Written Answers Nos. 508-522
508. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) can be considered for an early retirement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38759/18]
View answerHR Division of my Department has informed me that the process for dealing with applications for Ill Health Retirement from the Civil Service is as set out in DPER Circular 22/07.
The Chief Medical Officer for the Civil Service provides advice as to whether in his opinion a civil servant is incapable on medical grounds of regular and effective service due to a current on going medical condition that is likely to be permanent.
The final decision on whether or not a civil servant is granted ill health retirement lies with the relevant appropriate authority having received the advice of the Chief Medical Officer.
509. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will report on the extension of the hours of a service (details supplied) to evenings and weekends; the number of additional hours provided for both evenings and weekends to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38868/18]
View answer510. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the additional resources provided in 2018 for a charity (details supplied); and the increase in the number of trained sign language and deaf interpreters resulting from such additional resources. [38869/18]
View answer511. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will report on the provision of a quality assurance and registration scheme for sign language and deaf interpreters. [38870/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 509 to 511, inclusive, together.
The Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS), which is funded and supported by the Citizens Information Board, (CIB) is the national service for the development, promotion and delivery of sign language interpreting services to the Deaf community in Ireland.
CIB has allocated a budget of €676,000 to SLIS for 2018. This includes over €300,000 in additional funds to expand its activities in order to deliver on the commitments set out in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017 – 2021.
To date, four additional permanent part-time interpreters and a part time Administrator have been recruited to work, which has allowed for the extension of service hours. Its hours of operation were extended to evenings and weekends on a phased basis from 1 March, 2018 to 1 September, 2018. As of beginning September, the opening hours of the IRIS service have been extended by 18 hours per week. The additional hours are as follows
9.00 to 9.30 (Mon to Friday)
13.00 to 14.00 (Mon to Friday)
17.00 to 18.30 (Mon to Friday)
10.00 to 13.00 (Saturday)
A further extension of hours is planned for 2019.
SLIS is currently recruiting a Quality Development Officer to develop a quality assurance and registration scheme for interpreters. It is expected that this post will be in place by November. The Quality Development Officer will work with SLIS' key stakeholders to research, develop and deliver a national registration scheme for sign language interpreters. S/he will also develop continuous professional development and training to support the provision of a high quality sign language interpreting service.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
512. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her estimate as to the cost of an auto enrolment scheme in each of the years 2022 to 2028 to cover both administration costs and the cost of the State of paying €1 for each €3 paid into a pension scheme by a member; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38890/18]
View answerPensions reform is a Government priority and the plans to achieve this are set out in the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023, which was published last February. Among the key commitments contained in this plan is to develop, by 2022, a new ‘Automatic Enrolment’ (AE) supplementary retirement savings system for employees without pensions coverage.
AE will see a transition from the current and purely voluntary supplementary pension system to one which will, subject to certain parameters, automatically enrol employees into a quality assured retirement savings system. This reform, where the saver will maintain the freedom of choice to opt-out, will encourage long term saving and asset accumulation amongst those who may otherwise suffer a reduction in living standards at retirement. It will increase the wellbeing, financial security and independence of future retirees.
Last month, the Government published a ‘Strawman’ proposal for an AE supplementary retirement savings system and commenced a public consultation process on the design and operational structure of the AE system. The ‘Strawman’ proposal is a high level draft proposal designed to prompt and generate discussion and improve ideas. It should not, in any way, be construed as Government’s confirmation of what form AE will ultimately take.
The goal of publishing the ‘Strawman’ is to help interested parties conceptualise plausible approaches to AE and to facilitate a focused policy debate around key design issues, such as administrative arrangements and organisational approach, target membership, minimum contribution rates and State financial incentives.
The feedback received during the consultation process will be used to inform future Government decisions and assist in determining a preferred operational structure and design parameters for AE. To this end, as the 'Roadmap for Pensions Reform' makes clear, further detailed evidence building is required to identify the potential costs attached to any options considered. Accordingly, it is not possible at this juncture to estimate such costs. These costs should become more apparent once this work is complete and preferred options are being fully advanced.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
513. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason for the delay in the filling of job vacancies (details supplied) for a service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38276/18]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible.
My Department has approved Kerry County Council's Library Service Workforce Plan.
The delegated sanction conveyed by my Department to the County Council covers posts that become vacant within the agreed workforce plan numbers, including mobile library drivers.
514. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when he plans to invite proposals for the next round of the national taking in charge scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38278/18]
View answerMy Department launched the National Taking-in-Charge Initiative (NTICI) in April 2016 to trial new approaches and working methods in supporting and accelerating overall national and local action on the taking-in-charge process of housing estates, including estates with developer-provided water services infrastructure (DPI). Under the terms of the NTICI, which was underpinned by €10 million in funding, developments subject to valid taking-in-charge applications were eligible for inclusion in the associated call for funding proposals. Ultimately, €7.5 million of the allocated funding was paid to local authorities in respect of 330 developments, containing some 13,400 homes.
Findings and recommendations from the NTICI process will be included in a report on the initiative that I intend to publish shortly. The publication of the NTICI report will be of value to local authorities and other stakeholders in applying the lessons from the pilot authorities, in a more general roll-out of a streamlined approach to taking-in-charge, including through coordination with capital works by Irish Water.
In addition, the National Development Plan includes provision of €31 million for the period 2018-2021 for DPI, demonstrating the Government's commitment to transition from the pilot phase under NTICI to a programme phase.
My Department intends to write to local authorities to advise them of the future funding arrangements for DPI-type housing estates that are not taken in charge, following publication of the review report on the 2016 NTICI.
515. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the way in which housing waiting lists are to be met in the context of the Land Development Agency operating a 10% ceiling on public owned building land to be used for social housing purposes; his views on whether the waiting list figures indicate a housing boom would be required to meet the demand; if local authorities will be required to acquire building land via the land development agency for the purpose of meeting social housing needs; if acquisitions and rezoning will take place independently of the Land Development Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38319/18]
View answerThe new Land Development Agency, which was established earlier this month, will act as a national centre of expertise, working with and supporting local authorities, public bodies and other interests, to harness public lands as catalysts to stimulate regeneration and wider investment and to achieve compact, sustainable growth, with a particular emphasis on complex regeneration projects, including the provision of social and affordable housing.
To support the work of the LDA, the Government has agreed that in addition to the statutory requirement that 10% of lands being developed for housing purposes be reserved for social housing under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), there will also be a new requirement requiring that 30% of public lands are reserved for affordable housing purposes, thereby ensuring more housing supply at affordable prices and rents that will progressively ease the demands being placed on our social housing delivery process. Additional social housing supply that becomes available through the activities of the LDA will be subject to the existing social housing allocation systems currently operated by local authorities.
It should be noted that Part V is just one of a range of mechanisms through which a significantly increased level of social housing is being delivered. Overall, over the course of 2016/17, Rebuilding Ireland has supported the delivery of over 12,700 built, bought or long-term leased social housing homes, in addition to a further 32,000 flexible housing solutions delivered under the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Schemes. In total, almost 45,000 individuals and families have had their housing needs met over a 2-year period.
The scale of this delivery has been such that housing waiting lists are falling markedly. Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority are provided in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA), which has been carried out on an annual basis since 2016. Although the full SSHA 2018 report has not yet been published, the number of qualified households recorded on local authority lists shows a drop from 85,799 in 2017 to 71,858 in 2018, a reduction of over 16% in one year alone.
As regards land acquisition and planning and zoning functions in general, legislation being brought forward later this Autumn for publication in early 2019 will set out the general statutory framework within which the LDA will be expected to operate, including interactions with local authorities and the planning process. However, I have no plans to require that local authorities that may need to acquire building land for social housing purposes would be obliged to do so solely via the LDA. Nonetheless, there will clearly be opportunities for both local authorities and the LDA to work together in implementing Government policy in relation to the planning, housing and sustainable urban development policies contained in Project Ireland 2040 and the National Planning Framework in particular.
Finally, the zoning of land for development purposes is a reserved function of the elected members, which is distinct from the general land and property acquisition functions of local authorities and commercial state bodies, including the Land Development Agency.
516. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason the initial practice of enabling members of the public to transfer approval under the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme between local authorities was altered to now require applicants to make repeat applications in each local authority area in which they are considering buying a dwelling. [38346/18]
View answer517. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to enable persons that have been approved for a Rebuilding Ireland home loan from one local authority to draw it down from another authority (details supplied). [38347/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 517 together.
As with the previous local authority home loan offerings, loan applications under the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan are made directly to the local authority in whose area the property proposed for purchase is situated. This has always been part of the application process for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan since its launch and there has been no change in this regard.
Applications for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan cannot be transferred between local authorities as the final decision on whether to approve a loan application is made by the credit committee in each area. This decision is taken in accordance with the regulations, having regard to the recommendations made by the Housing Agency.
518. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if traditional seaweed harvesters must now register by 2019 in order to retain their seaweed licence; and if so, his plans to roll-out an information campaign to raise awareness of this new requirement. [38351/18]
View answerI took the opportunity in June, at this year's "Our Ocean Wealth" summit, to clarify the position in relation to the legal interaction between applications to my Department for licences to harvest wild seaweed and existing seaweed harvesting rights.
The position is that my Department cannot licence seaweed harvesting in an area where there is an existing right to harvest seaweed. I also clarified that existing seaweed rights holders can continue to exercise their right to harvest seaweed and do not require consent under the 1933 Foreshore Act.
Accordingly, harvesters may continue to harvest seaweed as they have done for many years. They must, however, as has also been the case for many years, respect relevant national and European legislative environmental requirements when harvesting wild seaweed.
519. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if public sector pension deductions are classified as a statutory declaration in the calculation of rent for local authority dwellings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38355/18]
View answer520. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the method of calculation of the differential rent for local authorities and voluntary housing bodies is absolutely identical; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38356/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 519 and 520 together.
Current local authority rent differential schemes generally set out that assessable income is net of statutory deductions such as income tax, PRSI, universal social charge, pension deductions, etc, which is in line with the Household Means Policy, which local authorities must use in assessing an applicant’s eligibility for social housing in the first instance.
In respect of tenants in Approved Housing Body (AHB) homes that are funded under the Capital Advanced Leasing Facility (CALF)/Payment and Availability (P&A) arrangements, the differential rent scheme of the relevant local authority is applied by the AHB. In homes funded under the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme tenants pay a rent to be determined by the AHB, subject to a minimum set out by my Department. In AHB homes funded under the Capital Assistance Scheme, tenants pay an economic or reasonable rent (such tenants may sometimes avail of Rent Supplement from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection).
Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 enables the Minister to introduce a national differential rents framework which will harmonise local authority rents, including income disregards. Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft framework, and this work is now being examined further in the light of the broader commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, to review the disparate systems of differential rent for social housing in place across local authorities. The overall objective is to ensure that housing supports are fair and sustainable, prioritise those on lowest incomes and avoid creating social welfare traps that may prevent people from either returning to work or to the private housing market. It is expected that the review will be completed shortly. It is intended that the meaning of assessable income, and income disregards, will be standardised across the country in the proposed national framework.
521. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the sanctions in place for local authorities not meeting their new build or vacant property turnaround targets in Rebuilding Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38358/18]
View answer522. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the target turnaround of local authority properties from void to occupancy; the sanctions in place when these targets are not met; the incentives on offer to ensure targets are met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38359/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 521 and 522 together.
The setting and publishing of social housing targets for 2018 and 2018-2021 reflects a drive towards increased transparency and accountability. Rebuilding Ireland is modelled on blended delivery across the main programmes of build, acquisition and leasing. While it is recognised that the pace of delivery, particularly under build activity, may vary from local authority to local authority, the range of delivery options available, combined with the relevant support structures, provide the necessary resources for local authorities. All stakeholders are expected to be fully mobilised towards meeting the targets for 2018, and subsequent years.
My Department's focus, and that of all delivery agents, will remain on implementation and delivery to ensure that the range of objectives and targets set are achieved. A wide range of delivery mechanisms and a funding commitment of €6 billion over the lifetime of Rebuilding Ireland have been put in place to support the achievement of these targets.
Over the period 2016 to 2021, the national target is for the delivery of an additional 50,000 social housing units through Build, Acquisition and Leasing Schemes.
The ambition is for 33,500 of these units to be delivered through build programmes including Part V and Voids; for 6,500 to be delivered through Acquisition programmes including the Housing Agency Acquisition Programme; and for the remaining 10,000 units to be delivered under a range of leasing initiatives.
The Voids Programme, introduced in 2014 by my Department, provides additional support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. The maximum funding provided for each unit under this programme is €30,000. In addition, the Derelicts Programme provides funding to remediate more seriously derelict social houses. There is also another smaller 2 into 1 programme, which focuses on converting vacant old bedsit type accommodation into one bedroom units. Together, under these three programmes, exchequer funding is provided to support local authorities in remediating vacant units. The exchequer funding provided by the Department is additional to the support that local authorities provide themselves towards such work.
The Rebuilding Ireland target for Department funded Voids across the period 2016-2021 is 3,459. By end 2017 some 4,065 voids had been delivered under the programme, in addition to local authority self funded voids and re-lets, demonstrating significant activity across all local authority areas.
Management of stock at local level, re-letting programmes and timeframes are all operational matters for each local authority to co-ordinate and execute. In creating more visibility around targets and delivery against targets, it is my expectation that performance in the delivery of social housing homes at local authority level can be tracked and overseen effectively, particularly by the elected members.
