Written Answers Nos. 632-650
632. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of the 910 Rental Accommodation Scheme contracts signed in 2017 that were renewed contracts and new contracts, respectively, for existing Rental Accommodation Scheme tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2968/18]
View answerMy Department provides funding to all local authorities to deliver additional social housing supports through a range of delivery options. Indicative outputs for 2017 were published on Monday, 15 January 2018 and are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/rebuilding-ireland/social-housing-delivery-2017-ministers-statement.
Quarterly information relating to the number of transfer from Rent Supplement to the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and related information is 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.
The estimated number of new transfers from Rent Supplement to RAS in 2017 is 910. Final delivery outputs are being validated and reconciled and will be published on my Department's website in the coming weeks. However, I can confirm that the indicative figure of 910 represents new transfers from Rent Supplement to RAS only and renewed contracts are not included in this figure.
633. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of the 17,916 HAP tenancies signed in 2017 that are still in existence and the number broken by landlords, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2969/18]
View answerHousing Assistance Payment (HAP) supported tenancies are agreed between the landlord and the tenant; the local authority is not a party to the tenancy and has no role in its agreement. There is no limitation placed by the scheme on the length of tenancy that can be supported by HAP. However, as with other private rental tenancies, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended) governs the relationship between landlord and tenant and the length of the tenancy is a matter that must be agreed between the landlord and tenant in that context. My Department does not hold information in relation to the length of individual tenancies.
An analysis of data to end 2017 is not yet available. However, data available at the end of Q3 2017 indicates that during the period Q1-Q3 2017 2,250 HAP tenancies had ceased. This includes tenant led exits; compliance exits; transfers to other forms of social housing and also landlord exits.
In cases where a HAP supported tenancy comes to an end, the tenant can find alternative accommodation and retain their eligibility for HAP support or the local authority may decide to offer another form of social housing support to the tenant in accordance with their scheme of letting priorities.
On 19 September 2017, I announced a number of improvements to the rental market as part of the rolling review of Rebuilding Ireland. One such change is that the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) will be given additional powers and resources to take on a regulatory responsibility in the rental sector over the next two years. Changes needed in legislation and in the Board’s financing arrangements will be addressed and a two-year change management plan will be implemented, on foot of which the RTB will become the sector’s regulator. It will be an offence to implement rent increases that contravene the law and the RTB will be given the powers to investigate and prosecute landlords who implement such increases. The onus will no longer be exclusively on the tenant.
634. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the details of all voids brought back into use in 2017; the length of time the homes were void by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2970/18]
View answerMy Department does not keep data on the length of time refurbished units of local authority accommodation are vacant. It is a matter for each local authority to determine priorities for inclusion in programmes, having regard to the terms governing the schemes involved. Details on the number of void units brought back into use in 2017 are set out in the following table.
Voids 2017:
|
Units Returned in 2017 |
Funding 2017 |
|
|
Carlow |
8 |
€91,750 |
|
Cavan |
31 |
€303,112 |
|
Clare |
47 |
€966,203 |
|
Cork City |
81 |
€1,485,357 |
|
Cork County |
48 |
€1,130,977 |
|
Donegal |
168 |
€1,866,898 |
|
Dublin City |
543 |
€8,520,549 |
|
Fingal |
121 |
€1,329,300 |
|
South Dublin |
87 |
€718,446 |
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown |
31 |
€283,531 |
|
Galway City |
11 |
€124,150 |
|
Galway County |
37 |
€401,159 |
|
Kerry |
90 |
€1,101,143 |
|
Kildare |
8 |
€205,960 |
|
Kilkenny |
16 |
€307,749 |
|
Laois |
4 |
€33,170 |
|
Leitrim |
0 |
€0 |
|
Limerick |
13 |
€215,520 |
|
Longford |
0 |
€0 |
|
Louth |
7 |
€83,518 |
|
Mayo |
22 |
€261,986 |
|
Meath |
52 |
€768,005 |
|
Monaghan |
38 |
€505,254 |
|
Offaly |
7 |
€107,792 |
|
Roscommon |
3 |
€44,324 |
|
Sligo |
40 |
€909,395 |
|
Tipperary |
107 |
€1,324,604 |
|
Waterford |
52 |
€574,309 |
|
Westmeath |
40 |
€329,113 |
|
Wexford |
34 |
€428,015 |
|
Wicklow |
11 |
€276,778 |
|
1,757 |
€24,698,067 |
635. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when applications will be invited from local authorities for the second tranche of LIHAF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2982/18]
View answerAs part of Budget 2018, I announced an additional €50 million funding which will be available for a second LIHAF call and which will again be subject to matching funding of 25% by local authorities. This capital funding will facilitate the provision of more public infrastructure to unlock further sites and activate more housing supply.
It is intended that a call for proposals under LIHAF will issue to local authorities later in Quarter 1 2018. It will be open to all local authorities to submit new projects or resubmit previous unsuccessful projects for consideration at that time. All proposals will then be assessed in line with the criteria and aims of LIHAF and it is expected that approved projects will be announced in Quarter 3 2018 and will commence in 2019.
636. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if Mullingar may be considered a rent pressure zone in the future; the criteria for a town to be designated a rent pressure zone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3019/18]
View answerThe Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 sets out the process through which Rent Pressure Zones can be designated. It provides 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 a Rent Pressure Zone, it must satisfy the following criteria set out in section 24A(4) of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as inserted by section 36 of the 2016 Act):
(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 Standardised Rent in the RTB’s Rent Index Report) in the last quarter (€1,056 per month in Q3 2017).
On 20 December 2017, the RTB published its Rent Index Report in relation to Quarter 3 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 Mullingar, County Westmeath are detailed in the following table:
|
Local Electoral Area |
Quarters > 7% |
Average 2017 Q3 (€) |
|
Mullingar - Kilbeggan Mullingar - Coole |
3 4 |
723.41 741.69 |
In both Local Electoral Areas in Mullingar, the average monthly is below the national standardised rent of €1,056 per month. Therefore, neither of the Local Electoral Areas in Mullingar meet the criteria for designation at this time.
The Housing Agency will 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.
637. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the options available to persons whose rent has increased by 68% in one year in a non-rent pressure zone; the role the Residential Tenancies Board can play in such disputes between a landlord and a tenant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3020/18]
View answerPart 3 of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2016 prescribes the procedures that landlords must adhere to in the setting and review of rents. Section 19 prohibits the setting of a rent above the market rent. Section 24 defines a market rent to mean:
‘the rent which a willing tenant not already in occupation would give and a willing landlord would take for the dwelling, in each case on the basis of vacant possession being given, and having regard to:
a. the other terms of the tenancy, and
b. the letting values of dwellings of a similar size, type and character to the dwelling and situated in a comparable area to that in which it is situated.’
Essentially, the amount of the rent payable is agreed between the landlord and tenant, cognisant of local rents for similar dwellings.
The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) publishes its Quarterly Report of the RTB Rent Index, which are based on the actual rents being paid for private rented properties and is compiled by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) from the RTB’s own register of tenancies. This extensive database is the largest in the country and is populated with information on actual/agreed rent, location, six categories of dwelling types, accommodation size and number of occupants and tenancy length. These Reports are available to view on the RTB website, www.rtb.ie, by tenants and landlords who wish to check the current market rents in their region.
Section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides that a review of rent may not take place more than once in any period of 12 months or in the first 12 months of the tenancy. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015, which was enacted on 4 December 2015, amends section 20 to provide that rent reviews can only take place every 24 months rather than every 12 months, unless there has been a substantial change in the nature of the accommodation that warrants a review. This measure will have effect for a period of 4 years, after which the duration between reviews will revert to 12 months. The review of rent will still be on the basis that the market rent cannot be exceeded. A rent review could give rise to a rent decrease/increase or to no rent change.
Tenants must be given 90 days’ notice of new rent and can make an application for dispute resolution to the RTB, if they have not been given the required notice, or if they feel the rent increase is in excess of the market rent. These provisions have effect notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in a lease or tenancy agreement.
Both Threshold, the national housing charity, and the RTB are available to provide detailed and practical assistance to tenants. Threshold operates the Tenancy Protection Service (TPS), a national service providing advice and support to households living in private rented accommodation who are experiencing tenancy problems, including where a tenancy is at risk of termination. The TPS seeks to protect existing tenancies, keeping people in their homes and preventing them from having to access homeless services. The TPS helpline is available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm on free-phone 1800 454 454. Further information is also available at www.threshold.ie.
In addition, the RTB has a central role in supporting the residential rental sector. It deals with disputes between landlords and tenants, including disputes about rent reviews. It also provides information about rent reviews and lawful rent increases. If there is a dispute about the amount of rent being proposed, either party can refer the dispute to the RTB. Evidence should be provided of rental rates for similar properties in the same area. Further information is available at www.rtb.ie/tenants and through the RTB helpline - Lo-call on 0818 30 30 37 (mobile operators might charge a premium rate to the Lo-call number) or 01 702 8100 - available from Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6.30pm.
638. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he is satisfied that local authority spending is monitored in a satisfactory manner, including spending on infrastructural projects; the role of the National Oversight and Audit Commission; his plans to increase scrutiny of such spending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3024/18]
View answerThe elected members of local authorities have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, including adopting the annual budget and authorising borrowing, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority. It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
There is a threefold approach to the audit of local authorities; the Local Government Audit Service (LGAS), which is an independent part of my Department, the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) and local authority audit committees.
The LGAS performs the independent, external audit of local government. Section 118(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 sets out the primary duties of the local government auditor as follows:
“In the course of the audit of accounts of the local authority or other body, the local government auditor shall carry out such audit tests as he or she considers appropriate in order to be satisfied as to:
(a) whether the annual financial statement is prepared in accordance with section 108 or with the accounting requirements otherwise applicable to the body concerned,
(b) whether the annual financial statement presents fairly the financial position of the authority or other body and of its income and expenditure for the period in question,
(c) whether the transactions of the audited body conform to the statutory or other authorisation under which they purport to have been carried out.”
Following the audit each auditor issues an audit opinion, an audit report and a management letter to the Chief Executive of the local authority. Included in the audit report is any matter which the auditor considers should be reported. The Chief Executive of a local authority is required to respond to this report and his/her comments are included, if of material significance, as part of the final report. This procedure has enhanced public scrutiny of local government, as management responses to address the issues raised at audit now form part of the published audit reports.
The local government auditors’ statutory reports issued to the elected members of the local authorities on the audits of the annual financial statements for 2016 are published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/search/archived/current/category/local-government-audit-service/type/publications?query=.
NOAC was established in July 2014 under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 to provide independent oversight of the local government sector. Its functions are wide ranging, involving the scrutiny of performance generally and financial performance specifically, supporting best practice, overseeing implementation of national local government policy and monitoring and evaluating implementation of corporate plans, adherence to service level agreements and public service reform by local government bodies. A Government Minister may also request that NOAC prepare a report relevant to its functions on any specified aspect of local government.
As well as the LGAS and NOAC, an audit committee is now place in each local authority, so as to enhance the financial management and audit control systems in local authorities. Membership of these committees includes both elected members and expert external membership. The functions of audit committees include reviewing financial and budgetary reporting practices and procedures within a local authority; reviewing auditors’ reports and special reports, and assessing follow-up action by management; assessing and promoting efficiency and value for money, reviewing risk management systems and making such recommendations to the authority as the committee considers appropriate in respect of such matters.
Given this threefold approach, I am satisfied that there is an appropriate audit framework in place for the local government sector.
639. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to amend the Water Services Act 2007 to allow environmental health officers in local authorities to intervene with householders when private sewage pipes attached to private houses are blocked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3037/18]
View answerWith effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for delivering public water services. Irish Water is also responsible for water services infrastructure including water supply pipes or drainage pipes extending from a waterworks or wastewater works to the curtilage of a private property.
Under sections 43 and 54 of the Water Services Act 2007, responsibility for maintenance and replacement of any water or wastewater pipes, connections or distribution systems that are located within the boundary of a private property rests with the owner. This was the position that pertained prior to the establishment of Irish Water, when individual local authorities held responsibility for public water services and infrastructure.
While the legal position is set out in the 2007 Act, my Department is engaging with Irish Water to set out clearly the responsibilities of both Irish Water and property owners in relation to water supply and wastewater infrastructure.
640. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the outstanding €1,104,708 which is owed to the Sligo County Council housing department for projects (details supplied) will be paid to the council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3041/18]
View answerMy Department is currently reviewing and assessing these claims, the majority of which were received in mid to late December 2017. A number of issues surrounding the claims, including the scope of works, required clarification. The claims are being assessed on foot of additional information provided by the local authority and payment will issue once all outstanding issues have been clarified.
642. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of water charges repayments due; the amount repaid to date, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3114/18]
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.
Provision was made in my Department’s Vote in 2017 as part of the Further Revised Estimates 2017, as approved by Dáil Éireann, for the costs of the refund process.
My Department issued total payments of €177,535,103 to Irish Water in 2017 to cover the costs involved in issuing a refund to over 990,000 domestic customers of Irish Water, who paid water charges in full or in part. This includes a provision of €5,869,630 in respect of administration costs.
I understand that as of 18 January 2018, Irish Water has produced and dispatched 939,581 cheques totalling €163,984,907 to Irish Water customers. This information is not currently available to me on a county by county basis.
Payments to date represent over 94% of customers expected to be refunded and over 95% of the total amount expected to be refunded. Irish Water is continuing to encourage customers who are still due a refund, whose details have changed and have not yet informed them, to make contact by calling 1850 448 448 as soon as possible so that they can process their refund.
In line with the Ministerial Direction issued on the Domestic Water Charges Refunds, I expect to receive a report at the end of January 2018 outlining the total payments issued and any outstanding payments due to exceptional circumstances and the approach to resolving these issues.
643. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the additional supports available through the rural water programme arising from recommendations of the joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3115/18]
View answerIn late 2017, my Department conducted a review of group water schemes' subsidies. The review involved discussions with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes, the representative body of the group water sector. Discussions concluded in December, when I approved the revised subsidy levels. The new subsidy arrangements, endorsed by a special delegate conference of the Federation on 13 December 2017, came into effect on 1 January 2018.
The changes implement the recommendation contained in the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services (JOCFFDWS), endorsed by both Houses of the Oireachtas in April 2017, that there be equity of treatment and equivalent financial support between households using public water services and those availing of private water services. The subsidy scheme is demand-led and available to all eligible group water schemes irrespective of county location.
The revised subsidy levels are as follows:
1) For the annual subsidy towards the operation and maintenance costs of group water schemes providing a supply of water for domestic purposes (knows as ‘Subsidy A’):
The maximum subsidy per house in private group water schemes has increased from €140 per household to €231. An increased maximum subsidy of €281 per household is available for small schemes of less than 100 houses that are willing, in the interests of providing in the long-term a more sustainable water supply to their members, to progress towards rationalisation or amalgamation with other schemes.
The maximum subsidy per house for public group water schemes has increased from €70 per household to €115. These are schemes that supply their members with water that is provided by Irish Water.
The portion of costs that can be recouped by group water schemes has also increased. Typically up to 60% of costs have been covered by the subsidy payments. This has increased to 85%. There are also changes and simplifications to how these costs are assessed.
2) For the additional subsidy that is paid towards the costs of group water schemes that have long-term Operation and Maintenance Contracts (for example, as part of a Design Build Operate project) for the delivery of water (known as ‘Subsidy B)’:
There has been an increase in the level of volumetric costs incurred by group water schemes operating under these contracts that is recoupable, from 60% to 85%. This will allow for a greater portion of costs to be included within the subsidy payment.
In addition to the above, my Department is currently finalising proposals to increase the level of grant support for users of private wells, details of which I will be announcing shortly.
Separate to the initial review of group water scheme subsidy levels and also in fulfilment of the JOCFFDWS recommendations, I will shortly be establishing a working group to conduct a wider review of investment needs and rural water services. The review will focus on issues such as governance, supervision and monitoring of the sector, and capital investment requirements. This group will engage widely with relevant stakeholders and will aim to complete its work by mid-2018.
Cognisance will be taken in this regard of any required measures to support the implementation of the finalised River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021, which I plan to finalise and publish early this year.
644. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to amend the criteria for private well grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3116/18]
View answerFunding is available under my Department's Rural Water Programme towards the provision or necessary improvement of private wells. Local authorities were informed of the grant scheme and the criteria to be met by way of Circular Letter L8/97 of April 1997. The terms and conditions of the scheme are set out in an Explanatory Memorandum which is available from the local authorities and on my Department's website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/rural-water-programme/private-wells.
These arrangements are currently under review in my Department and I will be announcing details of a revised grant scheme shortly.
645. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to review the tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3117/18]
View answer674. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the review of the new tenant purchase scheme will be finalised; the changes which are proposed as a result of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3468/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 645 and 674 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. 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 took place in 2017 and 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. I expect to be in a position to publish the outcome of the review shortly.
646. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of sales under the tenant purchase scheme since 2011, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3118/18]
View answerThe current 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 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
Any sales during the period 2011-2015 inclusive were made under the terms of predecessor schemes to the current Scheme, namely the 1995 Tenant Purchase Scheme or the 2011 Fixed Term Tenant Purchase Scheme for long-standing Tenants.
647. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 45 of 26 October 2017, if he will address the anomaly between housing targets and the targets outlined in the social housing report 2017 published on 15 January 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3119/18]
View answerThe information provided in response to Parliamentary Question Number 45 of 26 October 2017 included the figure of 3,200 as the target for 2017 delivery of social housing via build activity. As set out in Rebuilding Ireland, build activity includes local authority and AHB new build projects, properties constructed for social housing through Part V and refurbished properties/Voids.
In my recent report on Housing Delivery in 2017, the categorisation and format of which is consistent with the output report provided in 2016, the figure of 3,200 was broken down further. The target for local authority and AHB new build projects, plus properties constructed for social housing through Part V for 2017, was 2,434, with a total of 2,245 new homes built last year – or 92% of the target output achieved. The target for “voids” for 2017 was 766; however, 1,757 voids were in fact brought back in to the social housing stock.
Taken together, both of these categories make up the overall build target of 3,200 for 2017, consistent with the targets set out in Rebuilding Ireland. The actual number of new homes delivered through direct build and refurbishment of void homes in 2017 was 4,002.
648. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his views on the indication by the Central Statistics Office that it will reclassify approved housing bodies as being on-balance sheet; and the implications for public expenditure, the fiscal space and provision of funding for social housing arising from the decision. [2560/18]
View answerAs part of a review commissioned by Eurostat, the EU Statistical Office, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) were asked in October 2016 to review the classification of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for Government accounting purposes.
The classification was last reviewed in 2014, with a recommendation from the CSO to Eurostat at the time that these Bodies would remain outside of the General Government Sector. This recommendation was accepted by Eurostat, with a proviso that the decision could be reviewed at a future date.
In December, the CSO made a decision that 14 of the 16 largest AHBs examined (i.e. those with 300+ homes in their property portfolios) in the initial phase of the review should be re-classified as falling within the public sector, under the broad local government classification. This decision has been sent to Eurostat for their consideration and ultimate determination.
While a final decision has yet to be taken by Eurostat regarding the classification of AHB expenditure, detailed analysis of the potential impacts on the Government debt and expenditure will be completed by the relevant Departments and Agencies. To inform these considerations, the CSO is currently engaged in collecting the required data to compile the end-March 2018 Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP) notification tables (also known as the Maastricht returns), covering general government deficit and debt. At the same time, the Department of Finance is also preparing the Stability Programme Update 2018. This will take full account of the figures published by the CSO as part of the government finance statistics release.
My Department is examining the provisional assessment by the CSO in detail, including the rationale for their recommendation, in close collaboration with my colleague, Minister Donohoe’s Departments and the AHB sector itself, to assess the historic and future implications as well as identifying what measures can be taken to manage or mitigate the potential impacts on the capacity of the AHB sector in the supply and management of social housing.
Notwithstanding this assessment by the CSO, the Government still sees an important role for the voluntary housing sector in contributing to delivery of social housing under Rebuilding Ireland, and we intend to press ahead with our ambitious plans to use all mechanisms and schemes, including through the AHB sector, to ensure that we maintain our planned momentum towards meeting the 50,000 Rebuilding Ireland social housing target.
649. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the contracts his Department, or agencies under his remit, have with a company (details supplied); the status of these contracts; the contingency plans that may now be required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3149/18]
View answerMy Department has not awarded any contracts to the company in question.
Information in relation to contracts awarded by agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for each Agency.
Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is set out in the following table:
|
Agency |
Email address |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
Ervia, Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Housing Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Irish Water |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie. |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
Oireachtas@osi.ie |
|
Property Registration Authority |
reps@prai.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Valuation Office |
oireachtas.enquiries@valoff.ie |
650. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the progress made by local authority CEOs in designating vacant home officers in each of their authorities as per his instruction in August 2017; the number of officers that have been designated; the authorities in which they have been designated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3180/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
In August 2017, I requested all local authorities to designate vacant home officers to co-ordinate local actions to address vacancy in their functional areas and also to undertake local vacancy surveys in order to identify - through their Vacant Homes Action Plans - priority "vacancy hot-spot areas" and properties that can be quickly brought back into residential use.
It is a matter for local authority Chief Executives to make the organisational arrangements, including with regard to staffing, necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities and to assign staff to specific functional areas, having regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of the current staffing and budgetary constraints.
I am informed that 25 local authorities have to date designated vacant homes officers within their respective functional areas. Some of these have been designated from within existing staff resources, while some have been designated on an interim basis pending the recruitment of dedicated additional staff to the role. My Department will continue to engage on an ongoing basis with local authorities with a view to progressing measures to bring as many vacant and underutilised properties as possible back into residential use.
|
Planning Authority |
Vacant Homes Officer(s) in place |
|
Carlow County Council |
Yes |
|
Cavan County Council |
Yes |
|
Clare County Council |
Yes |
|
Cork City Council |
No |
|
Cork County Council |
Yes |
|
Donegal County Council |
Yes |
|
Dublin City Council |
Yes |
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council |
Yes |
|
Fingal County Council |
Yes |
|
Galway City Council |
No* |
|
Galway County Council |
No |
|
Kerry County Council |
Yes |
|
Kildare County Council |
Yes |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
Yes |
|
Laois County Council |
Yes |
|
Leitrim County Council |
Yes |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
Yes |
|
Longford County Council |
Yes |
|
Louth County Council |
No |
|
Mayo County Council |
Yes |
|
Meath County Council |
Yes |
|
Monaghan County Council |
No |
|
Offaly County Council |
Yes |
|
Roscommon County Council |
Yes |
|
Sligo County Council |
No |
|
South Dublin County Council |
Yes |
|
Tipperary County Council |
Yes |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
Yes |
|
Westmeath County Council |
Yes |
|
Wexford County Council |
Yes |
|
Wicklow County Council |
Yes |
*Galway City Council advised (in December 2017) that an Officer would be designated in January 2018. However confirmation of this designation is still awaited.
