Written Answers Nos. 21-45
21. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he has considered the proposals from a group (details supplied) which proposes municipal led mixed income public housing; if he has met with the group with a view to progressing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24784/17]
View answerI am open to considering all options for innovative approaches to funding additional social and mixed tenure housing. Representatives acting on my behalf have met with the group in question and the proposals referred to will now be considered by my Department.
The Programme for Government provides that we will examine the possibilities for new and innovative roles for local authorities in housing provision, via means such as Municipal Housing Companies and arm’s length management organisations. Work to examine the potential for such structures commenced in the second half of 2016. A key consideration in this regard is the question of whether any such structures would be on or off the Government balance sheet. A determination on the possible application of these new structures is expected by the end of 2017.
22. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the implementation of the diaspora voting in future presidential elections. [17993/17]
View answerThe Government decided in March of this year to hold a referendum to amend the Constitution to give the right to vote at presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside the State, including Northern Ireland.
In order to inform public discourse on the significant policy change proposed, I published an Options Paper on 22 March 2017, which is available on my Department's website at http://www.housing.gov.ie/local-government/voting/presidential-elections/voting-presidential-elections-citizens-resident. The Options Paper sets out the range of options available to give effect to the recommendation in the Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution. It also provided a basis for the discussion on voting rights which took place at the Global Irish Civic Forum in Dublin earlier this month.
These discussions will inform the Government's decision on a preferred option to be put to the people in a referendum. While a decision has not yet been made on the timing of a referendum, even if a referendum was held immediately and passed, it would not be feasible to have comprehensive arrangements in place for an extension of the franchise to have effect for the presidential election to be held before 11 November 2018 as this will require modernisation of the voter registration process and the introduction of arrangements to facilitate those eligible to vote to exercise their franchise from outside the State. In this regard, the Government has agreed that my Department should commence work to effect improvements in the process for the registration of voters.
23. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a proposal by an organisation (details supplied) to set up a national housing company of Ireland; and his plans to develop this type of policy for up to 700 sites owned by local authorities and other State-owned lands, particularly the Dublin City Council land initiative plan at St. Michael's, O'Devaney Gardens and Oscar Traynor Road. [24791/17]
View answerThe recent NERI report Ireland's Housing Emergency: Time for A Game Changer is to be welcomed as an important addition to the debate on housing in Ireland. I note that there is considerable common ground between the NERI report and the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan and the Strategy for the Rental Sector.
For example, and in line with Rebuilding Ireland, the NERI report concludes that:
- Supply is the most significant challenge at present;
- There is a need to increase public investment in new permanent social housing stock;
- Traditional patterns of demand are changing: increased labour market mobility and wider economic factors are encouraging a lesser reliance on home ownership;
- A significant proportion of the required new stock needs to be provided specifically for rental;
- The State needs to create the right conditions for investment in the delivery of rental accommodation;
- Local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Housing Finance Agency all have a key role to play in the delivery of housing.
Through Rebuilding Ireland, the Government is progressing a range of actions to meet these challenges. Over the lifetime of the Plan, the overall social housing stock will be increased by providing 47,000 social housing units through local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies using €5.3billion in capital funding and Housing Finance Agency loan finance.
In addition, under the Strategy for the Rental Sector, a range of supply side measures are being progressed including:
- build to rent models;
- use of State-owned lands to deliver affordable rental in areas of high demand;
- measures to increase the supply of dedicated student accommodation to free-up units in the general rental market;
- supports to bring vacant stock into use;
- consideration of tax and fiscal incentives to encourage additional supply.
In addition to the commitment to advancing projects to deliver additional rental accommodation, the Strategy for the Rental Sector noted that the Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to develop a "cost rental" option, taking account of work already completed in this area, including by NESC and others. This is also the central recommendation in the report by NERI.
In line with this commitment, Action 12 of the Strategy for the Rental Sector provides that my Department will lead an expert group to develop a cost rental model for the Irish rental sector, addressing issues such as funding mechanisms, the need to grow the necessary institutional capacity, particularly within the AHB sector (whether through mergers, new entrants or strategic partnerships), the households to be targeted and the appropriate regulation mechanisms. The expert group will consider the proposals put forward by NERI - including the proposal to establish a semi-State company to progress the cost rental model - in the course of its work, a report on which is scheduled to be delivered by Q4 2017.
I am committed to supporting the development of mechanisms that can deliver funding for social housing in a manner that is off-balance sheet and does not negatively impact on the general government balance. Action 2.4 of Rebuilding Ireland provides that the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) will work with the private sector to establish a funding vehicle capable of facilitating off-balance sheet investment in delivering social and private housing. Work on developing the new funding vehicle is underway within the NTMA.
24. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether national planning standards should be set to increase the height of apartment buildings, in view of high break-even costs of building apartments and the absence of supply of new apartment buildings despite the high demand. [25039/17]
View answerMy Department routinely monitors the planning process and acts to ensure it facilitates appropriate multi-unit housing developments to meet the broader housing requirements of society.
My Department’s 2009 Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas encourage local authorities to bring about high quality and sustainable urban development, using their development planning and management functions to deliver quality homes and neighbourhoods where people want to live, work and raise families. In particular, the Guidelines outline a range of densities appropriate to different location types, from lower densities at the edges of smaller towns through to densities in the range of a minimum of 50 dwellings per hectare in larger urban areas along public transport corridors.
However, the Guidelines do not set out specific policy advice in relation to height of buildings alone, in isolation from broader location, design and layout considerations nor would it be appropriate to do so, given variability in urban contexts and the inappropriateness of a “one size fits all” height policy for very diverse urban areas. Rather, it is a matter for local authorities to ensure the appropriate application of the Guidelines in their statutory development plan and development management processes.
Notwithstanding the above, my Department is currently in the final stages of completing a cost review of multi-unit and apartment developments, which is due to be finalised later this Summer. This review is examining the key aspects of viability issues, including building height limitations, and will inform further policy development in relation to this matter. In light of the review outcomes, the intention is to engage further with relevant local authorities like Dublin City Council to address any building height issues arising.
25. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied that the local authorities immediately adjoining Dublin city and county are in a position to deliver housing in line with requirements within the next three months, having particular regard to the preparatory work already undertaken in the past 12 months; the number of persons in need of immediate housing and recognising the need to meet the requirements of those that have been on local authority waiting lists for several years; the option he will consider as a matter of urgency in the event of a inability to deliver sufficiently to meet such requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25018/17]
View answerRebuilding Ireland has put in place both the targets and funding resources to accelerate the delivery by 2021 of 47,000 social homes. This work is already well underway and we are increasingly seeing new social housing construction projects move onto site. I recently published the latest update of the Status Report on Social Housing Construction Projects, which now includes over 600 social housing construction projects, delivering over 10,000 social housing units. This is available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017.
The construction projects listed in the Status Report are either on site, at different stages of planning and design or have recently been completed. As would be expected, given housing need, the Dublin area local authorities and those adjacent to Dublin feature very strongly in this construction programme. The same is true in relation to the delivery in the wider greater Dublin area of social housing through other means, which are also being vigorously pursued through the resources available under Rebuilding Ireland. This includes the acquisition of houses and apartments, the long-term leasing of homes by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, including via the National Asset Management Agency’s Special Purpose Vehicle, and the accelerated roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme.
Further new social housing projects are being added to the delivery pipeline on a continuous basis. This delivery will continue to be aligned with housing need and this is evident particularly in relation to the rapid delivery programme, where a number of build projects are on site in the greater Dublin area that will deliver 200 new social homes over the coming months, with work already underway at advancing a further round of projects. I am keen that all local authorities advance their projects as speedily as possible and I have assured them that the necessary funding is available.
26. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of house-building projects and the number of units involved in those projects that are in the process of being built or at the planning stage under the control of local authorities and that will deliver local authority owned and run social housing in the next period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24811/17]
View answerDetails in respect of the substantial pipeline of new social housing construction projects that is now in place are set out in the Status Report on Social Housing Construction Projects, the latest update of which I published last week and which is available at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/rebuilding-ireland/coveney-publishes-details-further-progress-social-housing-schemes.
Details of all the social housing construction projects being implemented across the 31 local authority areas are set out in the Report, including the number of new social homes covered by each separate project.
The Report covers over 600 projects, delivering over 10,000 new social homes, including some projects completed in 2016 and in the 1st quarter of this year, and others that are on site or at various stages of advancement through planning and design. The scale of the construction pipeline as at end-quarter 1 2017 represents a major escalation in the social housing build programme and more projects are being added on an ongoing basis, to ensure we deliver on the ambitious targets set in the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing projects as speedily as possible and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.
27. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the position regrading the pilot mortgage to rent scheme involving private equity firms including the lease arrangements in place; the level of security of tenure provided for home owners and tenants; and if it is designed to meet the needs of distressed mortgage holders who do not qualify for social housing. [24805/17]
View answerThe review of the Mortgage to Rent scheme published in February 2017, concluded that the current financial model of the Mortgage to Rent scheme may not, in its current configuration, be capable of delivering the scale of successful cases that could benefit from the scheme over time.
In order to test the operability of alternative funding models for the scheme, the Housing Agency is working with a number of financial entities who have come forward with an interest in working with the Mortgage to Rent scheme to progress a number of pilot alternative long-term lease arrangements. In advance of these pilots, a targeted market testing exercise was undertaken by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), to test the suitability of the proposed enhanced leasing arrangements to ascertain if they would be viable for a mortgage to rent cohort, taking account of the necessity to provide a long-term stable solution for eligible households. The comments received from interested parties are being reviewed by my Department and the Housing Agency.
The next step is to issue a formal call for Expressions of Interest from institutions interested in taking part in the pilot operating models. It is anticipated that the Housing Agency will manage the evaluation process on behalf of my Department and make recommendations on the make-up of the pilots. The drafting of the content of the Expression of Interest is currently underway.
The Mortgage to Rent scheme is a social housing option, and therefore, is only open to borrowers who qualify for social housing support. The recently launched Mortgage Arrears Resolution Service, Abhaile, is available is available to assist borrowers to explore their options. The Abhaile communications campaign currently underway is aimed primarily at securing engagement and solutions for those in the longest arrears and who are not engaging with their lender and seeks to overcome the fear and anxiety associated with such circumstances, and to ensure that borrowers are made aware of the range of supports available to them.
28. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has reviewed the planning guidelines to be put in place for the construction of solar energy farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21920/17]
View answerThere are no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar farms. Proposals for individual solar farm developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in the same manner as other proposed developments. Planning applications are made to the relevant local planning authority with a right of appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
Under the Planning and Development Act, each planning authority's development plan must set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area concerned. Section 10 of the Act requires a development plan to include, inter alia, objectives for the provision or facilitation of the provision of infrastructure, including energy facilities, and many local authorities have developed renewable energy strategies for their areas in this context.
In making decisions on planning applications, planning authorities and the Board must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to the provisions of the local development plan, any submissions or observations received and relevant Ministerial or Government policies, including any relevant guidelines issued by my Department. Planning authorities must then make their own decisions based on the specific merits or otherwise of individual planning applications.
I am satisfied that the planning code is sufficiently robust to facilitate the assessment of individual planning permission applications for solar farm developments. However, the matter will be kept under review, in consultation with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, and his Department - which leads on renewable energy policy - in the context of the Government's White Paper on Energy Policy, published in December 2015, the development of a Renewable Electricity Policy and Development Framework, as well as the finalisation of a new support scheme for renewable electricity by that Department, expected in late 2017.
29. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the funds in place for county councils for the development of community centres and other social facilities in growing towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25029/17]
View answerThe importance of creating sustainable communities is recognised in the National Planning Policy Statement published in 2015. In addition, national-level policy approaches in relation to residential densities in urban areas are set out in my Department’s Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas. These place a heavy emphasis on the importance of provision of public infrastructure, such as public transport, community and sports facilities.
Furthermore, progression of the forthcoming National Planning Framework, to be titled "Ireland 2040: Our Plan", will further clarify and enhance urban development policy in this area, including in relation to identifying the potential to sustainably build up the economic vitality, population levels and supporting social and physical infrastructure of town centre and inner urban areas. These areas have, in many cases, witnessed a sustained movement of people outwards to suburban and wider settings.
In terms of funded programmes, my Department provides funding to support social inclusion and for social cohesion in communities. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The Programme was rolled out in April 2015, and will run until 31 December 2017. Its aim is to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through local engagement and partnership between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations, public sector agencies and other stakeholders. SICAP is a key intervention for the harder to reach, with delivery in each area (or Lot) overseen and managed by the relevant Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in each local authority area.
The SICAP funding allocation for 2017 for front-line delivery nationally is €37.5m, which includes an allocation of €3m under the European Social Fund (ESF) Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.
Furthermore, my Department recently launched the national €2 million Communities Facilities Scheme which is under the remit of my colleague, Catherine Byrne T.D., Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy. The Communities Facilities Scheme is targeted at both urban and rural areas and will fund projects that seek to enhance communities, address disadvantage and improve social cohesion at a local level. The Scheme is being managed at a local level by the LCDCs in conjunction with the Municipal Districts, under the remit of the local authorities.
The Programme for a Partnership Government included a commitment to launch a recast RAPID programme which will provide €2 million this year, in capital funding, for projects in disadvantaged urban areas and provincial towns. My Colleague, Damien English, T.D., Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, intends launching the recast programme shortly.
30. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied with the accuracy of official figures for housing completion here; the reason for the disparity between his Department's figure of 14,932 completions in 2016 with the number of building energy ratings certificates issued in that year which was in the region of 3,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25023/17]
View answer33. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason his Department does not use the details on compliance certificates from the building control management system to count annual completions of new build housing units, rather than or in addition to connections to ESB supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24790/17]
View answer57. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the details of his Department's official 2016 housing completion figure of 14,932 under the categories public and private units, approved housing bodies units, local authority refurbished voids and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25021/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 33 and 57 together.
The recording and reporting of statistics on housing activity is complex and involves tracking a range of different indicators, including planning permissions, construction commencement notices, ESB connections and several others, from various sources, each of which measure different aspects of housing activity. Each dataset represents part of the overall housing activity but none of the datasets were specifically designed to count new house construction.
Since the 1970’s, my Department has published ESB data on residential properties connected to the ESB grid as a proxy for house completions, as it represents the best available indicator that a residential unit is ready and becoming available for occupation. This dataset includes recently completed once-off homes, multi-unit scheme developments and apartments. It also includes some re-connections to the grid, where properties that have been unoccupied for over two years are being brought back into use.
In this context, my Department has published data indicating that, based on ESB connections, 12,666 homes became available in 2015, 14,932 homes in 2016 and, based on current trends, it is anticipated that this figure will rise to 18,000 homes in 2017. My Department does not have a breakdown of the 14,932 homes connected to the ESB Grid during 2016 in the categories requested. My Department is working closely with the ESB to obtain additional and more granular data from its dataset to gain a deeper understanding of the various components of the overall connection dataset.
In relation to the Building Control Management System (BCMS), it is important to note that the BCMS was introduced with effect from 1 March 2014 to facilitate building control authorities, building owners, builders and construction professionals in discharging their responsibilities under the Building Control Act 1990, as amended. The building control process includes a requirement, in certain circumstances, to lodge a statutory Certificate of Compliance on Completion (CCC) in respect of buildings, including dwellings. While this represents another useful source of data on residential completions, it also has a number of limitations.
Firstly, CCCs apply only to works commenced on or after 1 March 2014 so would not apply to homes completed recently but which were subject to a commencement notice submitted prior to 1 March 2014. Secondly, one-off houses were given the facility to opt out of the statutory CCC process from 1st September 2015, so not all single homes constructed will appear in these returns. Finally, a CCC may cover multiple buildings or works, so the number of CCCs registered on the BCMS does not correlate to the number of building units completed. My Department is actively engaging with the Local Government Management Agency, which hosts the BCMS, with a view to developing its potential further as an additional source of data in relation to house building activity.
In relation to building energy ratings (BERs), I understand that, in line with the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 243 of 2012), a BER Certificate must generally be obtained before a new dwelling may be occupied or offered for sale or letting. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which comes within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, is the statutory agency responsible for the day-to-day administration of the BER Scheme. Local building control authorities are responsible for enforcement of the obligation to obtain BER certificates, in line with the 2012 Regulations. My Department is examining the potential of BER records to act as a further statistical input to the suite of housing activity data, and will continue to work with this and all other available datasets.
The Central Statistics Office, which is the State’s authoritative voice in relation to the provision of high quality and independent statistical information supporting evidence-based decision-making, established an independent group in January 2017, chaired by an Assistant Director General, to examine housing statistics: my Department is a member of that group. This Group is considering the best analytical approaches to reconciling and combining datasets in this area and will have oversight of, and a direct involvement in, the examination of any output arising from the variety of analyses currently underway.
My Department has also established a new Housing Data Analytics Group, with membership from the CSO, Central Bank, local authorities and others to examine this complex area and to monitor and review the various sources of data collected nationally to provide a comprehensive and coherent suite of statistics relating to housing matters.
31. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to increase income limits for local authority housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24803/17]
View answerThe Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each housing authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy.
The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs plus a comparative analysis of the local rental cost of housing accommodation across the country. The limits also reflect a blanket increase of €5,000 introduced prior to the new system coming into operation, in order to broaden the base from which social housing tenants are drawn and thereby promote sustainable communities.
Given the cost to the State of providing social housing, it is considered prudent and fair to direct resources to those most in need of social housing support. The current income eligibility requirements generally achieve this, providing for a fair and equitable system of identifying those households facing the greatest challenge in meeting their accommodation needs from their own resources.
As part of the broader social housing reform agenda originally set out in the Social Housing Strategy 2020, a review of the income eligibility limits for social housing supports is scheduled to commence later this year.
32. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether the policies of his Department could be contributing to rises in rents in view of the CSO's finding that there was a 30% increase in rents in Dublin city over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25024/17]
View answerIt is well understood that under-supply is the fundamental cause of the significant challenges in the housing sector. The Government's attention has been very much focused on addressing this, as is clear from the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, published in July 2016, and the Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, which lay out a range of measures to accelerate supply. These include the use of public land, changes to the regulatory and planning processes, funding for housing related infrastructure, schemes to get vacant properties back into use, a significantly increased social housing programme and an examination of the tax treatment of the rental sector.
The Rental Strategy also recognises that high and rapidly rising rents is the most significant and immediate threat to the accommodation security of many households. For this reason the Government introduced the Rent Predictability Measure and established the system of Rent Pressure Zones to moderate the rise in rents in the parts of the country where rents are highest and rising. In these areas, for a period of three years, rents will only be able to rise by a maximum of 4%, which is less than one third of the rate of rent inflation reported recently by Daft.ie. The measure will have a substantial impact. The practical effect of the measure is that for the next three years rents for more than 186,000 households who currently rent their homes in these areas, will be lower than they would have been if market rents had continued to apply.
My Department also continues to monitor the impact of Rent Pressure Zones in relation to social housing supports that operate in the private rental sector, for example, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). Each of these schemes is different in their operation and specific advice has been provided by my Department to local authorities in that regard. One of the benefits of the introduction of the Rent Predictability measure in Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) is that it will assist local authorities and tenants to secure units within the private rental market at a more sustainable and predictable cost.
A review of the Rent Predictability measure will take place next month. At that point, the provisions will have been in place for 6 months, we will have rent data from the Residential Tenancies Board for quarter 1 of 2017, and it will be possible to ascertain the effectiveness of the Rent Predictability Measure and whether any changes need to be made.
34. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for a policy to assist persons who are paying rent in excess of an average mortgage for a similar property but are unable to afford to buy due to deposit restrictions and an inability to save due to their high rent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24793/17]
View answerA range of measures are being taken under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness to increase housing supply overall, with the aim of creating a functioning and sustainable housing system which can meet housing demand at more affordable prices.
The plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system. Pillar 3, entitled Build More Homes, has a key objective of increasing the output of private housing to meet demand at affordable prices.
Action 4.6 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan provided 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 Strategy for the Rental Sector published in December 2016, the commitment on affordable rental 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.
In this regard, an important policy intervention is the identification of State-owned lands for mixed tenure housing, particularly in the major urban areas, where demand is greatest. On 27 April 2017, I published details of some 2,000 hectares of land in public ownership, which has the potential to deliver up to 50,000 homes nationally. Full details of these sites can be accessed on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/rebuilding-ireland-land-map/.
I have asked all local authorities to be innovative and proactive in developing these sites. The final model for each site will be the subject of careful consideration by the local authority concerned, the elected members included, who are best placed to know and provide for the housing need in their area. Indeed, the Dublin local authorities are well advanced in bringing large-scale sites forward for mixed tenure housing, with projects advertised that can deliver circa 3,000 mixed tenure homes in the Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council areas alone.
35. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the expected publication date for a new national vacant housing reuse strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24789/17]
View answerPillar 5 of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy, informed by Census 2016 data, to
- inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country,
- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse.
To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. As the deliberations of Working Group were nearing completion, it was agreed to await publication last month of 2016 Census data on housing so as to ensure the Strategy would be informed by the most up-to-date and comprehensive data available.
It is now anticipated that the Strategy will be published in the coming weeks.
36. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way in which under the new landbank plan it is ensured that there will be a significant dividend for social housing and for affordable housing; and if he will address concerns that there are no mechanisms in place which will ensure that the disposal of public sites for private developments will be reinvested in social housing elsewhere. [25040/17]
View answerI refer the Deputy to the reply to Question No. 5 on today's Order Paper which sets out the position in this matter.
37. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if large scale housing funding projects proposed to his Department by local authorities, approved housing bodies or the Housing Agency, including acquisitions or new builds which were deferred in 2016 have been deferred in 2017; if so, the projects concerned; the amounts requested and deferred; and the reasons for these decisions. [24809/17]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question Number 232 of 16 May 2017, which sets out the position in this matter.
38. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to advertisements for accommodation in which sex is being sought in lieu or in addition to rent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25043/17]
View answerI am aware of reports relating to advertisements of the kind referred to. As there may be criminal activity involved in some instances, I would urge people to report any concerns in this regard to An Garda Síochána.
39. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he has engaged with the housing associations and local authorities in ensuring that there will be drug-free accommodation for those in recovery from addiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24788/17]
View answerUnder my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by housing authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide accommodation for various target groups, including specific categories of housing need such as accommodation for the elderly, homeless people and people with a disability. Applications to deliver new social housing under CAS are made by AHBs to the relevant housing authority and, as with all social housing projects, it is a matter for the housing authority to prioritise projects on the basis of how they meet the area's housing need.
Responsibility for policy development in relation to addiction and rehabilitation issues rests with the Minister for Health and the delivery of services in this regard is managed through the Health Service Executive. Under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Department of Health and the HSE are committed to addressing the rehabilitation needs of homeless people with addiction issues through the forthcoming new National Drugs Strategy, which will include increased drug and alcohol detoxification facilities, and enhanced associated programmes, to support long-term recovery.
40. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason for the disparity between his Department's official figure of 15,951 housing completions during the past census period with the findings of the CSO that during the same period the housing stock increased by just 8,800; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25022/17]
View answerThe Census of Population and Housing collected and published by the Central Statistics Office produces a wide range of different housing statistics, none of which maps precisely to the measurements which are disseminated by my Department. Amongst the most important of those measures are the net change to the total housing stock, the net change to the occupied housing stock and the numbers of units occupied which the residents report were constructed since 2011. All measures of stock are subject to additions as well as removals and there is no accepted measure at this time of the level of removals between Census waves, whereas my Department has provided an estimate of the additions to the stock for many years. In relation to the net increase in the total housing stock it should be noted that this increase represents a net gain over the period and so will exclude dwellings which will have fallen out of the housing stock through dereliction and depreciation.
In regards to the 33,436 properties declared by Census respondents as having been constructed since 2011, it should be noted that 114,122 respondents did not provide any response to this question. Furthermore in respect of the 57,246 vacant properties where a reason for vacancy was collected by enumerators, some 2,180 were recorded as being new build.
My Department is working with colleagues in the Central Statistics Office and across other interested Government Departments and Agencies, along with the continuing assistance of the ESB, to develop methodologies to refine and improve the measurements of housing related activity. In this context my Department recently convened a Housing Analytics Group to monitor and review the various sources of housing data collected nationally to provide a comprehensive and coherent suite of statistics relating to housing matters. In collaboration with data owners and stakeholders, the Group will work to refine and improve existing data sources, and identify potential data gaps and new data sources, with a view to ensuring that public policy continues to be informed by the best possible housing data.
In addition, the Central Statistics Office, which is the State’s authoritative voice in relation to the provision of high quality and independent statistical information supporting evidence-based decision-making, established an independent group in January 2017, chaired by an Assistant Director General, to examine housing statistics and my Department is a member of that group. This group is considering the best analytical approaches to reconciling and combining datasets in this area and will have oversight of, and a direct involvement in, the examination of any output arising from the variety of analyses currently underway.
41. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will review of the provisions in the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 that relate to rent pressure zones, in view of the evidence that rent levels are rising substantially; the effect on excluded areas in view of the fact that the onus is on vulnerable tenants to report breaches of the rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24785/17]
View answerThe existing rent pressure zones were designated because they meet the criteria required under the Act, which are: (i) that rents are above the national average, and (ii) that rent price inflation has been 7% or more in four of the last six quarters. Other areas, including those adjoining and surrounding rent pressure zones, do not meet the criteria for designation and therefore have not been designated. The Housing Agency will continue to monitor the situation and may recommend further areas for designation. If future rent rises mean that new areas meet the criteria, they will be designated as rent pressure zones.
The pressures in the rental market are borne out by the data published recently by Daft.ie, showing that rent asking prices rose nationwide by an average 13.4% in the year to March 2017. However, the report also shows that rent inflation in Dublin has slowed over the last quarter. This is an early indication that the Rent Predictability Measure is having the desired effect.
A review of the Rent Predictability Measure will be carried out next month. At that point, the provisions will have been in place for 6 months, data from the Residential Tenancies Board’s Rent Index Report for Quarter 1 2017 will be available, and it will be possible to ascertain the effectiveness of the Rent Predictability Measure and whether any changes need to be made.
42. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of persons in hotel and bed and breakfast emergency accommodation as of 20 May 2017; the number of persons that are in hotels; the number in bed and breakfast accommodation; and the locations in which these families will be housed on 1 July 2017. [24792/17]
View answerIt is my intention that homeless families be transitioned from hotel arrangements as quickly as possible and to limit the extent to which hotel accommodation has to be used for new family presentations, and my Department continues to work closely with housing authorities to realise this objective. The use of hotels for emergency accommodation is a much more significant issue in the Dublin Region than in the rest of the country. At the end of March, a total of 870 homeless families were housed in commercial hotels and B&B’s in the Dublin Region. At end-April this figure has fallen to 695, of which 592 were in commercial hotels and 103 in bed and breakfast accommodation. Data for May is not yet available.
In order to meet the Rebuilding Ireland target that, by mid-2017, hotels will only be used in limited circumstances to provide emergency accommodation for homeless families, the accommodation needs of families currently in emergency accommodation in hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation are being addressed by the housing authorities through a mix of social housing solutions, such as tenancies under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme and general social housing allocations. Housing authorities are also putting in place new supported emergency accommodation facilities which will provide homeless families with a greater level of stability, services and supports than are available in hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation, while move-on options to long-term independent living are identified and secured.
Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The detail arrangements regarding the locations in which families will be housed are a matter for the relevant housing authorities.
43. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the findings of the expert panel set up to review the mica issue; the details of those findings; the timeframe for a decision on putting a redress scheme in place to provide financial assistance to affected home owners following on from the panel's report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24781/17]
View answer63. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when he will publish the expert panel's report into defective blocks; the timeframe for a decision on putting a redress scheme in place to provide financial assistance to affected home owners further to the panels report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24782/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 63 together.
An expert panel on concrete blocks was established by my Department in April 2016 to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Donegal and Mayo. The panel have the following terms of reference: -
(i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the Counties of Donegal and Mayo;
(ii) To carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected homeowners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings;
(iii) To outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and
(iv) To submit a report within six months.
The expert panel on concrete blocks met on twelve occasions since it was first established and a similar number of meetings have taken place with key stakeholders, including affected homeowners, the elected members of Donegal and Mayo County Councils, local authority officials, industry bodies, academics, public representatives and other interested parties. A substantial volume of information has been provided by affected homeowners in both counties, as well as from Donegal and Mayo County Councils; additional information was also provided through the consultation process.
The panel has now concluded its meetings and is in the process of finalising its report which is undergoing legal proofing by the Attorney General's Office, which will be completed shortly. In this regard, I await the outcome of the panel’s report before considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in the two counties.
44. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the detail of the definition of affordable housing; the nature of the affordable housing; if affordable housing will be for rent or for sale; and the mechanism for designing, building and allocating such housing in view of the fact that of the 3,500 units 450 or 15.7% in the Poolbeg SDZ are to be affordable housing. [25025/17]
View answerIn relation to the Poolbeg Strategic Development Zone, it is intended that of the 3,500 new homes permissible on the site under its Planning Scheme, 900 will be delivered as social and affordable units. Of this, 350 (10%) will be delivered as social housing in accordance with the provisions of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). It is also intended that a commercial agreement, with confirmed funding, will be entered into prior to commencement of development, between Dublin City Council, my Department and the owners/developers of the residential element of the overall SDZ area, for a further 550 new homes, the majority of which will be affordable rental housing and the balance provided as social housing with a particular focus on housing for older people.
This objective takes account of and implements Government policy as set out in the Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness: Rebuilding Ireland, including Actions 2.4 and 2.8 (delivery of additional social housing over and above Part V through a variety of means); 2.16 (housing for older people, including assisted living); 3.1 (Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund or LIHAF); and 4.6 (affordable rental), together with policy promoting tenure diversity in the City Council’s Housing Strategy.
As set out in the Strategy for the Rental Sector published in December 2016, the commitment to develop an affordable rental model contained in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan is now 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.
In this regard, an important policy intervention in the delivery of new housing supply under Pillar 3 of Rebuilding Ireland is the development of State-owned lands for mixed tenure housing, particularly in the major urban areas, where demand is greatest. On 27 April 2017, I published details of some 2,000 hectares of land in public ownership, which has the potential to deliver up to 50,000 homes nationally.
I have asked all local authorities to be innovative and proactive in developing these sites. The final model for each site will be the subject of careful consideration by the local authority concerned, the elected members included, who are best placed to know and provide for the housing need in their area. Indeed, the Dublin local authorities are well advanced in bringing large-scale sites forward for mixed tenure housing, with projects advertised that can deliver circa 3,000 mixed tenure homes in the Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council areas alone,
The question of the criteria to apply to determine eligibility for affordable units is currently under consideration.
45. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the obligations on Irish Rail to seek planning permissions for the maintenance, development and improvement of the rail systems. [25026/17]
View answerUnder the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, all development, unless specifically exempted under the Act or associated Regulations, requires planning permission.
Section 4 of the Act and Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, set out various exemptions from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Any such exemptions are subject to compliance with any general restrictions on exemptions set out in the Act or the Regulations and to the specific conditions set out in each class of exempted development in Schedule 2 of the Regulations.
In this regard, for example, Class 23 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Regulations, provides that 'the carrying out by any railway undertaking of development required in connection with the movement of traffic by rail in, on, over or under the operational land of the undertaking, except—
(a) the construction or erection of any railway station or bridge, or of any residential structure, office or structure to be used for manufacturing or repairing work, which is not situated wholly within the interior of a railway station, or
(b) the reconstruction or alteration of any of the aforementioned structures so as materially to affect the design or external appearance thereof'
shall be exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission under the Act.
In addition, other enactments may provide for specific exemptions, such as section 38(1) of the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001, as amended, which provides that 'each of the following shall be exempted development for the purposes of the Act of 2000:
(a) development consisting of the carrying out of railway works, including the use of the railway works or any part thereof for the purposes of the operation of a railway, authorised by the Board and specified in a railway order or of any incidental or temporary works connected with such development;
(b) development consisting of the carrying out of railway works for the maintenance, improvement or repair of a railway that has been built pursuant to a railway order.'
Any question as to whether development is or is not exempt from the requirement to obtain planning permission is a matter for the relevant local authority, or An Bord Pleanála on referral, to determine.
