Written Answers Nos. 286-300
286. Deputy Michael D'Arcy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of affordable housing estates that were funded by his Department in each of the years 2014 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3840/17]
View answer287. Deputy Michael D'Arcy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of affordable houses that were sold nationwide in each of the years 2014 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3841/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 287 together.
The provision by local authorities of affordable housing under the Affordable Housing Scheme 1999 was not funded by my Department, but by loans from the Housing Finance Agency. In 2011 the Government announced the standing down of the provision of Affordable Housing (the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme, affordable housing under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and the Affordable Housing Initiative).
Local authorities have been carrying a certain stock of unsold affordable houses, mainly acquired under Part V, which they generally have been renting to social housing tenants. A small number of such houses may have been sold by local authorities in recent years; my Department does not hold information in relation to this matter.
288. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of planning appeals in which the case officer for An Bord Pleanála recommended a grant of permission, only for the board members to subsequently refuse permission, per county, in each the years 2015 to 2016, in tabular form. [3861/17]
View answerSection 34(10) of the Planning And Development Act 2000-2014 provides that, where a decision by the Board to grant or refuse permission is different, in relation to the granting or refusal of permission, from the recommendation in a report of a person assigned to report on an appeal on behalf of the Board, a statement, giving the reasons on which the Board’s decision is based, shall also indicate the main reasons for not accepting the recommendation in the Inspector’s report to grant or refuse permission. The detailed information sought in relation to the number of cases, on a county by county basis, where the decision by the Board to refuse permission is different to the recommendation of the Inspector, is not readily available in my Department. However, in its Annual Reports, An Bord Pleanála provides information on the number of cases. There were 204 such cases (or 12.7% of the total number of cases) in 2015, and 244 cases (14.8%) in 2016 (provisional figure).
289. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason ten houses (details supplied) in Cluainín, Mountrath, County Laois, have been left idle for three years. [3942/17]
View answerI understand that the units referred to in the Question were purchased by an Approved Housing Body (AHB) using their own finance in November 2015. These units, when ready for occupation, will be made available to the local authority for social housing under long-term Payment and Availability arrangements between the AHB and the local authority, the cost of which will be funded by my Department’s Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). I am advised that following the purchase of the units, an architect was appointed by the AHB to oversee the necessary completion works and detailed inspections revealed a number of issues that required resolution in order to ensure tenant safety and compliance with the building control legislation. Laois County Council has been kept informed of the issues with this development throughout 2016 and it is anticipated that work on the units will be completed in June 2017.
290. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 335 of 27 September 2016, if he will award a thatching grant to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3948/17]
View answerAs outlined to the Deputy in my response to his Questions No. 335 of 27 September 2016 and No. 189 of 8 November 2016, the Thatching Grant provided by my Department in 2014 in respect of the property referred to was for the full eligible amount. The applicant in question has been notified of this and that, under the Thatching Grant Scheme, a property is not eligible for new funding within 7 years of previous funding.
291. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of the new affordable rental scheme to be piloted in the Dublin City Council area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3959/17]
View answerAction 4.6 of Rebuilding Ireland provides for the introduction of an affordable rental scheme to enhance the capacity of the private rented sector to provide quality and affordable accommodation for households currently paying a disproportionate amount of disposable income on rent. As set out in the recently published Strategy for the Rental Sector, this commitment is to be progressed through kick-starting supply in rent pressure zones. Lands held by local authorities in rent pressure zones are to be brought to market on a competitive tendering basis, with a view to leveraging the value of the land to deliver the optimum number of units for rent , targeting middle income households, in mixed tenure developments. The cost of providing rental units is to be permanently reduced by lowering the initial investment and development costs for providers - AHB or private - allowing the rental units to be made available at below market prices without the need for ongoing rental subsidies.
The local authorities concerned will identify a number of sites with the potential for up to 1,000 units of accommodation and will move forward, as soon as possible, to issue calls for proposals from parties interested in developing projects. As speed of delivery will be critically important, appropriate licence arrangements, incorporating clear timescales for delivery, will be a key feature of the process.
This programme is being co-ordinated with the dedicated measures in Rebuilding Ireland to accelerate housing output from the Major Urban Housing Delivery Sites, including support from the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) where necessary.
292. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 286 of 18 October 2016, when the boundary review commission established to examine the boundary between counties Kilkenny and Waterford is expected to publish its concluding report in view of the fact that it is now ten months past the initial deadline for publication of 31 March 2016; the amount of money spent to date or the amount of funding approved by his Department on the process in respect of the Carlow-Kilkenny examination only from establishment in 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3963/17]
View answerThe report of the Waterford Boundary Review Committee was submitted to me in late December 2016. I will be considering it along with the other boundary reports, which I intend to address as part of the overall report on local government matters to be submitted to Government and the Oireachtas in mid-2017 under the Programme for a Partnership Government.
General expenses recouped to date specifically in relation to the Carlow and Waterford boundary review committees amount to €8,051.
293. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the steps his Department has taken to ensure the effective participation of the general public in relation to the amendment of guidelines to the Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010. [3265/17]
View answerIn late 2015, the then Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government agreed to begin a process of review of the current Dog Breeding Establishment (DBE) Guidelines, under the auspices of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) Dogs Working Group. The work undertaken to date has been to produce a first draft revision of the Guidelines. However, I considered it essential to broaden the review of the Guidelines to a more formal public consultation, both for quality assurance and to address the need for openness and inclusiveness. A wide-scale formal public consultative process commenced on Thursday, 1 December 2016 and will close on 28 February 2017.
Advertisements to announce the commencement of the public consultation were placed in the national newspapers and in the Irish Farmers Journal. The process was also extensively promoted through a press release from my Department, extensive coverage on national and online media, my Department’s Twitter account, local authorities and other stakeholders.
Written submissions, preferably in electronic format, on the draft revised DBE Guidelines must be submitted by 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday 28 February 2017 to:
- email: dbeguidelinesreview@housing.gov.ie
or
- by post to the Dog Control Unit, Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Government Buildings, Ballina, Co. Mayo. F26 E8N6.
Full details of the public consultation process are available on my Department’s website at http://www.housing.gov.ie/review-dog-breeding-establishments.
294. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason, in view of the fact that each local authority is providing the same service, there is such a disparity between the standards of interpretation of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 in different pounds and the costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4012/17]
View answerI refer to the reply to Questions Numbers 78 and 79 of 30 November, 2016 which sets out the position in relation to this matter.
295. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the average relet time for vacant local authority housing in 2016 and in each of the past three years, by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4030/17]
View answerStatistics on the average re-letting times for local authority social housing are gathered by the National Oversight and Audit Commission and are set out by local authority in their report on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These statistics are available for both 2014 and 2015 at the following links: http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/NOAC-Performance-Indicators-Report-2014.pdf and http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2015-PI-Report.pdf .
The statistics as gathered by the National Oversight and Audit Commission illustrate the average time from date of vacation of a social house to the date when a new tenancy has commenced. This includes the time taken to re-let a house and does not, therefore, separately capture the time from a house being vacated to when necessary repairs are complete.
Feedback from local authorities is that the time taken by them to turn around vacant social houses can vary significantly from property to property, depending on the level of refurbishment required in each individual case. Additionally, the funding that my Department provides to local authorities to remediate certain social housing includes support for the energy retrofitting of the property. While this may add to the work required to remediate a house, it is an important upgrade to the property which brings notable fuel efficiency advantages to the incoming tenant.
296. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when four permanent members of staff (details supplied) will be put in place to cover retirements from 2016-2017 to ensure that 450 square miles are covered for maintenance and emergency. [4050/17]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, it is a matter for each individual Chief Executive to recruit and assign staff to specific business function areas.
297. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for improving water safety. [4058/17]
View answerMy Department has responsibility for Irish Water Safety, the statutory body established to promote water safety in Ireland. Irish Water Safety’s role is to educate people in water safety best practices and develop public awareness campaigns to promote necessary attitudes, rescue skills and behaviour to prevent drownings and water related accidents. Their activities include teaching swimming and lifesaving techniques and through their classes people can qualify as pool and beach lifeguards. They also hold lectures and demonstrations to members of the public and other interested parties and publish literature to promote water safety and target at-risk groups. The activities of the organisation are underpinned by the dedication and commitment of its many member volunteers across the country, which grew to 4,738 by end 2016.
Irish Water Safety’s annual income is comprised of a grant from my Department, a contribution from local authorities and income from commercial activities and sponsorship. My Department’s grant – towards the organisation’s core costs - amounts to €507,000 in 2017.
Since 2014, my Department has allocated a grant of €150,000 in additional funding to Irish Water Safety for drowning prevention measures. Deaths by drowning have ranged between 110 and 140 per annum in the years 2012 to 2015. The factors that influence drownings are many and complicated but promoting awareness has a measurable effect. In recognition of the tremendous work by Irish Water Safety in the promotion of water safety, I have increased this additional funding to €500,000 in 2017.
I will continue to work with Irish Water Safety to ensure that the resources available are used to their fullest potential and to support them in developing responses to water safety challenges.
298. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of local authorities that have applied for available fast-track funding options for the provision of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4219/17]
View answer300. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of voluntary housing agencies that have applied for available fast-track funding options for the provision of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4221/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 298 and 300 together.
I assume that the Deputy is referring to the single-stage approval process for social housing capital construction schemes with a budget of less than €2m and up to 15 housing units.
To date, two local authorities have availed of this process in respect of construction projects they are advancing. A number of other proposals that may be advanced using this approach are currently being discussed between the local authorities in question and my Department, as part of the informal consultation that happens at technical level in the development of new construction proposals. I expect this will lead to further take-up on this initiative over time. This single stage approval process is available on a pilot basis to local authorities and currently does not include approved housing body led schemes.
299. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of modular housing units which have been provided to date and the location of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4220/17]
View answerAt the end of 2016, a total of 350 rapid build homes were advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, with 22 rapid build homes in Dublin City Council’s area being delivered and occupied in 2016. A further 650 rapid build homes will be advanced in 2017 and another 500 homes in 2018.
My Department is working closely with all local authorities in relation to increasing and accelerating the delivery of a range of social housing programmes and supports, including rapid build homes. In addition, the Office of Government Procurement, this month, has established a national multi-party framework agreement for the provision of rapid delivery housing projects. Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHB’s) and other Framework Clients may award contracts under the Framework Agreement in accordance with the rules set out in the Agreement.
Finally, it is important to note that the rapid build programme needs to be viewed in the context of the wider range of social housing build, acquisition and leasing programmes, which are being advanced by Local Authorities and AHB’s.
