Written Answers Nos. 279-282
279. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to make a State wide assessment of damage done to Traveller accommodation due to storm Ophelia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44514/17]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
In relation to any damage incurred by events such as storm Ophelia, it is a matter for each housing authority to assess any damage caused to Traveller-specific accommodation in their area. As part of the capital funding supports provided by my Department, funding of 50% is provided to housing authorities for the purchase of ‘Emergency Replacement Mobiles’. An emergency in this respect is an unanticipated event, such as storm damage, that would render a caravan/mobile uninhabitable or dangerous to live in. Any request from housing authorities for such funding will be urgently considered.
280. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if funding will be made available through the LIHAF from budget 2018 to progress the port access northern cross route project in Drogheda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44526/17]
View answerA LIHAF call for proposals was issued to all local authorities in August 2016. It was open to all local authorities to apply for funding towards the capital cost of public infrastructure, which, when provided, would secure the early delivery of additional housing at considerable scale and more affordable price points, with developments in excess of 500 units in the Dublin area, or in excess of 200 units in areas outside Dublin.
21 local authorities submitted a total of 74 proposals in October 2016. On 28 March 2017, I announced funding for 34 projects under LIHAF. The total cost of these projects is €226.5 million, of which €169.7 million is to be funded under LIHAF with local authorities funding the remaining €56.8 million. These public infrastructure projects will be key to the delivery of 23,000 housing units over the next four years, with a longer term projection of up to 70,000 units as the selected sites are fully built out.
Louth County Council submitted three projects for consideration under LIHAF. LIHAF funding was approved for an access road in Newtown, Drogheda in the amount of €1.22m and an access road in Mount Avenue, Dundalk in the amount of €3.3m. However, while the Port Access Northern Cross Route (PANCR) in Drogheda was one of a number of proposals that was assessed as meriting funding, it was not possible to include the project in the March 2017 approvals, within the overall level of funding available.
As part of Budget 2018, I announced an additional €50 million funding which will be available, from 2019 on, for a second call under LIHAF and which will again be subject to matching funding at 25% by local authorities. This will facilitate more infrastructure to unlock further sites and activate more housing supply. A further call for proposals under LIHAF is likely early in 2018 and it will be open to all local authorities, including Louth County Council, to submit new projects or resubmit previously unsuccessful projects, such as the Port Access Northern Cross Route project in Drogheda, for consideration at that time.
281. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the proposed housing developments in the Drogheda and environs area that his Department is in active discussions on; the number of social houses the developments hope to deliver; the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44527/17]
View answerRebuilding Ireland has put in place the funding resources to accelerate the delivery of social housing for all local authorities. Critically, €5.35 billion in exchequer investment has been secured to support its implementation and to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period to 2021. This level of national funding to implement Rebuilding Ireland's targets means that funding is available to all local authorities to advance their housing delivery. Within the overall 21,000 social housing solutions targeted for delivery this year, some 4,500 of these will be delivered through new builds/acquisitions/refurbishments and a significant proportion of these will involve new construction.
Louth County Council has an ambitious pipeline of construction projects in development to meet the social housing needs of Drogheda and the rest of the county. Details of these projects are available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-schemes-2017/.
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 of these projects is a matter in the first place for Louth County Council
Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as they are developed by Louth County Council and Approved Housing Bodies, updated details of which will be published on a regular basis. 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.
In addition, there are also a range of other social housing delivery methods that are being utilised alongside traditional construction, including harnessing vacant properties, purchasing suitable units from the market, and securing new properties under long-term lease agreements, the Rental Accommodation Scheme and the Housing Assistance Payment, all of which will be used to meet the 21,000 social housing solutions targeted for delivery this year.
Details on the number of social housing properties constructed, purchased and leased by local authorities and approved housing bodies, for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists, are published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
282. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to fund the replacement of Cessna 172H aircraft for the Air Corps which are over 45 years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44519/17]
View answerMy priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government as set out on the White Paper on Defence. Equipment priorities for the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps are being considered in the context of the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence as part of the capability development and equipment planning process.
In this context the principal aim over the period of the White Paper will be to replace and upgrade, as required, existing capabilities in order to retain a flexible response for a wide range of operational requirements both at home and overseas.
The White Paper on Defence provides that the Air Corps will see the Cessna fleet replaced with three larger aircraft suitably equipped for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance tasks. The tender competition for the procurement of the three new aircraft is underway and the cost will be determined by the outcome of the tender competition.
The Defence Capital envelope of €416m for the period 2018 – 2021 will enable further investment in major equipment platforms, including the replacement of the Cessna aircraft.
