Written Answers Nos. 344-357
344. 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 4.4, to extend the role of the Residential Tenancies Board to include a one stop shop; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35090/16]
View answerAction 4.4 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness commits to extending the role of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to include a one stop shop for accessible information and advice. My Department is working with the RTB towards the Quarter 1 2017 delivery timescale, including consideration of the appropriate structure/format for the One Stop Shop.
My Department recently sanctioned a dedicated Communications and Research Manager post within the RTB to lead in this area of work. The RTB will commence recruiting for this post shortly.
345. 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 4.5 to examine standards, costs and feasibility of build to rent on a large scale and commission research on ways in which further investment might be encouraged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35091/16]
View answerPillar 4 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness commits to developing a comprehensive strategy for the rental sector in Q4 2016. The strategy will lay out measures to address immediate issues affecting the supply, cost and accessibility of accommodation. There will also be a focus on maintaining existing levels of rental stock and encouraging investment in additional supply, including through build to rent approaches.
As a first step in this regard, my Department issued Circular APH 5 - 2016 to local authorities in October 2016, requesting them to prioritise Build-to-Rent projects coming forward from housing providers for consideration in their areas and emphasising the critical role that such projects can play in addressing the current severe shortage of rental accommodation.
Local authorities were also requested to consider the use of lands in their ownership for such projects and were invited to put forward proposals to my Department for consideration in that regard.
Clarity was also provided in the circular on the planning issues related to such housing schemes, including in relation to appropriate housing types and locations, management, Part V requirements, amenities, car parking, etc. Specific amendments were also made in the circular to the Design Standards for New Apartment Guidelines (2015) in order to provide greater certainty for the consideration of such developments by planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála.
350. 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 5.1 to develop a national vacant housing re-use strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35100/16]
View answerAction 5.1 of the Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland commits to develop a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by Q1 2017. To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group to inform the Strategy, with senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself. The working group has met twice to date with a further meeting scheduled for later this month.
My Department and the Housing Agency are liaising with local authorities and with the Central Statistics Office in order to obtain a better understanding of the numbers, characteristics and reasons why homes are vacant. A number of local authorities have commenced, or are planning to commence, pilot programmes to identify vacant homes and bring them back into use; these pilot programmes will help to inform the Strategy. Furthermore, the Strategy will be informed by international best practice and experience, and research is currently being undertaken in this area.
While the development of the Strategy is being progressed, I have already announced a number of new initiatives aimed at addressing vacancy and facilitating the reuse of vacant houses. A new Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) has recently been launched by my Department to assist private property owners and local authorities, or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), to bring vacant houses into social housing use as new homes for families on local authority waiting lists. The new Scheme will operate initially in Waterford and Carlow and my Department will work closely with other local authorities to roll it out around the country over the course of the next six months.
I have secured €140m for the successful implementation of this scheme over the next five years. This scheme has significant potential and I am hopeful that it can bring at least 3,500 vacant houses back into productive use between now and 2021.
In addition, under a new “Buy and Renew” initiative, my Department will support local authorities and AHBs to purchase private housing units in need of remediation, which will be refurbished and made available for social housing use. An initial capital provision of €25 million is being made available for this initiative in 2017.
351. 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 5.2 to review the disparate systems of differential rents for social housing across local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35101/16]
View answerThe 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. Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, not yet commenced, provides for the introduction of a national differential rents framework that will harmonise local authority rent levels, while retaining some discretion for individual authorities to set rents in their own areas.
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. The proposals are currently being reviewed in light of the broader commitment given in Rebuilding Ireland, the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness to review the disparate systems of differential rent in place across local authorities. This review will be completed by the end of Quarter 2 2017.
352. 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 5.3 to work with local authorities to speed up the refurbishment and where possible the re-letting of vacant social housing units; the number of vacant units in each local authority and the average length of time units are vacant in each local authority in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35102/16]
View answerSince the publication of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, I have provided additional support to local authorities by funding an ambitious plan which is tackling the backlog of vacant units that had accumulated. This has resulted in a reduced rate of vacancy reported by some local authorities, including the larger city authorities, of 1-2% of their overall stock. In June 2016 there was an initial allocation of almost €24m for works on 1,300 vacant units. In September, an additional €13.3m was allocated for 755 units. Some further allocations have been made to local authorities on a case by case basis as the need is identified. The exchequer funding my Department provides to prepare vacant units for re-letting is available as an additional support over and above what local authorities provide themselves towards such work and the authorities can and do contribute additional funding if they so wish. My Department’s funding is to support the authorities in tackling those houses that may require a greater level of remediation than the normal level of pre-letting repairs that is the responsibility of local authorities as part of their on-going repair and maintenance of local authority housing. Funding is given on the condition the re-letting of vacant social housing units is achieved with minimal delay.
General statistics on local authority housing stock, including units that may be empty, are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC). The average length of time units are vacant is not recorded. The most recent statistics are in respect of 2015 and are available at the following link: http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2015-PI-Report.pdf.
354. 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 5.5; whether the review of the tenant purchase scheme is ongoing or will only take place after a year of operation of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35104/16]
View answerIn line with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government and reaffirmed in Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, I intend to undertake a review of the Incremental (Tenant) Purchase Scheme in January 2017, following the first 12 months of operation. On foot of that review, I will bring forward any changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme which are considered necessary based on the evidence gathered at that stage.
356. 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 5.7; the details of the pilot repair and leasing initiative he has initiated; and the timeline to expand this initiative and, in particular, to establish it in Dublin where the housing crisis is most severe. [35106/16]
View answerRebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness recognises the important source of potential accommodation vacant private properties present. The 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 was launched in Waterford and Carlow in early October 2016 on a pilot basis, and depending on the take-up from private property owners, will be rolled out to further local authorities. 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. Given that the launch was very recent no statistics on the RLS are available as yet.
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 the 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 other local authorities.
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.
Over the period 2016 to 2021 it is anticipated that up to 3,500 units will be secured for social housing under this scheme. €6m has been budgeted for 2017, with a target of 150 units. The availability of a national scheme from mid-2017 will see an increase in activity and budget from 2018 onwards.
357. 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 5.8 to explore ways in which to promote the availability of step down specialist housing for older persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35107/16]
View answerPillar 5 of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is focussed on achieving optimum occupancy of the country’s existing housing stock so as to meet national housing needs in as effective a way as possible.
Providing older people with the option of moving to specialist accommodation which is more suited to their needs is one measure which could potentially free up larger dwellings for use as family homes. My Department is exploring ways in which this can be facilitated within the operational framework of Rebuilding Ireland.
This work, which is due for completion by Quarter 2 of 2017, will build on existing initiatives in this area such as Dublin City Council’s Financial Contribution Scheme for Older Persons which has facilitated a number of older people to down-size from their privately owned homes that had become too large for them, thus increasing the stock of family homes.
