of accommodation are not taken up by households in emergency accommodation in hotels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35043/16]
View answer303. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status the progress made to date on action 1.17; the details of the national awareness campaign he intends rolling out in Q1 of 2017 targeted at families and persons concerned about or at risk of losing their homes; the details of the nationwide extension of the Threshold Tenancy Protection Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35046/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 295, 297 and 299 to 303, inclusive, together.
Implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness is being advanced across a number of departments and agencies, under the oversight of the Cabinet Committee on Housing, chaired by An Taoiseach. All of the sections are progressing in line with the identified timeframes in Rebuilding Ireland, which can be accessed at http://rebuildingireland.ie/ .
Addressing homelessness is a top priority for me and for the Government as a whole. Over the last two years, Exchequer funding available from my Department for homelessness services has grown by 55%, with €70 million approved for this purpose in Budget 2016, compared to provision of approx. €53 million in 2015 and €45 million in 2014. The provision for homelessness services in 2017 has been increased further to €98 million.
A whole-of-Government approach is being taken to dealing with the issues associated with homelessness i.e. housing, welfare, healthcare, etc. The Homelessness Policy Implementation Team, originally established in 2014 to oversee and monitor the delivery of actions in the Government’s Implementation Plan on the State’s Response to Homelessness, continues to meet under the auspices of my Department to drive the implementation of the various actions in Rebuilding Ireland. The team consists of senior officials drawn from key State agencies – the Departments of Social Protection; Health; and Children and Youth Affairs; the Health Service Executive; Tusla (the Child and Family Agency); the Irish Prison Service; the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and representatives of the relevant housing authorities; along with my own Department. My Department is also engaging on an ongoing basis with officials from the lead local authorities in the nine homeless regions regarding the implementation of the actions in Rebuilding Ireland and the overall delivery of homeless services in the relevant regions.
Progress on the implementation of the specific Rebuilding Ireland actions referred to will be reported on in future quarterly progress reports, with each report focusing on the actions due for delivery during the immediately preceding quarter.
