Written Answers Nos. 533-549
533. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the recommendations of the Constituency Commission will be legislated for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40212/17]
View answerIn accordance with requirements under section 9 of the Electoral Act 1997 (as amended), the Constituency Commission Report 2017 was presented to the Chairman of the Dáil on 27 June 2017. The next step, in accordance with accepted practice, is for the preparation of a Bill in my Department to give statutory effect to the Commission’s recommendations. Ultimately, the final determination of the constituencies for Dáil Éireann will be a matter for the Oireachtas to prescribe in legislation. In this regard, the preparation of an Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Bill is included in the Autumn 2017 legislative programme.
534. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the plans implemented by his Department to help home owners affected by the mica issue; his plans to set up a redress scheme; if so, the timeframe for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40251/17]
View answerThe Expert Panel on concrete blocks was established by my Department in 2016, to investigate problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Counties Donegal and Mayo.
The panel had the following terms of reference:
(i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the Counties of Donegal and Mayo;
(ii) To carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected homeowners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings;
(iii) To outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and
(iv) To submit a report within six months.
On 13 June 2017, the report of the Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks was published and included eight recommendations, which my Department are now advancing.
My Department has already taken action to implement recommendations 1 and 2 as priorities.
With regard to Recommendation 1, the NSAI Technical Committee, established to scope and fast track the development of a standardised protocol, held its inaugural meeting on 11 September 2017 and has scheduled several further meetings for the coming weeks.
With regard to Recommendation 2, my Department has been in contact with Engineers Ireland in regard to the establishment of a register of competent engineers for homeowner/affected parties’ reference. Engineers Ireland provided assurance that they will collaborate with the Department, the NSAI and others on measures to establish such a register.
On 19 July 2017, I visited Donegal and met with key stakeholders, including affected homeowners, the elected members of Donegal County Council, local authority officials, and other interested parties on the issue of the publication of the Report of the Expert Group on Concrete Blocks.
On 27 July 2017, I visited Mayo and held similar meetings with key stakeholders, including affected homeowners, some elected members of Mayo County Council, and other interested parties on the issue of the publication of the Report of the Expert Group on Concrete Blocks.
In addition and in light of the information contained in the report, I am currently considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in the two counties.
535. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the body with which a person can lodge a complaint against a local authority that is acting in breach of planning permission on a building in its ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40439/17]
View answerIf any person considers that they have been adversely affected by a planning authority's action, or lack of action, which he or she considers was unlawful, unfair or unreasonable, or considers that he or she has received an inadequate service from the authority, it is open to him/her to make a complaint to the Ombudsman, provided that he or she has complained to the planning authority in the first instance. The Ombudsman's role in planning matters is confined to the examination of the administration of the planning process by planning authorities and to their enforcement of the planning laws in instances where planning breaches arise.
Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case, including an enforcement issue, with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned.
536. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding Irish Water's preferred model for the future delivery of water services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40490/17]
View answerSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The Water Services Strategic Plan - A Plan for the Future of Water Services (WSSP), which was published in October 2015, set out strategic objectives for the delivery of water services for 25 years up to 2040. The WSSP committed to the preparation of Business Plans by Irish Water to set out targets for delivery of efficiencies in operational and capital expenditure and performance targets consistent with the delivery of the objectives of the WSSP.
The Irish Water Business Plan - Transforming Water Services in Ireland to 2021 was published in late 2015. It set the priorities for the utility to 2021 and underpins the transformation plan for the water sector to a single utility model. The plan was considered by Government and was approved subject to budgetary and regulatory review. The Water Services Bill 2017 was published last week and it contains provisions for the establishment of a Water Advisory Body (WAB). The WAB is being established to advise on measures needed to improve the transparency and accountability of Irish Water. The body will report on a quarterly basis to an Oireachtas Committee on the performance of Irish Water on the implementation of its business plan.
The Confidence and Supply Arrangement in support of the minority Government has confirmed the retention of Irish Water as a single national utility in public ownership responsible for the delivery of water and waste water services.
Since 2013, working through Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the Local Authorities, Irish Water has made significant progress in establishing the utility capability, which has included investing over €2 billion in the system to date. Over the past year, significant design phase work has been undertaken on the development of a transformation plan, in line with the Business Plan objectives. Flowing from this, I have been informed by Ervia (which has responsibility for Irish Water), that they consider that the public water system will benefit significantly by greater integration of operations into the single utility. Consequently, the Ervia Board has agreed in principle not to renew the SLAs beyond 2025 when they are due to end, and to move to a full integrated public utility operations model. The Water Services Acts already provide the necessary protections for terms and conditions, and pensions of local authority staff working under the SLAs in such circumstances. It is the intention of Ervia to work with local authorities to manage this change within the life of the current Business Plan (i.e. by end of 2021).
A process of engagement with local authorities on the proposed next steps on the transformation plan has now commenced. The current SLAs remain in place until such time as an alternative is agreed.
537. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the reimbursement of water charges will come entirely out of 2017 expenditure; and if part of the reimbursement comes out of 2018 expenditure, the amount of same. [40512/17]
View answerIt is anticipated that funding to refund water charges will be provided by the Exchequer through Voted expenditure in 2017. The cost of issuing refunds to domestic customers in respect of domestic water charges paid is estimated to be approximately €179 million, including administration costs.
538. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the cost liability of public sector pay restoration, as provided for under the gradual unwinding of the FEMPI measures, with respect to local authority staff, for 2017 and 2018 for each local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40552/17]
View answerA provision of €20.3 million to assist local authorities in meeting the costs associated with the unwinding of the FEMPI legislation was made for 2017. The final outturn for 2017 is not yet known, either at a sectoral level or in respect of individual local authorities. My Department is in discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of the costs for 2018 in the context of the ongoing annual estimates process.
539. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the local authorities that have sold houses under the tenant purchase scheme; the number of houses sold by each local authority since the scheme was introduced; the number of applications received by each local authority that were refused; the reason for refusal in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40581/17]
View answerThe new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses 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. This includes data on sales and applications to purchase during the calendar year 2016. Following consultation with relevant Departments on implementation arrangements, I expect that definitive proposals will be submitted to me very shortly.
Relevant data for 2017 is not yet available. However, information on sale of local authority houses in previous years can be found 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.
540. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the report on the review of the tenant (incremental) purchase scheme will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40583/17]
View answer543. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the review of the new tenant purchase scheme has been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40639/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 540 and 543 together.
The new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses 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, have been in receipt of social housing support for at least one year and have been allocated a house under a local authority allocation 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.
541. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the requirement to have paid water charges will be removed from the tenant (incremental) purchase scheme criteria in view of the fact that water charges have been suspended and refunds will be issued to Irish Water customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40584/17]
View answerThe current position is that, pending any legislative change, arrears of water charges incurred by households remain to be discharged before the sale of a dwelling. Under Section 3(A)(9) of the Water Services Act 2014 (inserted by Section 48 of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2015) a person who is a tenant of a dwelling let to him under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014 and who proposes to purchase the dwelling shall before completion of the sale provide the local authority concerned with a certificate of discharge from Irish Water confirming that any charge under section 21 of the No. 2 Act 2013 in respect of the dwelling owed to Irish Water has been paid. The sale of the dwelling cannot proceed until a certificate of discharge in respect of the dwelling has been received from Irish Water.
In line with the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2016, domestic water charges are suspended from 1 July 2016 to the end of 2017. However, Irish Water domestic customers remain liable for any water charges (and late payment charges) in respect of the period prior to this suspension, i.e. from 1 January 2015 to the 30 June 2016.
Following approval by the Government, the Water Services Bill 2017 was published on 22 September 2017. The Bill reflects the recommendations of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. This report, published on 12 April 2017, was approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill provides for the discontinuance of domestic water charges for dwellings as set out in the Water Services Act 2014, including the repeal of section 3(A) of that Act. Pending the passage of the Bill, the current legislative framework remains in place and tenants who propose to purchase a property under the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme must provide a certificate of discharge from Irish Water confirming charges up to 30 June 2016 have been paid.
542. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the projects (details supplied) that Irish Water has contracted out; and the costs of each project. [40614/17]
View answerSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Projects undertaken by Irish Water are a matter for the utility and I have no function in the matter.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
544. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the progress of each of the 3,322 housing units that were approved for construction in 2015 and 2016 as listed in appendix 2 of his Department's housing action report of April 2016, by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40671/17]
View answerSince the publication in April 2016 of the Housing Action Report Laying the Foundations referred to in the question, the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, Rebuilding Ireland has further enhanced the funding resources to accelerate the delivery of social housing for all local authorities. Critically, €5.35 billion in Exchequer investment has been made available 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 all local authorities to advance their social housing construction programme, including projects detailed in appendix 2 of the April 2016 report. Substantial numbers of additional construction projects have been added to the social housing delivery programme since then and we are now publishing, on a quarterly basis, a comprehensive status report of all social housing construction schemes for all local authority areas. These reports show details such as the project locations and a range of information relating to their advancement, including those delivered and those progressing through planning, design and construction.
The most recent of these reports covers the period up to the end of Quarter 1 of 2017 and lists circa 600 approved social housing construction schemes, delivering over 10,000 units. The report can be accessed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/. Details in respect of Quarter 2 of 2017 will be published shortly.
These projects are funded under a range of different initiatives such as local authority construction, turnkey developments, rapid delivery, regeneration programmes and construction and turnkey developments by approved housing bodies. The precise timing for the advancement of each of these projects, including completion dates and tenanting, is a matter for the relevant local authorities and approved housing body concerned, in the first instance.
Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as they are developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing projects as speedily as possible and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.
545. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of recruits that joined all branches of the Defence Forces in each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and the numbers of those that are still serving in the Defence Forces. [40338/17]
View answerAs of 26 September, 2017, the information requested by the Deputy is set out in a table:
|
YEAR |
Enlisted Recruits |
Enlisted Recruits Still in Service |
|
2013 |
419 |
283 |
|
2014 |
461 |
303 |
|
2015 |
362 |
276 |
|
2016 |
589 |
422 |
|
2017 |
335 |
276 |
When assessing the number of personnel who are no longer in service, cognisance must be made of the fact that a significant number of recruits depart from the Defence Forces during the training phase.
The manpower requirement of the Defence Forces is monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with operational requirements. As there is significant turnover of personnel in the Permanent Defence Force targeted recruitment has been and is currently taking place so as to maintain the agreed strength levels. In 2017, the Defence Forces have been targeting an increase in the level of recruitment across the range of recruitment streams. The 2017 Cadet Competition was launched on 22 March 2017. A total of 99 Cadets were inducted on Monday, 25 September, 2017 (of which, just over 20% were female).
General Service recruitment campaigns for both the Army and Naval Service were launched earlier this year. The competitions have now progressed and general service recruitment has commenced from these campaigns. It is also planned to launch another general service recruitment campaign this week.
With the support of the Chief of Staff and within the resources available, the Government is committed to retaining the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government both at home and overseas.
546. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current waiting times to hear confirmation after the medical and interview section of the application to join the Army has been completed; and when a person (details supplied) can expect to hear if they have been successful or not. [40396/17]
View answerThere are a number of stages to the process for induction as a General Service Recruit to the Permanent Defence Force. It is not possible for the Defence Forces to provide certainty of the timeframe for this process, although every effort is made to reduce such timeframes. The Defence Forces has introduced initiatives to speed up the recruitment process.
Once individuals have been approved for recruitment they must then wait for a position on the next planned recruit platoon based on their expressed preferences at the time of application.
The individual named remains a live candidate on the system and it is anticipated that the Defence Forces Recruitment and Competitions Section will be in contact with him to update him on his application.
547. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will waive legal privilege and publish the Chemical Exposure Report 1994-2005 in the public interest and in the interest of transparency. [40484/17]
View answerThe report referenced by the Deputy was prepared in the context of ongoing legal proceedings. As the release of the report could adversely impact on those proceedings, I will not be releasing the report.
548. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he has acted on the information relayed to him by a whistleblower that specifically named the Defence Forces official who allegedly ordered the destruction of health and safety documents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40485/17]
View answerAs I have previously indicated to the House, this matter was raised with me in correspondence where certain allegations were made that the documents had been destroyed. The correspondence in question was also addressed to the Chief of Staff and to the Deputy. I requested a report from the Chief of Staff on the actions taken on foot of the accusation.
He has informed me that the officer named met with the General Officer Commanding the Air Corps. The officer concerned has refuted the allegations made and it should further be noted that documents referred to were not military documents, nor did they carry any military security classification.
549. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to undertake a comprehensive fire safety audit of all high-risk buildings, including Army barracks. [40605/17]
View answerI wish to assure the Deputy that the health and welfare of the men and women of the Defence Forces is a key priority for me and for the Military Authorities.
I have been advised by the Military Authorities that the Defence Forces has numerous measures in place aimed at reducing fire risk within Defence Forces installations. A requirement exists for every military installation to have a comprehensive set of fire orders as set down in Defence Forces Regulations.
Periodic fire audits are conducted, and will continue to be conducted, on buildings within Defence Forces Installations.
A formal Fire Safety Register has been in operation in the Defence Forces for all buildings/structures since 1999. The Fire Safety Registers are audited during inspections by Defence Forces Engineering Branch personnel undertaken on behalf of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Support.
In addition, all building works carried out on Defence Forces installations are required to conform to the Building Regulations (including Part B Fire Safety).
