Written Answers Nos. 1697-1716
1697. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the terms of reference for the fire safety review that he ordered after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower; if he will widen the remit of this review to include compliance with Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36489/17]
View answerOn 27 June 2017, I tasked the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management with convening a high-level Task Force to lead Ireland’s re-appraisal of fire safety in the wake of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in London.
As a first stage, the Task Force is overseeing the initial actions in respect of potential life safety issues already identified in Ireland and is scheduled to report to me on these aspects by the end of September 2017.
In parallel with this initial work, the Task Force will begin to review and re-appraise existing arrangements and systems for fire safety including Part B of the Building Regulations and related issues which impact on fire safety in Ireland.
The draft terms of reference for the Task Force, which reflect the above two areas of work set out above, are currently being considered in the context of the issues identified and selection of priority areas of work. I expect the Task Force to confirm the terms of reference at its next meeting on 26 July 2017 and that its principal focus will be on protecting life from the dangers of fire in both dwellings and other kinds of buildings.
It should be noted that work on reviewing Technical Guidance Document B – Fire Safety (TGD B) of the Building Regulations is ongoing also.
1698. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the action he will take to address the serious problem of structural fire safety defects in a number of timberframe estates here; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of fires in timberframe estates have spread rapidly posing a serious risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36490/17]
View answerIn July 2015, the then Minister directed that a review be undertaken by an independent fire expert to develop a framework for general application, in the interest of supporting owners and residents living in developments where concerns regarding non-compliance with fire safety requirements arise. A Steering Group was convened to oversee the review.
The terms of reference of the Steering Group included the following: -
- Have regard to the typical risk profile faced by residents, their visitors and fire service personnel in and about apartment developments and housing estates;
- Take account of normal hazards and relevant safety management arrangements as well as typical passive and active safety features;
- Outline general advice and guidance which can be used by owners/residents and their professional advisers, to ensure that an adequate level of safety is in place for persons in and about their development.
This may include making provision for -
- appropriate or enhanced fire detection and alarm measures;
- checking that appropriate escape routes from the premises are available, designed in accordance with current standards;
- ensuring evacuation plans are rehearsed in each premises in the event of a fire incident.
The independent fire safety expert has completed his review and a report on the matter has been received by my Department from the Steering Group. Legal clarification was required in relation to a number of issues and I intend to make arrangements for the publication of the framework as soon as these have been resolved.
1699. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will ensure that a structural fire safety audit of social housing stock is carried out to ensure compliance with Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36491/17]
View answerIn response to the tragic fire in Grenfell Tower, I requested that each local authority, as a matter of urgency, review their multi-storey social housing units to ensure that they are meeting their statutory obligations in regards to Fire Safety with the emphasis on life safety and that all early warning systems, including alarm and detection systems and means of escape including corridors, stairways and emergency exits, are in place, fully functional and that each authority report back to my Department by 19 July 2017. Reports have been received and will be analysed and included in any conclusions/recommendations by the high-level Task Force which, on 27 June 2017, I tasked my Department’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management with coordinating, in order to lead Ireland’s re-appraisal of fire safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
The Task Force will oversee and report on the initial steps already taken and look to urgently identify and consider potential life safety issues and initiate appropriate remedial action where necessary. Following this initial work, the Task Force will review and re-appraise existing arrangements and systems for Fire Safety and related issues which impact on fire safety in Ireland. The Task Force will prepare an interim report by the end of September 2017.
I have also directed that Fire Authorities carry out a preliminary survey to identify residential buildings, including social housing, of more than six storeys or more than 18m in height fitted with external cladding or rain screen systems, with or without insulation, and to consider whether use of the power to require a fire safety assessment is warranted, in respect of identified buildings. The results of the survey are to be reported to my Department by 19 July 2017, and a similar survey on non-residential buildings of more than six storeys, or more than 18m in height, is to be reported to my Department by 2 August 2017. The contents of both of these surveys will also be analysed and will inform the conclusions and recommendations to be presented by the Task Force.
1700. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will review the role of the National Standards Authority of Ireland in regulating the Irish Agrément Board's approval of timberframe constructions systems which have not been adhered to in a number of developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36492/17]
View answer1701. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will implement section 4.8.2 of the Timber Frame Housing Construction Report published in December 2003 by his Department which calls for a more advanced certification approval system for timberframe housing above two storeys in height. [36493/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1700 and 1701 together.
Agrément certification is designed specifically for new building products and processes that are not already regulated by existing national standards, either because they are innovative or because they deviate from established norms, and do not yet have a long history of use.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is Ireland’s standards, measurement and certification body and is a statutory agency under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise and Innovation. NSAI Agrément (formerly the Irish Agrément Board (IAB), but now operating as part of NSAI) is responsible for Agrément assessment and certification and issues technical certification for new and innovative products and processes in building and materials technology.
Irish Standard I.S. 440 – Timber Frame Dwellings was published by the NSAI in 2009 and was revised in 2014 to I.S.440:2009+A1:2014 ‘Timber frame construction, dwellings and other buildings’ to include all TF buildings and refer to the Eurocodes, and this standard applies in respect of all timber frame construction up to four storeys. Since the introduction of this standard all manufacturers of timber frame housing are assessed by NSAI to assess and certify compliance with I.S. 440 and the Building Regulations. Timber frame construction which does not fall within the scope or specification of I.S. 440 may demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations by means of Agrément certification and the Assigned Certifier may rely on this third party certification as a basis for certifying compliance with Building Regulations.
It is important to note that while NSAI Agrément is responsible for assessment and certification, primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings. In response to the many building failures that have emerged in the past decade, my Department introduced the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, which require greater accountability in relation to compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory certification of design and construction by registered construction professionals and builders, lodgement of compliance documentation, mandatory inspections during construction and validation and registration of certificates.
Under the 2014 Regulations, owners are required to appoint an Assigned Certifier whose role, in conjunction with the builder and the project team, is to draw up and execute an appropriate inspection plan and to certify the building’s compliance with Building Regulations on completion. The Assigned Certifier undertakes to inspect, and to co-ordinate the inspection activities of others, during construction, and to certify the building or works on completion. Builders undertake to cooperate with the Assigned Certifier’s inspection plans and to jointly certify the building or works on completion. In effect, the statutory Certificate of Compliance on Completion certifies that a building is compliant with all relevant requirements of the Building Regulations.
In 2002, my Department commissioned an independent study on the use of timber frame housing in Irish conditions which, following public consultation, was published in December 2003. The study included recommendations which have since been implemented in relation to the development of standards and on-site quality assurance and compliance certification procedures, namely I.S. 440 and the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, which I have set out in detail above.
1702. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if an environmental impact assessment was required by his Department in the granting of the foreshore licence to a company (details supplied) for kelp harvesting in Bantry Bay; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36525/17]
View answer1704. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the monitoring programme attached to the foreshore licence granted to a company (details supplied) to harvest kelp in Bantry Bay will be carried out by the company; the reason he deems it appropriate for the monitoring to be carried out by a private for-profit company and not by an independent body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36528/17]
View answer1705. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the procedure for the granting of the foreshore licence to a company (details supplied) for kelp harvesting in Bantry Bay; if all statutory bodies, stakeholders and interested parties were informed of the application; the type of public consultation that was undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36541/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1702, 1704 and 1705 together.
The application referred to was assessed in line with procedures followed for other applications assessed at the time. In addition, standard public consultation procedures were also followed for this application. It 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 licence provides for a four year rotation of zones with a stand by zone only to be harvested if weather is adverse (99 hectares/240 acres). On average, some 175 hectares/432 acres will be subject to harvest annually, less than 1% of the area of the bay.
The rotational harvesting plan ensures that only a portion of the bay is harvested each year. To strengthen the sustainability of the harvesting plan for the licensed area within the bay, the harvesting is also subject to a strict monitoring programme, and requires approval of a baseline study prior to commencement of operations. All costs associated with the baseline study and costs associated with the monitoring programme were or will be fully borne by the licensee.
The monitoring programme includes comparisons between harvested and non-harvested areas in each zone for density and height of kelp together with quantitative measurements of flora and fauna prior to commencement of harvesting and in years 3 and 5 for 15 areas within each zone.
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.
1703. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason his Department stipulates that gross income be used to assess if persons can become local authority applicants (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36527/17]
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, which is available on my Department's website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad%2C29413%2Cen.pdf
The income threshold is the basic measure of whether a household is eligible for social housing support. The determination of whether an applicant meets the income criteria is based on a calculation of net income. Net income means that income tax, Universal Social Charge, Pension-Related Deductions within the meaning of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009, and PRSI are deducted from the relevant assessable gross income. The income of all persons aged 18 years and over included in a social housing application shall be assessed for the purposes of determining whether an applicant household meets the income requirements.
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, a review of the income eligibility limits for social housing supports is scheduled to commence later this year.
1706. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of second-hand houses bought by each local authority in each of the years 2011 to 2016, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36543/17]
View answerUnder my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is available to all local authorities to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects and through the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments for social housing use.
Details on the number of properties purchased and built by all local authorities for the period 2011 to 2016, for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Information on quarter four of 2016 is currently being finalised and will be published shortly.
1707. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of persons accommodated in hotels and bed and breakfasts by each local authority in each of the years 2011 to 2016 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36544/17]
View answerMy Department does not specifically collate data on the utilisation of hotel accommodation on a national basis. However, my Department does publish data on a monthly basis regarding the number of homeless families, including dependents, accommodated in all forms of emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. Official homeless reports are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). These reports capture details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation on a regional and county basis, arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities.
In the Dublin area, which accounts for some 85% of family homelessness, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) publishes data in relation to homelessness, including in relation to the numbers of families accommodated in commercial hotels. This information can be accessed on the DRHE website at the following link: http://www.homelessdublin.ie/homeless-families.
1708. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of children accommodated by each local authority in each of the years 2011 to 2016, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36545/17]
View answerIt is presumed that the Question is referring to children in emergency accommodation. The Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS) was implemented nationally in 2014 as a national information and management system for homeless services that are overseen by housing authorities. My Department collates PASS data from lead housing authorities on a monthly basis and these monthly homeless reports are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
Prior to the introduction of PASS, data on the number of homeless households, and the composition of those households, was not quantified nationally on an on-going basis. Consequently, the details requested in relation to 2011 to 2013 are not available in my Department.
1709. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of persons on the housing list in each local authority in each of the years 2011 to 2016 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36546/17]
View answerDetails on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are available from the results of the summaries of social housing assessments (formerly housing needs assessments) undertaken in 2011, 2013 and 2016. The most recent statutory summary of social housing assessments, carried out in 2016, details the number of households on all local authority waiting lists as at 21 September 2016.
The results are available on my Department’s website at the following link and include breakdowns by each local authority across a range of categories:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/summary_of_social_housing_assessments_2016.pdf
It is important to note that only the results of the 2013 and 2016 summaries are directly comparable with each other. These summaries were carried out using a standardised methodology as specified by the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011. Previous summaries were not carried out under the current standardised assessment regime for social housing support which came into effect on 1 April 2011.
In line with a commitment given in the Social Housing Strategy 2020 future summaries are now being carried out on an annual basis. Work is underway on the 2017 Summary and I expect the results to be available for publication later in the year.
1710. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the plans for the regeneration of St. Patrick’s Park, Rathangan, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36547/17]
View answerMy Department is providing funding support to Kildare County Council for the remediation works to St. Patrick’s Park, Rathangan. However, the advancement of the works is a matter for the Council itself. The works are being delivered in 3 phases, with Phase 1 partially complete, involving remedial works to 35 homes and a range of other improvements to the area. Phase 2 involves the demolition of 4 homes and construction of 6 new single storey homes, site development works and laneway upgrades, while Phase 3 will see the refurbishment of 19 homes, demolition of 22 others and construction of 10 two storey homes, along with associated site works.
While I understand that this is a complex project, I look forward to it being successfully advanced so that the improved conditions are delivered for the people of the area.
1711. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to audit all vacant commercial properties, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36552/17]
View answerAction 5.9 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness commits to reviewing planning legislation to allow the change of use of vacant commercial units in urban areas, including vacant or under-utilised areas over ground-floor premises, into residential units without having to go through the planning process. This proposal is also incorporated in Action 6 of the Action Plan for Rural Development, launched in January 2017. My Department is presently progressing the drafting of the necessary revisions to the planning regulations to give effect to this action. It is intended that the new regulations, which will require the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas, will be made as soon as possible in the Autumn. However, there is no proposal contained in either Action Plan for an audit of vacant commercial properties and I have no plans at present to undertake such an audit.
Further to the commitment in Rebuilding Ireland, I am currently considering a draft Vacant Homes Strategy as part of the targeted review of the Action Plan, and am engaging with key Departments and Agencies to consider the analysis from the Housing Agency-led Working Group and agree on the recommended actions, prior to publication in September.
I would like to see as much ambition as possible in bringing as many viable vacant properties back into use at an early stage. As part of the targeted review of Rebuilding Ireland, I intend to explore what further actions can be taken and what new ideas we can bring to bear, in close liaison with Ministerial colleagues. However, this will not delay the commencement of important work at local level in gathering more accurate and up-to-date information on where vacant properties are and who owns them, so that we can facilitate the re-use of many vacant properties, particularly in our cities and towns.
My Department is also working with Dublin City Council, in the context of the Living City Initiative, to explore the potential for further streamlining of the approach to re-developing and re-utilising vacant properties. Dublin City Council has examined approximately 11,000 rateable units in its functional area. From a visual analysis in a sample number of streets, the City Council has estimated that there may be approximately 4,000 vacant units above commercial premises that could potentially be converted into residential use in its functional area. This kind of detailed analysis will be crucial in determining the scale and scope for prioritising the targeting of vacant properties that could quickly be brought back into use.
1712. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the latest profiles in value and outruns forecasted in his Department for the end of December 2017 and any variances that may arise based on his Department’s performance against profile in gross voted expenditure at the end of June 2017. [36566/17]
View answer1719. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there will be an underspend in his Department's current or capital budget for 2017; if so, the subheads that are now below profile and those that may come in below profile at the end of the calendar year; if underspends in his Department will be available to the central Exchequer at year end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36745/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1712 and 1719 together.
To the end of June 2017, my Department had spent €662 million from its gross allocation of €1,779 million (capital and current) as set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2017 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in December 2016. This is some €20 million ahead of the published profile of expenditure for my Department over that period, which amounts to €642 million. On this basis, and on the basis of other programme management information, I do not at this stage expect any significant underspend on the Vote provision set out in the Revised Estimates. The position in relation to Vote expenditure generally, and any emerging variances in particular areas, will be kept under ongoing review as the financial year progresses.
1713. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to carry out a formal detailed review of the pyrite remediation scheme; his further plans to amend the scheme to permit the inclusion of homes with a level 1 category damage assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36583/17]
View answer1715. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for homes that are affected by pyrite but that have been left out of the remediation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36604/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1713 and 1715 together.
The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board, with support from the Housing Agency. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme, which is available on the Board’s website, www.pyriteboard.ie.
The scheme is applicable to dwellings, which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave, established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material - Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In this regard, it is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. Dwellings which do not have a Damage Condition Rating of 2 are not eligible to apply under the scheme. This ensures that, having regard to the available resources, the focus of the scheme is on dwellings which are most severely damaged by pyritic heave. I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion.
1714. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the detail of the members of the marine licence vetting committee, MLVC; the process used by the MLVC for the assessment of foreshore applications (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36589/17]
View answerFor all foreshore lease/licence applications, the application and supporting documentation together with all the submissions received from both the prescribed bodies and the public are considered in detail during the course of undertaking a technical evaluation of the application. Screening under Environmental Legislation, including the Birds and Habitats Directives (Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment Screening), will be formally carried out at this stage.
Only after these steps have been completed and the application fully assessed will a recommendation be made by the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC) or, where the application is of a class or nature that does not require the convening of the MLVC, a member of my Department's Water and Marine Advisory Unit (WMAU). Following the technical evaluation a completed report is provided by the MLVC or WMAU and is included as part of the submission for determination to the Minister with responsibility for the foreshore consenting process at the time.
Regarding the foreshore licence application for the Galway Bay Cable Project (FS 005751), as the nature and scale of the proposed works did not require the convening of the full MLVC, the Report for the application was completed by a member of my Department’s WMAU. A copy of the report can be viewed on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Foreshore/ApplicationsandDeterminations/MarineInstitute/Determination/FileDownLoad%2C41155%2Cen.pdf.
In the case of the foreshore lease application for the Atlantic Marine Energy Test site (FS005726), the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC) met on 13 September 2012 to discuss this application.
The MLVC Report and Addendum to the MLVC Report may be viewed on my Department’s website at:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/planning/foreshore/applications/sustainable-energy-authority-ireland-seai.
I will write to the Deputy shortly regarding details of the membership of the MLVC for the purposes of assessing the application concerned.
1716. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the annual yield for motor tax projected for 2018; the yield for the past five years; the way these moneys were allocated; his plans for allocation of these funds for 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36657/17]
View answerA projection of motor tax receipts for 2018 has not yet been made but will be evaluated as part of the estimates process, taking into account the emerging pattern for 2017. Similarly, 2018 allocations from the Local Government Fund, to which income from motor tax accrues, will be considered during the estimates process.
The audited Local Government Fund accounts, which detail all income and expenditure of the fund (including income from motor tax), are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/search/archived/archived/archived/current/type/publications?query=Local%20Government%20Fund%20Accounts. The accounts for 2016 are in the process of being finalised and will be published in due course.
The Estimate of Income and Expenditure of the Local Government Fund for 2016 and 2017 is available on page 174 of the Revised Estimates Volume published on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at the following link: http://www.per.gov.ie/en/rev/.
