Written Answers Nos. 107-130
107. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons under 18 years of age living in direct provision in the Newbridge centre in County Kildare in each of the years 2011 to 2016, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3437/17]
View answerThe current contracted capacity of the Eyre Powell Hotel, in Newbridge County Kildare, is 87 persons. The number of children availing of accommodation in the Eyre Powell with their families at the end of the last six years is set out in the following table:
|
End of year |
Number of children residing in Eyre Powell (with their families) |
|
2011 |
17 |
|
2012 |
21 |
|
2013 |
21 |
|
2014 |
19 |
|
2015 |
13 |
|
2016 |
5* |
The occupancy level of any centre rises and falls with the number of persons availing of State provided accommodation at any given time and the numbers exiting the system. The number of children residing in State provided accommodation is further influenced by the demographic profile of those applying for international protection.
**This figure for 2016 is approximate as the statistics for the 2016 annual report are currently being compiled.
108. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons living in direct provision in the Newbridge centre in County Kildare in each of the years 2011 to 2016, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3438/17]
View answerThe current contracted capacity of the Eyre Powell Hotel, in Newbridge County Kildare, is 87 persons. The number of persons availing of accommodation in the Eyre Powell at the end of the last six years is set out in the following table:
|
End of year: |
Number of persons: |
|
2011 |
73 |
|
2012 |
81 |
|
2013 |
70 |
|
2014 |
81 |
|
2015 |
71 |
|
2016 |
68* |
The occupancy level of any centre rises and falls with the number of persons availing of State provided accommodation at any given time and the numbers exiting the system.
*This figure for 2016 is approximate as the statistics for the 2016 annual report are currently being compiled.
109. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of adults and children that have been granted their stamp 4 visa or leave to remain but that remain in direct provision or other non-permanent accommodation funded by her Department on the first day of every month in 2016. [3441/17]
View answerDetails of the numbers of persons with a form of status who continue to reside in State provided accommodation is not available on a monthly basis for 2016. Arrangements are now in place to record this information at monthly intervals so monthly returns will be available going forward.
What can be said is that the numbers of persons with some form of status residing in State provided accommodation ranged from approximately 450 persons to approximately 600 persons during 2016. The numbers rise and fall as people are granted a form of status and others with status move into the community. Over 1,900 persons left the State provided accommodation system during 2016. However, it is important to note that not all those leaving State provided accommodation would have done so because they received a form of status. The State provided accommodation system is entirely voluntary and some of those leaving the system were exercising their right to live elsewhere.
110. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 44 of 19 January 2017, if she will clarify that when she states that the experts appointed under section 47 are required to act in accordance with the standards and codes of conduct of their professional bodies, there may be cases whereby a non-accredited psychotherapist compiling a section 47 report is not required to abide by any standards or code of conduct in compiling that report, thus creating a major accountability gap in a very sensitive area of family law. [3507/17]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which include the provision of information on the courts system.
However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that the power under section 47 of the Family Law Act 1995 to order a report in writing on any question affecting the welfare of a party to the proceedings or to whom the proceedings relate, lies with the Court. As the Deputy is aware, the Courts are, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of their statutory functions and the conduct of any court case is a matter for the presiding judge.
As indicated in response to Parliamentary Question number 44 of 19 January 2017, neither the Courts Service nor the judiciary have any role in relation to the qualifications of psychotherapists in the context of them providing reports under section 47 of the Family Law Act 1995. However, as indicated in response to Parliamentary Question number 98 of 24 January 2017, the investigation of complaints into the professional conduct of psychotherapists who prepare reports under section 47 of the Family Law Act 1995 is a policy matter for the Department of Health who have advised that consideration is currently being given to a proposal to designate counsellors and psychotherapists for regulation under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 which is at an early stage of examination by that Department.
111. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons and corporate entities whose total repaid debts upon exiting NAMA were at certain loan book values (details supplied) with regard to NAMA debtors that have exited the agency up to January 2017, having repaid their debts to NAMA, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3345/17]
View answerI am interpreting the Deputy's question as requesting the number of NAMA debtors who have exited the agency organised by reference to the amount repaid at the time of exit from NAMA as a percentage of the total par debt owed to NAMA. In this regard, I am interpreting your reference to "total original loan book value" in the details supplied to the question as the total par debt owed to NAMA at the time NAMA acquired the loan.
I am also interpreting "exit from NAMA" to include both the establishment of a final agreement with NAMA or the sale of the loan. The percentages provided reflect the amounts which had been repaid to NAMA as a percentage of the original amount owed to NAMA and are calculated at the time a final agreement was reached with NAMA or at the time loans may have been sold by NAMA (i.e. loan sale proceeds are not loan repayments.)
The Deputy will be aware that NAMA originally paid €31.8 billion to acquire a loan book with a par value - that is an outstanding borrowed amount - of €74 billion, comprising 779 debtor connections. These loans had a market value of €26.2 billion, roughly 35% of par.
It was never envisaged that NAMA would recover anything close to the €74 billion par value of the loans. The average discount was 57%. However, the acquisition discounts varied significantly depending on the underlying quality of the assets.
I am advised that, as at 31 December 2016, 505 debtor connections with a par debt of €27.3 billion had exited NAMA. This comprises debtor connections who had reached a final agreement with NAMA and debtor connections whose loans had been sold. I am further advised that in 61 cases, debtors repaid 100% of the original par debt. In total, the 505 debtor connections have repaid €14.9 billion to the Agency, that is roughly 55% of the original par debt. A breakdown of debtor connections that had exited NAMA by end-December 2016 is presented in the following table.
|
Debtor Connections Exited NAMA |
|
|
% of Original Par Debt Repaid |
Count |
|
=100% |
61 |
|
>=90% |
13 |
|
>=80% |
11 |
|
>=70% |
23 |
|
>=60% |
20 |
|
>=50% |
31 |
|
>=40% |
53 |
|
>=30% |
68 |
|
>=20% |
82 |
|
>=10% |
92 |
|
>=5% |
38 |
|
<5% |
13 |
|
Total |
505 |
112. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Finance the number of residential mortgages currently held by non-bank entities; the number held by non-regulated vulture funds; the number of non-residential mortgages currently held by non-bank entities; the number held by non-regulated vulture funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3396/17]
View answerI refer the Deputy to the Central Bank's Residential Mortgage Arrears and Repossession Statistics for the period ending quarter three 2016, which were published on 12th December 2016 and which may be viewed at http://www.centralbank.ie/polstats/stats/mortgagearrears/Documents/2016q3_ie_mortgage_arrears_statistics.pdf. Details of the number of residential mortgages currently held by non-bank entities, including retail credit firms and unregulated loan owners, are presented in table 4 on page 11 of the Central Bank Q3-2016 bulletin. Details of buy-to-let mortgages held by non-bank entities are presented in table 5 on page 12.
The Deputy will be aware that the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Act, 2015 introduced a regulatory regime for a new type of entity called a 'credit servicing firm'. Under the Act, purchasers of loan books must either be regulated by the Central Bank themselves or else the loans must be serviced by a credit servicing firm that is regulated by the Central Bank. The significant point is that that the focus of regulation is directly at the point of contact with the customer. Therefore relevant borrowers, whose loans are sold to third parties, maintain the same regulatory protections they had prior to the sale, including under the various statutory codes (such as the Consumer Protection Code, Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears) issued by the Central Bank of Ireland and the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013 (Section 48) (Lending to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) Regulations 2015 which came into operation in July 2016. It is also important to highlight that the transfer of a loan from one entity to another does not change the terms of the contract or the borrower's rights and obligations under the original contract.
113. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Finance the proposals that have been received or discussed for investment in regional airports, including Waterford, as part of the €335 million connectivity fund established from the proceeds of the sale of the State’s shareholding in Aer Lingus in 2015. [3411/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Connectivity Fund was formed to invest the €335 million proceeds from the sale of the State's shareholding in Aer Lingus with the aim of enabling and enhancing Ireland's physical, virtual and energy connectivity.
As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague, the Department for Transport, Tourism and Sport oversees the five-year Regional Airports Programme, covering the period 2015 to 2019. This programme, which provides targeted supports to our four regional airports, covers Donegal, Ireland West Airport Knock, Kerry and Waterford Airports.
The National Aviation Policy, which was published by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport last August, acknowledges the role played by the regional airports in Kerry, Donegal, Waterford and Knock as being important in promoting a level of international connectivity to support the tourism and business sectors in their regions.
Due to commercial sensitivities, the ISIF does not comment on transactions that may or may not be under consideration or in progress. ISIF has informed me that it recently announced the completion of its first two investments from the Connectivity Fund. The combined value of these investments is €57m and includes:
- An initial €22 million equity investment in Aqua Comms DAC, the operator of Ireland's first dedicated subsea fibre-optic network. The cable lands in Killala County Mayo and interconnects New York, Dublin and London. The Aqua Comms network will be used by major multinational technology and telecoms companies to provide fast, secure data connections between Ireland, the US and UK and will enable the continued growth of the Irish digital economy.
- The rolling of an existing (NPRF) commitment in daa plc's public bond, which was issued in 2008 (repayable in 2018), into a €35 million commitment in a new 2028 public bond issuance by daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork Airports. This continues ISIF's role as a long-term, strategic, domestic investor in daa.
The economic impact of all investments by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which includes the Connectivity Fund, is outlined in the ISIF economic impact reports, which include regional deployment data. As at 30 June 2016, the ISIF economic impact report demonstrated regionally balanced investments with 58% of jobs supported and 45% of capital invested occurring outside of Dublin. That report is available at http://www.isif.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ISIFEconomicImpactH12016.pdf.
114. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Finance the transport-specific projects that have been assisted to date under the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. [3412/17]
View answerThe Ireland Strategic Investment Fund has a dual mandate to invest on a commercial basis and support economic activity and employment in Ireland. To date, the following transport specific investment has been made:
- The rolling of an existing (NPRF) commitment in daa plc's public bond, which was issued in 2008 (repayable in 2018), into a €35 million commitment in a new 2028 public bond issuance by daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork Airports. This continues ISIF's role as a long-term, strategic, domestic investor in daa.
- In addition, the ISIF (and formerly the National Pensions Reserve Fund) provided contingent support for the PPP Project under which the N11 Arklow to Rathnew and N7 Newlands Cross road projects were procured. The ISIF investment related to the construction period and both road projects are now complete and fully operational.
These investments have a combined value of €57m. The economic impact of all investments by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which includes the Connectivity Fund, is outlined in the ISIF economic impact reports, which include regional deployment data. As at 30 June 2016, the ISIF economic impact report demonstrated regionally balanced investments with 58% of jobs supported and 45% of capital invested occurring outside of Dublin. That report is available at http://www.isif.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ISIFEconomicImpactH12016.pdf.
Other investment opportunities are currently being assessed under the ISIF's "double bottom line" mandate, which is to seek both commercial return and economic impact. These opportunities include potential investments in air and maritime transport infrastructure.
115. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown of excise returns by category and by month for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3414/17]
View answerI am informed by Revenue that the breakdown of excise receipts by category and by month for 2016 is as shown in the following tables. The "Other Excise" category includes licences and betting.
Please note that the receipts shown for 2016 are provisional and may be subject to revision. For some excise commodities, the month may reflect the timing of the payment of the duty rather than the month of consumption of the product.
|
2016 |
Alcohol (€m) |
Tobacco (€m) |
Oils (€m) |
Carbon (€m) |
VRT (€m) |
Other Excise (€m) |
Total (€m) |
|
JAN |
€126.8 |
€1.2 |
€240.9 |
€23.0 |
€158.3 |
€12.1 |
€562.2 |
|
FEB |
€57.1 |
€100.1 |
€178.4 |
€50.8 |
€109.4 |
€1.5 |
€497.4 |
|
MAR |
€74.9 |
€112.1 |
€184.7 |
€36.7 |
€103.5 |
€1.3 |
€513.1 |
|
APR |
€105.1 |
€113.9 |
€187.8 |
€48.6 |
€69.2 |
€13.4 |
€538.1 |
|
MAY |
€89.4 |
€172.1 |
€184.6 |
€35.3 |
€49.5 |
€1.3 |
€532.3 |
|
JUN |
€101.1 |
€161.4 |
€184.7 |
€40.2 |
€29.7 |
€1.6 |
€518.6 |
|
JUL |
€106.0 |
€157.8 |
€177.2 |
€29.2 |
€114.6 |
€14.4 |
€599.3 |
|
AUG |
€104.5 |
€59.8 |
€184.6 |
€31.7 |
€61.2 |
€1.6 |
€443.3 |
|
SEP |
€106.0 |
€25.0 |
€188.0 |
€28.1 |
€39.0 |
€5.8 |
€391.9 |
|
OCT |
€112.1 |
€56.5 |
€177.7 |
€33.5 |
€35.2 |
€15.8 |
€430.7 |
|
NOV |
€113.8 |
€71.0 |
€185.0 |
€31.4 |
€22.8 |
€2.8 |
€426.8 |
|
DEC |
€108.1 |
€65.3 |
€107.3 |
€39.4 |
€20.0 |
€1.0 |
€341.2 |
|
Total |
€1,205.0 |
€1,096.1 |
€2,181.0 |
€427.9 |
€812.3 |
€72.6 |
€5,794.9 |
116. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 80 of 19 January 2017, if he will publish or provide the legal advice he and his officials received in relation to the legal action; the extent to which the legal action impacted on his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3459/17]
View answerFurther to Parliamentary Question No. 80 of 19 January 2017, I can confirm that all legal advice taken by the Department of Finance in relation to this matter is both legally privileged and confidential so therefore it would not be appropriate to provide the requested information.
117. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school building project (details supplied) in County Donegal; if a design team has now been appointed to the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3300/17]
View answerThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. This process of appointment is expected to commence this week. My Department's officials will be in contact directly with the Board of Management regarding the next steps in the process. This project was included in the six year programme announced in November 2015 and is scheduled therein to proceed to tender and construction in 2019-21.
118. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs children in counties Roscommon and Galway that have SNA support in a primary and secondary school setting for 2015 and 2016, in tabular form; the numbers in both counties that are currently awaiting approval or assessment for SNA support for 2016/2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3305/17]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which is an independent statutory agency is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports including Special Needs Assistant (S) support. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, as set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE.
The NCSE has published details of S allocations to schools on a county per county basis, including allocations for Roscommon and Galway for 2015 and 2016 which is available on its website at: http://ncse.ie/statistics.
Information relating to the numbers that are currently in receipt of S support or who are awaiting approval or assessment for S support is a matter for the NCSE and this matter has been referred to the NCSE for direct reply.
119. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration has been given to representations in relation to school transport on behalf of persons (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in replying to the query; when it is likely a full and comprehensive reply will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3385/17]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Bus Éireann has advised that the children in question are eligible for school transport but the family did not submit their payment details before the deadline date; the service is operating to capacity for the current school year.
120. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Catherine Connolly den Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna an dtabharfaidh sé soiléiriú maidir leis an Aonad nua Gaeltachta; an bhfuil sé bunaithe agus ag feidhmiú mar a gealladh i gCoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus na nOileán ag an gcruinniú deireanach a bhí acu roimh an Nollaig; cá bhfuil an tAonad nua lonnaithe; cad é líon na foirne; an bhfuil Gaeilge ag gach duine acu; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [3418/17]
View answerBunaíodh Aonad nua tiomnaithe, An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta san Roinn go luath in Eanáir 2017 chun maoirsiú agus tacaíocht a thabhairt do chur i bhfeidhm an Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017-2022 a foilsíodh in Deireadh Fómhair 2016. Beidh maoirsiú á dhéanamh ag an Aonad don Oideachas Gaeltachta ar raon beart a chur i bhfeidhm chun an soláthar oideachais sna scoileanna a fheidhmíonn trí mheán na Gaeilge a fheabhsú sa Ghaeltacht.
Is í Príomhchigire Cúnta atá mar Cheann an Aonaid agus tá Príomhoifigeach Cúnta agus Ardoifigeach Feidhmiúcháin ag obair san Aonad chomh maith. Beidh roinnt cigirí ag dul i mbun oibre ar bhonn páirtaimseartha san Aonad. Déanfar, freisin, oifigeach cléireachais a dháileadh ar an Aonad go luath. Beidh baill an Aonaid ag feidhmiú agus ag déanamh a gcuid gnó trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá cumas inniúlachta sa Ghaeilge ag gach oifigeach atá i mbun oibre agus beidh siad lonnaithe in oifigí éagsúla de chuid na Roinne. Beidh an tAonad ag obair go dlúth le Rannáin ábhartha na Roinne Oideachais agus Scileanna agus le heagraíochtaí éagsúla ar nós COGG agus leis an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gnóthaí Réigiúnacha, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta. Gheobhaidh an tAonad seo cuidiú ó Chigireacht na Roinne a thacóidh le scoileanna agus a dhéanfaidh monatóireacht agus tuairisciú ar thionchar an Pholasaí.
English version
Can the Minister for Education and Skills provide clarification on the new Gaeltacht Education Unit. Has the Unit been established and is it in operation, as promised at the last meeting of the Committee of the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands held before Christmas? Where is the Unit located? How many on the team and has each person competence in Irish? Can the Minister make a statement on the matter?
The Department established a dedicated Gaeltacht Education Unit in January 2017 to oversee and support the implementation of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022, which was published in October 2016. The Gaeltacht Education Unit will oversee the implementation of a range of measures to improve educational provision in schools operating through the medium of Irish in the Gaeltacht.
The Head of the Unit is an Assistant Chief Inspector and an Assistant Principal Officer and a Higher Executive Officer are also working in the Unit. A number of inspectors will work in the Unit on a part-time basis. A clerical officer will also be assigned to the Unit shortly. The staff of the Unit will operate and carry out their duties through the medium of Irish. All of the staff of the Unit have Irish-language proficiency and are located in various offices of the Department. The Unit will work closely with relevant sections within the Department of Education and Skills and other organisations such as COGG and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Unit will be supported by the Department’s Inspectorate who will support schools and monitor and report on the impact of the Policy.
121. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects the details of the 2017 summer works programme grant recipients to be published; the categories of works he expects to be covered in 2017; the amount of grant aid available; the way in which this compares with 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3435/17]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) which reflects a very high demand. Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were announced in April last and are published on my Department’s website www.education.ie.
Assessment of valid projects in further categories is now being undertaken by my Department, subject to the overall availability of funding, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme as outlined in Circular Letter (0055/2015), which may be accessed on my Department's website. I expect to be in a position to announce a further round of the SWS in due course.
As the assessment process is currently underway it is not possible to indicate at this time the categories of works that the Department expects to grant aid. In that regard it is anticipated that the level of allocation for this round will be similar to the previous round in 2016, i.e. in the region of €30 million.
122. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who made applications for reasonable accommodations to the State Examinations Commission for the junior certificate for each of the years from 2010 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3439/17]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
123. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that were granted reasonable accommodations by the SEC for the junior certificate for each of the years 2010 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3440/17]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
124. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position in relation to the application to provide additional accommodation and infrastructural facilities at a school (details supplied), in particular to replace the prefabricated accommodation and provide additional parking and sporting facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3530/17]
View answerMy Department has no record of receiving an application for capital funding from the school referred to by the Deputy. Any application received will be assessed in the context of current competing priorities and the need to prioritise available funding for essential classroom accommodation where additional teachers are being appointed.
125. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he can facilitate freedom of information requests to county councils to make all inspection records and applications in relation to dog breeding establishments available in unredacted form, apart from mobile phone numbers being redacted, in order that persons and animal welfare groups can have full and comprehensive information for their submissions to the consultations taking place on the amendment of the guidelines under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. [3390/17]
View answerThe regulation of dog breeding establishments is a matter for local authorities in accordance with the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. Each local authority must maintain for public inspection a register of dog breeding establishments in its functional area, which must include the name and address of the applicant seeking entry onto the register, the address of the dog breeding establishment and the maximum number of breeding bitches that may be kept at the dog breeding establishment or premises.
Access to information contained in the register, including information sought under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, is solely a matter for the relevant local authority, which is obliged to comply with FOI legislation, and I have no function in the matter.
More generally, details of the public consultation currently underway in relation to the draft revised dog breeding establishment guidelines are available on my Department’s website at http://www.housing.gov.ie/review-dog-breeding-establishments.
126. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of households on the mortgage to rent scheme, by local authority; the number of applications awaiting approval and the number of applications rejected in 2016 indicating the grounds for rejection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3397/17]
View answerUp to 31 December 2016, a total of 3,575 cases have been submitted under the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme, which was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of private commercial lending institutions. Of these, 2,723 were ineligible or terminated during the process, 217 have been completed and 635 are being actively progressed. The reasons why a case has not progressed are varied and can depend on the lender, the property, the household and the ability of the Approved Housing Body sector to increase their involvement in the scheme. Statistical information relating to the Mortgage to Rent Scheme since its inception, including statistics on cases that have been terminated and the reasons for same and a breakdown of cases per County, is available on the Housing Agency’s website at the following weblink: https://www.housingagency.ie/Our-Services/Housing-Supply-Services/Mortgage-to-Rent.aspx.
A number of amendments were made to the MTR Scheme in July 2015 to enable more properties to qualify and to make the scheme more flexible and accessible to borrowers.
Notwithstanding the amendments already made, the Government is committed to supporting households in long-term mortgage arrears to remain in their homes and has included a review of the MTR Scheme as an action in Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The review, now in its final stages, is examining how the scheme can work better for borrowers; details of the outcome of the review will be announced in due course.
127. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the process of revising the wind planning guidelines; when a further announcement is expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3533/17]
View answer146. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the revised wind planning guidelines in view of the length of time that has elapsed since the process of revision began; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3532/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 146 together.
In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed:
- the setting of a more stringent day- and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments,
- a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations, and
- the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings.
A public consultation process was also initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines, which ran until February 2014. The Department received submissions from 7,500 organisations and members of the public during this public consultation process.
In light of the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to finalise the Guidelines and on-going policy and legal developments in this area, my Department is continuing to advance work on the Guidelines and related matters in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, in order to bring the various issues to a conclusion as early as possible. I expect to be in a position to make a statement on the matter in the coming weeks, outlining the timelines for implementation of the various elements.
128. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the planning outcomes he envisages from draft local area plans that must continue to accommodate underutilised and over-projected planned capacity targets in order to be consistent with the county development plans and the regional planning guidelines (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3245/17]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No 274 of 24 January 2017 which sets out the position on this matter.
129. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of planning enforcement notices and actions taken against owners of housing units that have put these units into a company (details supplied) and are acting as bed and breakfasts, by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3252/17]
View answer130. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of planning applications received by local authorities to change housing units to bed and breakfasts in the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3253/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 130 together.
Planning statistics are submitted by planning authorities on an annual basis and are subsequently collated by my Department. Such statistics include information on the number of planning applications received and the number of applications which were granted or refused permission by each planning authority.
However, the detailed information sought in relation to the number of enforcement notices issued or action taken in particular cases by planning authorities, or the number of change of use planning applications received in relation to a particular class of development, is not available in my Department.
