Written Answers Nos. 1991-2010
1991. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when funds will be made available to local authorities for disabled persons' grants for local authority tenants in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37530/17]
View answerMy Department provides capital funding to Local Authorities with regard to Disabled Persons Grants on an annual basis. These grants allow Local Authorities to undertake adaptations and extensions to their existing social housing stock such as the installation of grab rails; stair lifts; showers; wet rooms; ramps etc.
An announcement will be made shortly in relation to the final DPG allocations for 2017. It should be noted that works can take place throughout the year to allow for the full utilisation of the annual funding allocation to each local authority and, to facilitate this and to ensure that there is no delay in respect of priority works under the programme, Local Authorities are allowed to undertake works up to a maximum value of 65% of their previous year's allocation in advance of notification of the full year's allocation.
1992. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will report on the fire safety report on timber dwellings commissioned by the previous Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly; when this report will be brought before Dáil Éireann; the reason it has taken over two years to publish this report; the report's main findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37547/17]
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;
- Include a case study based on the Millfield estate at Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
The independent fire safety expert has completed his review and two reports have been received by my Department from the Steering Group. These are a 'Framework for Enhancing Fire Safety in dwellings where concerns arise' and a 'Case Study'. It was necessary to obtain and consider legal advice in relation to the reports; based on the legal advice received, it was not possible to publish the Case Study; however, the Framework was published on 25 August 2017.
The Framework contains the following:
- an explanation of the statutory provisions in respect of fire safety, namely the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2014 and the Fire Services Acts 1981 & 2003, and the respective responsibilities of owners, designers, builders, occupants, local authorities;
- a range of actions that may reduce risk and improve the level of fire safety where deficiencies arise in dwelling houses, apartments and /or the common areas of apartment buildings; and
- a fire risk assessment methodology for professional advisors to prioritise the remedial actions, if any, that may need to be carried out on a dwelling.
The Framework is intended to be used as guide by the owners and occupants of dwellings where fire safety deficiencies have been identified, or are a cause for concern. In addition to owners and occupants, the Framework will also be of assistance to professional advisors both in developing strategies to improve fire safety and in developing strategies to enable the continued occupation in advance of undertaking the necessary works to ensure compliance with the relevant Building Regulations.
The applicability of the advice and guidance in the 'Framework for Enhancing Fire Safety in dwellings where concerns arise' is being considered by the recently formed Fire Safety Task Force in the context of its work on the appraisal of existing arrangements and systems for Fire Safety.
1993. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when families and children in domestic violence refuges and accommodation will be included in official homeless figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37548/17]
View answerThe Central Statistics Office (CSO) published a special report in August 2017, based on Census 2016, which provides a comprehensive enumeration of all categories of emergency accommodation, including domestic violence refuges. This report, which is available on the CSO’s website, www.cso.ie, identifies just over 300 adults and children as accommodated in refuges on Census night. From an academic or social research perspective this report establishes a baseline figure for persons accommodated in refuges.
As regards the monthly homeless reports published by my Department, these provide details of individuals, families and dependents utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. These reports serve as important management information for my Department, the housing authority sector and the various State funded non-governmental organisations involved in the delivery of homeless services. The data included in these reports is produced by housing authorities using the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), which is the single integrated national data information system on emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by housing authorities.
When PASS was being introduced in 2013, the domestic violence refuge sector declined to avail of its availability and usage within refuges and, consequently, it is not possible to include data in relation to refuges in my Department’s monthly reports. Responsibility in relation to domestic violence services rests with Tusla, under the aegis of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and while my Department would be happy to discuss and facilitate the roll-out of PASS to refuges, the collection and management of data in relation to refuges is a matter for that Agency in the first instance.
1994. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will report on investigations his officials are undertaking in the rental market here; the number of registered landlords in each county; the number of properties per landlord; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37549/17]
View answerMy Department does not hold or collate the data referred to by the Deputy in relation to the number of registered landlords in each county and the number of properties per landlord.
The Residential Tenancies Board, through its tenancy registration system, collects information on tenancies and landlords. The Clerk of Dáil Éireann has requested that arrangements be put in place to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies to members of the Oireachtas. Following the issue of Circular LG(P) 05/16 from my Department on 20 September 2016, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has set up a dedicated email address for this purpose at OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie.
1995. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will report on the fund for assisting persons with disabilities move out of congregated settings; the amount that has been allocated to this fund annually to date in 2017; the amount that has been drawn down from this fund; the amount that has been allocated to the service reform fund for the same purpose; the amount that has been drawn down from same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37555/17]
View answerRing-fenced funding of €10 million was made available in 2016 under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) to support the provision of accommodation for persons with disabilities transitioning from congregated settings. However, take-up was slow, with €2.1 million being approved that year towards accommodation in counties Donegal, Galway, Kildare and Offaly for 20 people who had moved out of congregated settings.
Given the slow take up in 2016, my Department is continuing to provide funding in 2017 and beyond to support accommodation for persons transitioning from congregated settings.
A “Call for Proposals” issued last month to local authorities requesting them to submit further CAS projects to advance the provision of accommodation for people with disabilities, with a particular emphasis on moving people with disability from a congregated setting into community based living. My Department will also be following up with the HSE to develop revised guidelines to support increased take-up of available CAS funding for this area of need, in the light of experience to date.
Under the Capital Assistance Scheme, funding of up to 100% is available to approved housing bodies towards the provision of accommodation for people with disabilities, the elderly and homeless. The scheme is administered by the local authorities and a provision of €66 million has been provided for the scheme in 2017.
In relation to the Service Reform Fund, this is dealt with by my colleague, the Minister for Health.
1996. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that local authority tenants who have saved or have access to the full purchase price of their local authority homes but who are in receipt of social welfare are excluded from the tenant purchase scheme; the reason for this rule; his plans to rectify this anomaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37563/17]
View answerThe 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. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support for at least 1 year.
The minimum reckonable income for eligibility under the Scheme is determined by the relevant housing authority in accordance with the detailed provisions of the Ministerial Direction issued under Sections 24(3) and (4) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. In the determination of the minimum reckonable income, housing authorities can include income from a number of different sources and classes, such as from employment, private pensions, maintenance payments and certain social welfare payments, including pensions, where the social welfare payment is secondary to employment income.
In order to ensure the sustainability of the scheme, it is essential that an applicant’s income is of a long-term and sustainable nature. This is necessary to ensure that the tenant purchasing the house is in a financial position, as the owner, to maintain and insure the property for the duration of the charged period, in compliance with the conditions of the order transferring the ownership of, and responsibility for, the house from the local authority to the tenant.
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.
1997. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to remove the local needs clause in County Louth; if adjustments will be made to the development plan for County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37564/17]
View answerFollowing engagement between the European Commission and my Department regarding the 2013 ECJ Court ruling in the Flemish Decree case, a working group comprising representatives from my Department and planning authorities was established to review and, where necessary, recommend changes to the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing with a view to ensuring that rural housing policies and objectives contained in county development plans comply with the relevant provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The group has met on three occasions to date.
On conclusion of the Working Group's deliberations, my Department will engage further with the European Commission on proposed changes to be made to the 2005 Guidelines, which I expect to be finalised later this year. The revised Guidelines will be issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, which requires planning authorities, and where appropriate An Bord Pleanála, to have regard to planning guidelines in the performance of their statutory functions under the Planning Acts.
Circular PL 2/2017, which issued in May 2017, advised planning authorities that the 2005 Guidelines remain in place, pending the conclusion of the review processes and that any amendments to rural housing policies in existing development plans should be deferred until advised otherwise by my Department. The Circular is available to view on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/search/archived/current/category/planning/sub-type/circular/type/publications?query=PL+2%2F2017&=Apply.
1998. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the Killarney fire station extension, County Kerry; and the timeframe for completion of same. [37570/17]
View answerIn February 2016, my Department announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme with an allocation of €40 million, based on the current annual €8 million allocation, to be used for the purchase of fire appliances and specialist equipment, building or upgrading of prioritised Fire Stations, an upgrade of the Communications and Mobilisation system and improvements to Training Centres.
An upgrade of Killarney fire station is provided for in the current five-year programme. Updated project documentation, including a capital appraisal and detailed cost plan, was received in my Department in March 2017, indicating a total project cost of €498,500. In April, my Department approved Kerry County Council to proceed to tender for the proposed works. A firm tender proposal is awaited from the Council, and on receipt of same my Department will progress this project to the next stages with the Council.
The projects in the capital programme are reassessed on an annual basis and priority may be adjusted to bring forward projects offering best value-for-money and to take account of the state of readiness of the projects.
1999. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to a report (details supplied), if he will consider changing the methodology used to calculate rent pressure zones and remove meeting the national average rent as part of the formula; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37573/17]
View answerThe Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 amended the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to provide that the Housing Agency, in consultation with housing authorities, may make a proposal to the Minister that an area should be considered as a Rent Pressure Zone. Following receipt of such a proposal, the Minister requests the Director of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to conduct an assessment of the area to establish whether or not it meets the criteria for designation and to report to the Minister on whether the area should be designated as a Rent Pressure Zone.
For an area to be designated as a Rent Pressure Zone, it must satisfy the following criteria set out in section 24A(4) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended by section 36 of the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016):
(i) The annual rate of rent inflation in the area must have been 7% or more in four of the last six quarters; and
(ii) The average rent for tenancies registered in the area with the RTB in the last quarter must be above the average national rent (the National Indicative Rent in the RTB’s Rent Index Report) in the last quarter.
The Act provides that, in confirming whether or not the criteria have been met, the information relating to the area concerned must be determined by the information used to compile the RTB Rent Index quarterly report. This information is based on actual rents of tenancies registered with the RTB as opposed to the Daft.ie figures which reflect asking rents for advertised properties.
On 15 June, the RTB published the Rent Index Report in relation to Quarter 1 2017, which includes a summary of the data used as the criteria for designating Rent Pressure Zones in relation to all Local Electoral Areas in the country. This allows all interested parties to see exactly where their area stands in relation to average rent levels and increases and possible designation. The data from the Rent Index Report relating to County Louth are detailed in the following table.
|
Local Electoral Area |
Quarters > 7% |
Average 2017 Q1 (€) |
|
Dundalk Carlingford |
6 |
728.49 |
|
Dundalk South |
4 |
926.81 |
|
Ardee |
5 |
793.81 |
|
Drogheda |
6 |
972.95 |
While in 4 of the last 6 quarters, rent inflation in Louth has been 7% or greater, the average monthly rent in these areas remains below the average national standardised rent of €987 per month. Therefore, the Local Electoral Areas in Louth do not meet the criteria for designation at this time.
I have no further role or discretion in proposing areas for designation as Rent Pressure Zones or in deciding whether they should be designated. The designation process is independent and based on clear objective criteria and quantifiable evidence. All areas that meet the criteria have now been designated but the Housing Agency continue to monitor the rental market and may recommend further areas for designation.
Where, following the procedures set out in the Act, it is found at a future date that additional areas meet the criteria, they will be designated as Rent Pressure Zones. I expect that the RTB Rent Index data for Quarter 2 of 2017 will be available later this month.
My Department is currently reviewing the Rent Predictability Measure. The provisions have been in place since December 2016 and it is now possible to ascertain their effectiveness and whether any changes need to be made to, for example, the qualifying criteria or the designation process. Where changes are recommended on foot of the review, they will be implemented as a matter of priority.
2000. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to change the repair and leasing scheme; and when the plans will come into affect. [37621/17]
View answerThe Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was piloted in Carlow and Waterford and has been rolled out nationally since 23 February last. Data gathered during 2017 will inform and guide the development of a national scheme up to 2021. My Department has been working intensively with local authorities and AHBs to develop and implement the scheme. There have been a number of national and local press advertising initiatives, as well as targeted online promotion in an effort to ensure that property owners who can benefit from the scheme are aware of the benefits. The scheme is one of a suite of measures available to local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use.
Based on the first full three months of activity of the scheme, at end June 2017, applications in respect of a total of 535 units have been received by local authorities. Of these, 102 units have been deemed suitable for social housing; a further 138 units have been assessed as unsuitable, and at that time 295 units were in the process of being assessed by local authorities.
To date, 8 Agreements to Lease have been signed - 3 in Carlow and 5 in Waterford. It is expected that the first units will be ready for tenanting in September. Feedback from local authorities indicates that in many cases, properties require extensive repair work and therefore are not suitable for the RLS, have been secured under my Department's Buy and Renew Scheme which facilitates local authorities or approved housing bodies to purchase vacant properties for social housing use.
As part of my ongoing review of Rebuilding Ireland, I am examining all opportunities to accelerate and improve both social housing delivery as well as initiatives to bring more vacant houses back in the use at a faster pace. I expect to conclude the review over the course of the coming weeks and new or revised initiatives will be announced as they are finalised.
2001. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to increase the number of fully accessible toilet facilities with adult changing facilities in public places as per an organisation's (details supplied) campaign; the cost to expand the number of such facilities across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37685/17]
View answerNew buildings and extensions or material alterations to existing buildings must comply with the legal minimum performance standards set out in the Building Regulations 1997 - 2017. In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access.
The requirements of Part M aim to ensure that regardless of age, size or disability:
- new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable;
- extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable;
- material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable;
- certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and
- new dwellings are visitable.
Part M of the Building Regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.
While the latest iteration of Part M of the Building Regulations initially coincided with the general downturn in economic and construction activity, its positive effects on access and use in the built environment will now be seen more widely as economic recovery takes hold and construction activity continues to gather momentum and moves onto a sustainable footing.
In relation to the Deputy's specific query and the details supplied, while there are no proposals to amend Part M at this point in time, the Building Regulations, including Part M requirements, are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure that due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological progress and innovation.
Costs are examined in the context of proposed legislative changes, particularly in relation to Building Regulations, and a cost benefit analysis and regulatory impact analysis is carried out on any proposed amendments.
2002. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the estimated cost of refunding all those who paid water charges over the past years. [37740/17]
View answerThe estimated cost, including administrative costs, of refunding all customers of Irish Water that paid domestic water charges totals some €179m.
2003. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of homeless persons in Cavan, Monaghan and Meath; the services available to persons who find themselves homeless in these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37741/17]
View answerWith regard to the number of homeless persons, official homeless reports are published on my Department's website on a monthly basis 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 arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities.
My 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 homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities. Accordingly the range of services available at the local level is primarily a matter for the relevant authorities.
2004. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount his Department invested in 2016 and to date in 2017 by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37742/17]
View answerMy Department has a wide and diverse business agenda, covering a broad range of functions, including local authority housing, voluntary housing, estate regeneration, energy efficiency retrofitting, housing grants, rural water schemes, foreshore regulation, fire services, Met Éireann, and the electoral and planning systems. In order to achieve its business objectives, the Department allocates significant resources to an extensive range of organisations, including local authorities, dedicated agencies and other bodies; some allocations, depending on the programmes concerned, are made on a national or other non-county basis.
In these circumstances, the information requested, which potentially relates to all expenditure programmes and county areas, is not readily available in my Department and its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work. If a question is tabled relating to a more specific issue concerning funding from my Department, I will endeavour to provide the information sought.
2005. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the way in which his Department has improved services for persons with disabilities in the area of Cavan, Monaghan and north Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37743/17]
View answerMy Department provides funding to local authorities for certain housing-related supports for persons with disabilities. This includes adaptations to both private and social housing, to support adaptations and extensions to meet the needs of people with a disability.
Funding is provided by my Department to local authorities to undertake adaptations and extensions to their own social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants with a disability. In addition, funding to assist people with a disability in private houses is managed by the local authorities through the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. This suite of grants includes the Housing Aid for Older People, the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability and the Mobility Aids Grant. The detailed administration of these grants, including the assessment, approval and prioritisation of grants to applicants under the various measures, is the responsibility of the local authorities. The funding allocated to each local authority in respect of these grants, including Cavan, Monaghan and Meath, is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
In addition, under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), funding of up to 100% is available to approved housing bodies (AHBs) towards the provision of accommodation for people with a disability, homeless people and elderly people who are social housing qualified. The scheme is administered by the local authorities and a provision of €66 million nationally has been made for it in 2017. Details of approved social housing construction projects in each county, including CAS projects, are set out on the Rebuilding Ireland website at: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/. AHBs can also purchase properties through CAS to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Opportunities to both build and acquire further properties under CAS for people with a disability, and other eligible people, continue to be available under Rebuilding Ireland, where they meet the housing priorities set out by the local authorities.
2007. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the legislation in place governing the development of properties which are under shared ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37818/17]
View answerUnder the powers contained in Section 2 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, a local authority may grant a Shared Ownership lease and administer the Shared Ownership loan scheme. The Shared Ownership Scheme was introduced in 1991 and was stood down in 2011. From 1991 to 2010, a total of 16,492 loans were issued under the scheme, of which 3,585 remained at the end of Q1 2017.
2008. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the steps he is taking to address the issue of communal infrastructure, such as septic tanks, in housing estates where in some cases there is a delay in the taking in charge of such estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37874/17]
View answerThe taking-in-charge of residential developments is the responsibility of local authorities. My Department launched the National Taking-in-Charge Initiative (NTICI) in April 2016 to support and accelerate overall national action on the taking-in-charge process, including estates with developer provided water services infrastructure.
The NTICI was intended to develop better knowledge and systems to support the taking-in-charge of further estates over time. In relation to wastewater infrastructure, enforcement of planning conditions relating to maintenance in progressing the taking-in-charge process is frequently part of a series of steps that require to be undertaken to ensure such infrastructure is in a sufficiently completed and properly functioning condition to facilitate the taking-in-charge process.
A report on the 2016 NTICI Programme is currently being finalised by my Department and I expect to be in a position to publish the report shortly. The report will include findings and recommendations on sustaining progress on the taking-in-charge issue, including in respect of the resolution of developer provided water services infrastructure in housing estates.
2009. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of applications received in each county to date in 2017 for the repair and leasing scheme since its inception; the number of successful applications in each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37877/17]
View answer2036. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of properties that have become available under the repair and leasing scheme for each local authority; the number of additional properties that will be made available by each local authority by the end of 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38214/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 2009 and 2036 together.
The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was piloted in Carlow and Waterford and has been rolled out nationally since 23 February last. Data gathered during 2017 will inform and guide the development of a national scheme up to 2021. My Department has been working intensively with local authorities and AHBs to develop and implement the scheme and individual targets have been set for local authorities for 2017. There have been a number of national and local press advertising initiatives, as well as targeted online promotion in effort to ensure that properties owners who can benefit from the scheme are aware of the benefits. The scheme is one of a suite of measures available to local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use.
Based on the first full three months of activity of the scheme, at end June 2017, applications in respect of a total of 535 units have been received by local authorities. Of these, 102 units have been deemed suitable for social housing; a further 138 units have been assessed as unsuitable and at that time, 295 units were in the process of being assessed by local authorities. The data requested is set out in the following table.
The process of finalising units is now underway and 8 Agreements to Lease have been signed to date - 3 in Carlow and 5 in Waterford. It is expected that the first units will be ready for tenanting later in September.
Feedback from local authorities indicates that in many cases properties requiring extensive repair work and therefore not suitable for the RLS, have been secured under the Buy and Renew Scheme which facilitates local authorities or approved housing bodies to purchase vacant properties for social housing use.
As part of my ongoing review of Rebuilding Ireland, I am examining all opportunities to accelerate and improve both social housing delivery as well as initiatives to bring more vacant houses back in the use at a faster pace. I am currently finalising the outcomes of that review.
|
LA |
Number of applications received |
Properties deemed SUITABLE |
Properties deemed UNSUITABLE |
|
Carlow |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
16 |
4 |
10 |
|
Clare |
4 |
0 |
1 |
|
Cork City |
7 |
5 |
2 |
|
Cork County |
44 |
19 |
8 |
|
DLR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Donegal |
29 |
0 |
6 |
|
Dublin City |
8 |
7 |
1 |
|
Fingal |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
Galway City |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Galway County |
44 |
6 |
22 |
|
Kerry |
85 |
0 |
21 |
|
Kildare |
6 |
5 |
1 |
|
Kilkenny |
12 |
7 |
5 |
|
Laois |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Leitrim |
3 |
0 |
1 |
|
Limerick |
32 |
15 |
3 |
|
Longford |
12 |
0 |
4 |
|
Louth |
12 |
0 |
0 |
|
Mayo |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Meath |
6 |
0 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
6 |
1 |
5 |
|
Offaly |
5 |
5 |
0 |
|
Roscommon |
30 |
2 |
17 |
|
Sligo |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
SDCC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Tipperary |
26 |
19 |
4 |
|
Waterford |
93 |
0 |
13 |
|
Westmeath |
16 |
0 |
2 |
|
Wexford |
7 |
4 |
3 |
|
Wicklow |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
535 |
102 |
138 |
2010. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will report on the implementation of the programme for Government commitments in respect of local government reform, in particular the promised report to Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas by mid-2017 on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability; if he will further report on the possible devolution of new powers to local authorities and the establishment of town and borough councils. [37892/17]
View answerThe Programme for a Partnership Government sets out a number of requirements in relation to local government reform. This involves the submission of a report to Government and the Oireachtas on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability, and to ensure that local government funding, structures and responsibilities strengthen local democracy. The Programme also references some specific issues to be considered such as the concept of directly elected mayors in cities, devolution of new powers to local authorities, reducing the size of local electoral areas, and town council status.
Work on the report is at an advanced stage, and I hope to be in a position to have it available for consideration by Government in the coming weeks.
