Written Answers Nos. 1782-1803
1782. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if 100% funding will be provided to group water schemes for upgrade works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1418/18]
View answerMy Department's new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016 - 2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department.
Under the new programme there are five different funding measures available for group water schemes as follows:
- Measure 1 - Environmental and public health compliance (group water sector): This measure is aimed at improving water quality in existing group water schemes so that they can achieve compliance with the quality parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations 2014. Under this measure schemes are funded at the rate of 100% in the case of water quality works and at the rate of 85% for other necessary works subject to a maximum of €7,650 per house (based on a cost limit per house for the scheme of €9,000)
- Measure 2 - Enhancement of existing schemes (group water sector): This measure supports projects to make existing group water schemes more efficient in their operation (for example, water conservation, network upgrades and source protection). Under this measure schemes are funded at the rate of 85% subject to a maximum of €7,650 per house (based on a cost limit per house for the scheme of €9,000).
- Measure 3 - Rural development (group water sector): This measure supports social and economic development in rural towns and villages and their hinterlands by providing new group water schemes where public water supply schemes or private wells are not an option. Under this measure schemes are funded at the rate of 85% subject to a maximum of €7,650 per house (based on a cost limit per house for the scheme of €9,000).
- Measure 4 - Transition of group schemes to Public Water Sector (Irish Water): This measure enables group water schemes, where they wish to do so, to be taken in charge with the agreement of Irish Water. Under this measure funding is available at the rate of 100%.
- Measure 5 - Innovation and Research: This measure is aimed at issues in the rural water sector which, given the major transition of water services in Ireland, require new and innovative approaches. Under this measure projects are funded at the rate of 100%.
Infrastructural improvements to rural water services are essential, which is why the Government funds their improvements through the Rural Water Programme. In 2018, the Government has allocated €20 million for the programme, an increase of 12.4% on the 2017 allocation.
Serious challenges remain in relation to rural water services including in the areas of water quality and future management of group water schemes. In this context, my Department will shortly initiate a short, focused review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services, including the overall approach to funding group water schemes.
1783. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to provide funding to smaller villages and towns for community sewerage schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1419/18]
View answerMy Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the Water Services Transition Office, Irish Water, the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department. The programme provides for the funding of demonstration Group Sewerage Schemes, through Measure 4(d), where clustering of households on individual septic tanks is not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective.
Local authorities were invited in January 2016 to submit bids under the programme. The invitation envisaged no more than two demonstration group sewerage projects being brought forward under the measure in any one year of the three year programme. The demonstrations will allow my Department, over the course of the programme, to determine the appropriate enduring funding levels and relationship with the current grant scheme.
As new demonstration group sewerage schemes have been identified for the duration of the programme, and as only two demonstration projects can be advanced in any given year, my Department does not propose to modify the current programme at this point.
I am conscious of the challenges which remain in relation to rural water services. Consequently I announced last December that my Department will initiate a short, focused review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services. This review will feed into the consideration of the multi-annual programme from 2019 and any new measures will be reflected in the finalised River Basin Management Plan to be published early this year.
1785. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the position of Galway county manager will be advertised to become permanent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1421/18]
View answerFollowing the retirement of the most recent permanent Chief Executive of Galway County Council, in line with section 145(6) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, the then Minister with responsibility for local government appointed a Temporary Chief Executive to the post. This temporary appointment commenced on 05 July 2014. A permanent appointment has not yet been made.
The position of Chief Executive of Galway County Council will be considered in the context of a report that will be brought to Government in the coming weeks pursuant to the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment on potential measures to boost local government leadership, accountability and ensure that local government structures strengthen local democracy. This will take account also of the recommendations of the committee established to examine local government arrangements in Galway.
1786. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the final national planning framework document will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1422/18]
View answerThe National Planning Framework (NPF), titled 'Ireland 2040 - Our Plan', is intended to set a new long-term strategic planning and investment context for Ireland over the next 20 years. It will outline a high-level, national vision for Ireland for 2040, and will provide the framework and principles to manage future population and economic growth over the next 20 years (catering for 1 million extra people, 600,000 extra jobs and 500,000 extra homes).
My Department is working to finalise the NPF document, having processed over 1,000 submissions made as part of the final public consultation process, which ended on 10 November.
Taking on board these submissions, the Government intends to publish the NPF in tandem with the Capital Investment Plan in the coming weeks as an integrated strategic planning and capital investment framework.
1787. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his Department is liaising with TII on the national planning framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1423/18]
View answerAs part of the National Planning Framework (NPF) consultation process, my Department has engaged in various consultative fora including a Cross-Department Steering Group. Colleagues at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport have contributed significantly in the drafting of the NPF document by actively engaging in the work of this Group. The views of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) were represented as part of this engagement.
In addition, TII made submissions during both the pre-draft and draft public consultation phases which were considered by my Department in the formulation of the NPF document.
1788. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when proposals will be brought forward to try speed up major infrastructure projects (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1424/18]
View answerI intend to amend the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in order to classify data centres above a specified threshold as strategic infrastructure developments. This change will mean that applications for planning permission for specified data centres will be made direct to An Bord Pleanála and will not have to be submitted to the relevant local planning authority in the first instance, with the possibility of a subsequent appeal to the Board, thereby streamlining the planning decision-making process in respect of qualifying data centres.
I propose to table the necessary legislative amendments by way of Seanad Committee Stage amendments to the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 which is currently at Dáil Report Stage.
1789. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that €15.5 million was collected in property tax in County Galway and it is one of the most underfunded rural parts of Ireland; his plans to leave a bigger percentage of that tax to councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1425/18]
View answer1791. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when proper funding will be provided through the equalisation fund to councils in order that they can fill jobs in different departments of the councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1429/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1789 and 1791 together.
The funding system for local authorities is a complex one, as authorities derive their income from a variety of sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services, Local Property Tax (LPT) as well as funding from Government Departments and other bodies.
Local retention of LPT began in 2015 and is now established as an important source of funding for the local government sector, thereby reducing reliance on central funding. The Government decided that 80% of the estimated LPT liability in each local authority area for a given year is retained in that area to fund public services, notwithstanding any local variation decisions. The remaining 20% of LPT is re-distributed to provide equalisation funding to those local authorities that have lower property tax bases, due to the variance in property values and density across the State. This reflects the fact that local authorities vary significantly from one another in terms of size, population, public service demands, infrastructure and income sources.
In accordance with decisions taken by Government regarding the distribution of LPT, every local authority has a minimum level of funding available to it, known as the baseline. There are variances across the country in terms of LPT levels but it is important that all local authorities receive at least this baseline level of funding to ensure they can deliver services. Equalisation is the process that ensures that every local authority’s LPT allocation is brought up to this baseline and there is a finite level of funding available for this purpose. For 2018, the overall equalisation requirement is €139m. €97m of this is from the 20% contribution from all local authorities, with the Exchequer providing the remaining €42m.
The role of local authorities in deciding the annual local adjustment factor is an important part of LPT funding and a key connection between revenue raising and expenditure decisions at local level. Every local authority must decide whether or not to increase or decrease LPT rates by up to 15% each year. Galway County Council varied the basic rate of LPT upwards by 10% for 2017. Accordingly, the total 2017 LPT allocation paid to Galway County Council in 2017 was €15.97m, which includes the extra €1.45m raised by the 10% increase. For 2018, no variation has been applied by Galway County Council, meaning it will receive an LPT allocation of €14.52m.
I am satisfied that the current overall funding model enables local authorities to support an appropriate level of service provision across the State.
1790. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if funding will be provided to all persons who have septic tanks for upgrade if required (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1426/18]
View answerThe Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, brought into operation a grant scheme to assist with the cost of remediation of septic tanks and domestic waste water treatment systems which are deemed, following inspection under the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Inspection Plan, to require repair or upgrading.
The Regulations provide that, subject to the applicant meeting all qualification criteria, a local authority may pay a grant to a person who is required, following an inspection, to undertake repairs or upgrades to, or replacement of, a septic tank or other domestic waste water treatment system. Applications for grant aid are administered by the local authorities in whose functional area the particular domestic waste water treatment system requiring remediation is situated. The local authorities then seek recoupment of the amounts paid from my Department. Full details of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, are set out in the explanatory leaflet and application form published on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-quality/domestic-waste-water-systemsseptic-tanks/domestic-waste-water-treatment-0.
My Department keeps the operation of this scheme under review, particularly in terms of the impacts of the scheme on tackling diffuse pollution which is a pressure in many water catchments as identified in the draft River Basin Management Plan. To this end, the grant scheme, as currently outlined, ensures that the limited financial resources available are targeted towards householders, particularly those on lower incomes, who incur expenditure directly as a result of the implementation of the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012.
However, my Department intends to initiate a review of this scheme to assess whether it can better support the programmes of measures in the finalised River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021 which I intend to publish by end-March 2018. It is intended to examine, in particular, whether the scheme can be modified to provide particular support to high status waters.
Householders who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the grant under the aforementioned Regulations and who wish to remediate or upgrade their on-site treatment systems may qualify for relief under the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) Scheme introduced pursuant to Section 5 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2013. The HRI Scheme covers main residence repairs, renovations and improvements, including the repair or replacement of septic tanks. The Scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners and full details are published on the Revenue Commissioner’s website at www.revenue.ie.
1792. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his views on establishing a new section that is not involved with his Department or councils that would take over the build and delivery of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1430/18]
View answerThe statutory responsibility for the delivery of social housing and the ongoing maintenance of the social housing stock is a matter for the local authority sector. I have no plans to change this at this time, given the fact that the sector is now successfully delivering social housing in support of the targets set down under Rebuilding Ireland. Evidence of this fact can be seen from the 2017 Social Housing Provisional Output Figures, which my Department published yesterday and which can be accessed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/2017-social-housing-output-figures-published/.
Following my recent review of Rebuilding Ireland, I announced that Minister of State Damien English will lead a new delivery team in my Department working with local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) on social housing delivery. I am confident that this will further add to the impetus already in place for the delivery of much needed social housing homes, across the country, by local authorities and AHBs.
1793. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the funding his Department will be providing to Irish Water in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1431/18]
View answerThe report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services was published in April 2017 and approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Government approved in September 2017 the recommendations of the Report of the Working Group on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, which, consistent with the recommendations of report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee, primarily involve, inter alia, all State funding to Irish Water in respect of domestic water services, as determined through the regulatory process, being channelled in future through my Department's Vote. The future funding of Irish Water in respect of domestic water services will therefore be from general taxation, in the form of a payment for domestic water services, based on the purchase of water covering the entirety of domestic water consumption, other than excessive use, and a contribution to replace the financing of the domestic component of capital investment previously funded by debt and a capital contribution from Central Funds.
A funding provision of €1.1 billion is provided through my Department’s Vote in 2018 as part of the recently published Revised Estimates to meet the cost of domestic water services by Irish Water in 2018, of which €500m relates to capital investment, the latter representing the major component of the overall planned capital investment of over €600m in cash terms by Irish Water in 2018.
1794. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of houses that were sold under the tenant purchase scheme in place at present under social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1432/18]
View answer1795. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of persons, by council, who have purchased houses under the tenant purchase scheme of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1433/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1794 and 1795 together.
The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. 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 one year.
Local authorities are by law (Section 63(1) of the Local Government Act 2001) independent in the performance of their functions. The operation of the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is a matter for the local authority concerned, in line with legislation, including the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015.
Relevant data for house sales made under the current Scheme since its introduction in 2016 is not yet available. However, information on the 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.
1796. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason there is a €15,000 income stipulation from employment in the tenant purchase scheme for social housing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1434/18]
View answerThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016 and a review of the Scheme will be published shortly. The current 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 one 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 2014 Act. 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 determining reckonable income, the income of all tenants of the house, including adult children that are joint tenants is included, as is the income of the spouse, civil partner or other partner/co-habitant of a tenant who lives in the house with them, thus ensuring the appropriate level of discount is applied to the purchase price.
It was for reasons of ensuring the sustainability of the scheme, that the minimum income was introduced. This was in order to demonstrate an applicant had an income of a long-term and sustainable nature, 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.
The operation of the first year of the scheme has been the subject of a review and I expect to publish the outcome of that review shortly.
1798. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of houses in housing agencies' ownership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1436/18]
View answerI am assuming the Question is referring to the number of houses in the ownership of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). While my Department does not record details of the number of houses owned by each AHB, details relating to the number of accommodation units they have delivered using funding provided under my Department's Capital Assistance Scheme, Capital Advance Leasing Facility and the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme, 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.
1799. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of vacant social housing units as of 31 December 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1437/18]
View answer1801. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of vacant social housing units by county as of 31 December 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1439/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1799 and 1801 together.
Statistics in relation to social housing stock are collated by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their annual reports on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These statistics are set out by local authority and include the percentage of such dwellings that were vacant at the end of the year, with the last year for which the statistics are available being 2015. This report is available at the following link: http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2015-PI-Report.pdf.
1800. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of private housing units and hotel beds being paid for by his Department under different schemes as of 31 December 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1438/18]
View answerMy Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
The specific data sought in the Question, regarding the number of private housing units and hotel beds, is not available in my Department and is a matter for the relevant housing authorities. My Department monitors the number of homeless individuals being accommodated by housing authorities on an emergency basis and these 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.
1802. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of funding his Department provides to environmental organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1440/18]
View answer1803. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the breakdown of funding given to the environmental lobby, by group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1441/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1802 and 1803 together.
My Department is carrying out a search of its records. Details of any funding provided to environmental non-governmental organisations will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
