Written Answers Nos 1248-1266
1248. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of new single dwellings constructed since 2007 which have a BER certificate; and the estimated number which do not have a BER certificate. [33846/17]
View answerThe Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is the statutory agency responsible for the implementation and management of the Building Energy Rating (BER) Scheme in accordance with Ireland’s obligations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Recast). In accordance with these Regulations every new building is required to have a BER Certificate since 1 January 2007 and furthermore any existing dwelling, offered for sale or letting on or after 1 January 2009, also requires a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate.
Enforcement of the requirement to display energy certificates is the responsibility of Building Control Authorities, who have comprehensive statutory powers to deal effectively with cases where non-compliance with the requirement is identified.
My Department does not collate data on BER statistics. However information, reporting and statistics in relation to the administration of the BER scheme is available on the SEAI website at http://www.seai.ie/Your_Building/BER/BER_FAQ/FAQ_BER/General/BER_Statistics.html
Furthermore, the SEAI also provide BER statistics to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) which, in turn, publishes comprehensive quarterly bulletins which provide a detailed breakdown of BER ratings. This information is available on the CSO website at http://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/environment/.
1249. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the estimated cost of refunding all those that paid water charges. [34541/17]
View answerThe estimated cost, including administrative costs, of refunding all customers of Irish Water that paid domestic water services charges is just under €180m.
1250. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the estimated annual revenue that could be raised from a vacant site tax of 3%, 6%, 10% and 20% in 2018, 2019 and 2020. [34544/17]
View answer1251. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the estimated annual revenue that could be raised from a tax on residential properties vacant for over one year of 3%, 6%, 10% and 20%. [34545/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1250 and 1251 together.
The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at incentivising the development of vacant, under-utilised sites in urban areas. Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their areas, beginning on 1 January 2017, and to issue annual notices to owners of vacant sites by 1 June 2018 in respect of vacant sites on the register on 1 January 2018. The levy will be applied by planning authorities, commencing on 1 January 2019 in respect of sites which were vacant and on the vacant site register during the year 2018 and will subsequently be applied on an annual basis thereafter, as long as a site remains on the vacant site register in the preceding year.
Planning authorities are empowered to apply an annual vacant site levy of 3% of the market value of vacant sites, exceeding 0.5 hectares in area - with reduced or zero rates of levy applying in specific circumstances – which, in the planning authority’s opinion, were vacant or idle in the preceding year, in areas identified by the planning authority in its development plan or local area plan for residential or regeneration development. The 3% rate of vacant site levy is consistent with the rate applied to derelict sites under the Derelict Sites Act 1990 and is considered a reasonable initial step in incentivising the activation of such sites for residential or regeneration purposes.
All levies due on an individual site will remain a charge on the land concerned until all outstanding levies due are paid. Accordingly, under the vacant site levy provisions, there will be a cumulative effect associated with not activating a site for development purposes for each year that a site remains vacant or idle.
Planning authorities are presently engaging in the necessary preparatory work, prior to the application of the levy with effect from January 2019 in respect of sites identified on the register in 2018. As required under the Act, this includes the identification of specific vacant sites for entry on the register as well as the registered owners of the sites in question along with undertaking a site valuation. Vacant site registers were established in January 2017 by planning authorities and the registers will be populated as the preparatory work progresses during the year.
The proceeds of the levy raised on vacant sites will be used by planning authorities for the provision of housing and urban regeneration development in the local area in which vacant sites are located. No more than 10% of the levy monies received by planning authorities may be used on their collection and administration costs.
At this time, ahead of the full population of registers with details of sites and valuations, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the annual levies that may be raised by planning authorities through the implementation of the levy or to estimate the annual levies that may be raised from the application of different levy rates than those provided for.
Matters in relation to taxation are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance.
1252. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the projects awarded funding by the social innovation fund by county and amount awarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34693/17]
View answerSocial Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI) works in partnership with Government to find and develop the best social innovations with the potential for transformative impact on critical social issues facing Ireland, including unemployment and the environment. The partnership is based on a 50:50 philanthropic/government matched funding arrangement.
Details of the awards made by SIFI are available on their website, www.sifi.ie
1253. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will bring forward changes to the tenant purchase scheme which will make this scheme more accessible for tenants of local authority properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33590/17]
View answer1287. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to reintroduce a tenant purchase scheme to allow tenants of a specified number of years and that meet other criteria, purchase their home; when he will introduce such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33715/17]
View answer1335. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when the new tenant purchase scheme will be introduced. [34890/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1253, 1287 and 1335 together.
The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme.
In line with the commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, a review of the first 12 months of the Tenant Purchase scheme’s operation has been undertaken. The review has incorporated analysis of comprehensive data received from local authorities regarding the operation of the scheme during 2016 and a wide-ranging public consultation process which saw submissions received from individuals, elected representatives and organisations.
The review is now complete and a full report setting out findings and recommendations has been prepared. Following consultation with relevant Departments on implementation arrangements, I expect that definitive proposals will be submitted to me very shortly.
1254. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the criteria for incremental increases as set out for an employee of a local authority that was employed in an acting-up role for a number of years and that subsequently was appointed to that role in a full-time capacity, in view of the fact that the local authority will not recognise the years they had been acting and subsequently they were not awarded incremental credits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33601/17]
View answerThe criteria for the awarding of incremental credit to an employee who, while in receipt of an allowance for higher duties, is promoted into the grade to which they are acting is set out in Departmental Circular Letter E.L. 02/2010, which provides that -
If an officer while in receipt of an allowance for higher duties is promoted into the grade to which they are acting:
The officer’s starting pay on promotion will be the more favourable of:
(i) starting pay calculated in accordance with normal arrangements
or
(ii) the equivalent of her/his total remuneration (i.e. salary plus allowance, on the date of promotion).
The date on which the next revision of the higher duties allowance would have arisen (i.e. anniversary of assignment) becomes the officer’s new incremental date.
1255. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason no public consultation meetings were held regarding the application for a licence for the mechanical harvesting of kelp in Bantry Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33602/17]
View answer1303. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way in which a licence for the mechanical harvesting of kelp in Bantry bay was issued without an environmental impact assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34097/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1255 and 1303 together.
Normal public consultation procedures were followed in this case. The application was advertised in the Southern Star and was available for inspection at a local Garda Station for a period of 21 days. No submissions were received from members of the public.
In line with usual procedures, the application was also circulated to various bodies for their views and input. Submissions were received from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Underwater Archaeology Unit of the then Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Marine Survey Office, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, the Central Fisheries Board and the Marine Institute.
The EIA Directive applies to a wide range of public and private projects. It is a mandatory requirement for project types listed in Annex I of the Directive, e.g., the construction of motorways and airports or the construction of installations for the disposal of hazardous waste. For project types listed in Annex II, it is up to the consenting authority to determine if an EIS is required by carrying out EIA screening based on criteria set out in the Directive. Examples of Annex II projects include intensive fish farming, reclamation of land from the sea, extractive mining, fossil fuel storage or metal processing. An EIA may also be required where the thresholds set out in the Directive are not met (sub-threshold EIA) or where the project or activity is proposed to be carried out in a Natura 2000 site.
If the consenting authority determines that the EIA Directive applies to a project it requires that an applicant must prepare and submit an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), following which the consent authority would carry out EIA. In the case referred to, the proposed project is not within a Natura 2000 site, it is not of a class set out in Annex I of the Directive nor does it fall into Annex II; therefore, an EIS is not required. I should however point out that the Marine Licence Vetting Committee considered all material pertaining to the application and concluded that subject to compliance with specific conditions the proposed harvesting was not likely to have a significant negative impact on the marine environment.
1256. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the level of research his Department has conducted on lowering the voting age to 16; and his views on the necessity for a referendum on the matter. [33654/17]
View answerA referendum would be required in order to reduce to sixteen years, the age at which a person would be entitled to register to vote at Dáil elections, Presidential elections and at referendums.
It is my understanding that a referendum would not be required to reduce the voting age at local and European elections. There is a Bill before the Seanad, the Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016, which proposes reducing the voting age at those elections. The proposals in that Bill and the issues that arise in considering a reduction in the voting age more generally are being further examined in my Department, following a debate on that Bill in the Seanad on 29 March 2017. These issues include the potential concerns that arise in having the age of majority set at 18 years and the voting age set at 16.
The related research that has been conducted in my Department in recent years included research on the position and experience in other countries and research on age limitations across the policy spectrum in Ireland.
1257. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to collate or mandate a public body to collate voter turnout statistics by demographic, particularly by age, to improve voter accessibility and information. [33655/17]
View answer1258. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the establishment of an electoral commission; if he has a proposed timeline or target date for establishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33656/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1257 and 1258 together.
In 2015, on the basis of a consultation paper prepared by my Department, and at the invitation of the then Minister, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht undertook a public consultation process on the establishment of an electoral commission. The Committee published a report on the consultation in January 2016. This report contains a series of recommendations regarding the establishment of an electoral commission, including functions which should be assigned to it; independence, membership and accountability mechanisms; and the establishment process. In the report, voter turnout and voter education are identified as matters in need of attention. The Committee also recommended that the development and implementation of policy on voter facilitation measures and the development and implementation of innovative ways to enhance voter education and engagement (including obstacles to registration) be assigned as functions to the electoral commission. These, along with the other recommendations in the report, are informing the implementation of the commitment in A Programme for a Partnership Government on establishing an electoral commission, including the preparation of an Electoral Commission Bill to give effect to that commitment. My Department is in the first instance preparing a Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Bill. It is not possible at this early stage to provide a timeline for the establishment of the Commission.
I have no immediate plans to collate or mandate a public body to collate voter turnout statistics by demographic. These are matters that will be considered in the assignment of functions to the electoral commission in due course.
1259. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when the various local authorities were requested to make the necessary arrangements to provide for an accelerated housing programme; the degree to which action has been taking place as a result; if he has satisfied himself that the response to date is sufficient to meet the requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33657/17]
View answer1262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the local authorities in the greater Dublin area that are responding most positively to the need for an urgent response to the housing shortage in terms of local authority and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33660/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1259 and 1262 together.
There is continuing, regular contact between myself as Minister and my Department with the local authorities, including those in the Greater Dublin Area, covering all aspects of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which is focused on increasing supply across all tenures. Direct contact between my Department and the local authorities focuses, in particular, on their housing delivery programmes, with quarterly meetings that address technical issues on projects and work to advance them to site as soon possible.
Local authorities generally are making clear progress in increasing and accelerating housing supply. This can be seen, for example, in the social housing construction programme, details of which are now published quarterly, with the latest report, as at end Quarter 1 2017, available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/. Within the details of the over 600 social housing projects, involving the construction of over 10,000 new social homes, are details of the projects that the local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area are advancing. These include projects that are in design, planning or being tendered, those on site and some that are recently completed.
Acquisitions of new and second hand houses and apartments for those on the waiting lists is also part of the early response to the housing challenge and almost 2,000 such acquisitions were made nationally in 2016. More are being undertaken this year and the Greater Dublin Area is prominent in this activity. Further information in this regard is available at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1c1-la-acq-by-area_5.xlsx.
Local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area are also utilising long-term leasing opportunities with private owners. In 2016, there were 1,832 new social homes provided in this way by the four Dublin local authorities, 177 in Kildare, 154 in Meath and 36 in Wicklow.
The rapid delivery programme is now progressing well and my Department is working with a broad range of local authorities, in the Greater Dublin Area and beyond, on using this approach where suitable. There are currently over 500 rapid delivery homes advancing through the planning design, procurement and construction stages, and work is underway to ensure that a further 500 units are advanced in the coming months, bringing the number of units in the programme to 1,000 by year end. An additional 500 units are targeted for delivery in 2018. The establishment of a framework of rapid delivery contractors by the Office of Government Procurement means that local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area and beyond can take advantage of this approach, allowing them to run quicker procurement competitions and advance rapid delivery projects to site more efficiently.
The publication in April 2017 of the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map will promote residential development on State lands as part of a new strategic approach to State land management. Opening up the supply of State land in this way, for social and mixed-tenure housing, is a critically important policy in addressing a situation where the pace of recovery in the housing development sector is slower than it needs to be to meet demand. In practical terms, the development of these sites will mean accelerating social housing delivery and securing more homes for sale and rent at more affordable price points. Two of the Dublin local authorities have already brought forward four key, large-scale sites, capable of delivering 3,000 new homes, and I expect other local authorities to follow suit.
1260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which serviced or serviceable lands, zoned or unzoned, have been identified by each of the local authorities in the greater Dublin area to facilitate a rapid build housing programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33658/17]
View answerMy 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. There are currently over 500 rapid build units in various stages of delivery, including construction, and work is underway at advancing a further 500 units by the end of 2017, with another 500 units to be delivered in 2018.
There has been significant pressure to ramp-up rapid build delivery, which local authorities have been responding to positively. Of particular note has been the establishment of a framework of rapid build contractors by the Office of Government Procurement, which means that local authorities across the country can now run quicker procurement competitions and advance rapid build projects to site more efficiently and effectively.
The identification of lands which are serviced, serviceable, zoned or unzoned, is a matter for the local authority concerned who are best placed to understand the housing needs in their areas. However, a recent initiative which is of benefit to both local authorities and the general public is the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, which was published on 27 April 2017. The Map is a vital initial step in the new strategic approach to State land management and the datasets published on the map include details of over 700 local authority and Housing Agency-owned sites, totalling some 1,700 hectares, as well as 30 sites (covering about 200 hectares) owned by State or semi-State bodies. The map is available to view on the Rebuilding Ireland website at: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/rebuilding-ireland-land-map/.
1261. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which he entered into dialogue with the local authorities with a view to ensuring the immediate implementation of a local authority housing programme sufficient to address the problem of homelessness in addition to reducing the existing local authority housing waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33659/17]
View answerI refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 24 and 52 on today's Order Paper which sets out the position on this matter.
1263. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of homeless persons in County Kildare that have been offered and have received accommodation from the local authority in the past twelve months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33662/17]
View answerMy Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless individuals, and related services, rests with individual housing authorities.
Furthermore, the allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with its allocation scheme made in accordance with section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. As such, it is a matter for each housing authority to decide on the type of support to be allocated to individual households.
Therefore the specific data breakdown sought by the Deputy is not available in my Department, and is a matter for the relevant housing authority.
1264. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which funding is available to Kildare County Council to address the local authority housing issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33663/17]
View answerRebuilding Ireland has put in place the funding resources to accelerate the delivery of social housing for all local authorities, including Kildare County Council. Critically, €5.35 billion in exchequer investment has been secured to support its implementation and to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period to 2021.
This level of national funding to implement Rebuilding Ireland's targets means that funding is available to Kildare County Council, and to other local authorities, to advance their housing delivery. Evidence of this can be seen in the Status Report on Social Housing Construction Projects, the latest of which is available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/. It includes 17 construction projects of various scale in County Kildare, delivering 301 new social homes. These projects are at various stages of advancement and there has been no funding delay.
In tandem with the construction programme, all local authorities have been undertaking the targeted acquisition of properties and from January 2016 to date, over €30 million has been provided to Kildare County Council to purchase over 180 new social homes. The local authority has also benefitted from funding to return vacant and derelict social housing to use, with 95 such units supported through an investment of €1.65 million from 2014-16.
Kildare County Council has 307 further social homes supplied, as at end of Q2 2017, under my Department's Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is currently meeting the housing needs of some 1,200 households in Kildare, with an additional 16 households being supported each week. From January 2016 to date, funding in excess of €9.9 million was recouped to Kildare under the Rental Accommodation Scheme. Kildare County Council also has a target to deliver 31 new social homes as part of the national 2017 target of 800 units under the Repair and Leasing Scheme.
I am keen that Kildare County Council brings forward and advances social housing projects as speedily as possible and I have assured all local authorities that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard in 2017 and beyond.
1265. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which plans are afoot to reactivate stalled building sites such as the town centre at Naas, County Kildare; if he will ensure ready access to the logistics required with particular reference to enabling the development to take place immediately after the ongoing disputes have been resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33665/17]
View answer1266. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if partially constructed building sites such as at the abandoned town centre at Naas, County Kildare are likely to be required to restart the planning process or rely on the existing permissions with obvious implications for the restart of the development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33666/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1265 and 1266 together.
The management of issues related to this development are primarily a matter for Kildare County Council and one in which I have no function. I am informed by Kildare County Council that a Receiver has been appointed in relation to the site in question and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on that matter.
Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be involved, except in very specific circumstances, which do not appear to apply in this case. Therefore, any questions regarding progressing particular planning projects should be directed to the relevant planning authority, in this case Kildare County Council.
