Written Answers Nos. 233-257
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an application for carer's allowance by a person (details supplied) in respect of their mother; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39001/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 31 August 2018. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if and when an application for illness benefit will be processed in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39005/18]
View answerThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned has been processed and he is in receipt of his full entitlement under the scheme. All arrears owing have now been paid.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
235. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing jobseeker's transitional payment to when the one parent's youngest child turns 18 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39048/18]
View answerThe cost of increasing the age limit for a qualified child for the jobseeker's transitional payment (JST) to when the youngest child turns 18 years of age is not easily estimated.
There are significant barriers to undertaking such an exercise. For example, customers may no longer be within the welfare system, while others could seek to move from alternative payments such as Jobseekers Allowance (JA), the Working Family Payment (WFP) and the Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD) back to JST. It would be difficult for my Department to estimate the magnitude of this flow into and between schemes with any degree of accuracy.
As these unknown factors are critical to providing a reliable costing my Department is not in a position to provide the costing requested.
236. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the work her Department is undertaking alongside the Department of Justice and Equality on establishing a maintenance payment programme to ensure that maintenance is paid to one-parent families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39049/18]
View answerMy Department is currently reviewing the maintenance and liable relative procedures, insofar as they relate to the payment schemes operated by this Department. From a broader perspective, the wider issues relating to maintenance are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has responsibility for the Family Law Acts, which govern maintenance requirements.
The Family Law Acts place a legal obligation on parents to maintain their children. In cases where the family unit has broken down these obligations continue to apply. Relevant maintenance payments can be arranged either directly or through the Department of Justice and Equality supports like the Family Mediation Service, the Legal Aid Board and the Courts.
My Department's internal review is now nearing completion, and my officials will shortly be liaising with the Department of Justice and Equality with a view to jointly considering the next steps in relation to family maintenance arrangements.
237. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of carer's allowance whose allowance has been withdrawn for any reason in each of the past four years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39109/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
When a person who is receiving CA stops providing full-time care and attention or where their means exceed the statutory limit or where the care recipient no longer requires full-time care and attention, their entitlement to CA ends and their claim is stopped.
The following table shows the number of claims stopped over a 4 year period.
|
Period |
Year |
Claims stopped |
|
1 Jan - 31 Dec |
2015 |
7054 |
|
1 Jan - 31 Dec |
2016 |
6946 |
|
1 Jan - 31 Dec |
2017 |
7438 |
|
1 Jan - 31 Aug |
2018 |
5057 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the delivery of the State pension (contributory) to persons who are disqualified due to the calculation methodology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39110/18]
View answerA policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010, as was the decision to base the entitlements of all new pensioners on this approach from around 2020. In advance of this, on the 23rd January, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated by a new “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA) which will include up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to significantly benefit many people, particularly women, whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, while raising families or in a caring role. The TCA will ensure that the totality of a person’s social insurance contributions - as opposed to the timing of them - determines their final pension outcome.
Officials in my Department have been working on the various elements of this reform, which include legislative change, operational changes and IT development.
My Department will be writing to impacted customers in the next two months to explain to them what is happening and how the process of review will work. As I have stated previously, it is still planned to commence these reviews before the end of this year, with the first payments being made in the first quarter of 2019, backdated, where relevant, to the end of March 2018, or later where a person attained their 66th birthday since that date.
It is not necessary for people to contact the Department on this matter. Once the legislation is enacted and the systems and processes are ready, my Department will then write again to the people impacted and provide them with the opportunity to have their pension calculation reviewed.
I should stress to the Deputy that this reform assists people, by helping them to qualify for a pension at a higher rate of payment, if they have the required contributions and/or homecaring periods. The 2012 rateband changes did not disqualify anyone from qualifying for a pension. As with the Yearly Average approach and the pre-existing homemakers disregard scheme, these new measures only determine the rate of payment for those with an entitlement to a State pension (contributory). They do not remove the requirement to be entitled to such a pension in the first place, based on criteria set out in legislation.
For those who do not qualify for the State Pension (contributory) (SPC), but who are above State pension age, there are other state pension payments available. Notably, they may qualify for the State Pension (non-contributory) which is a means-tested payment (based on their share of household means) with a maximum payment of 95% of the SPC. If their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an increase for a qualified adult (based on their own means), amounting up to 90% of a full rate SPC pension.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
239. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications for pensions based on a combination of Irish and overseas contributions that have yielded a lesser pension to the applicant than those based solely on single country contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39111/18]
View answerApplicants for state pension (contributory) are awarded the highest entitlement rate achievable based on the totality of their social insurance contribution history.
When an application for state pension (contributory) is received, the Deciding Officer will first assess the person's entitlement to a standard Irish pension, based on their Irish social insurance record. If the person fails to qualify, or qualifies for a reduced rate pension, the Deciding Officer will take any periods of employment outside of Ireland into account. Where a person has periods of employment in another EU/EEA country, or in a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, their entitlement to a pro-rata pension is assessed. The person is then awarded the most financially beneficial rate of entitlement.
Almost 36,000 people are receiving higher rates of entitlement than if they were assessed solely on their Irish social insurance record. In many cases, these recipients are also in receipt of a pension entitlement from their country, or countries, of employment outside of Ireland.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
240. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which the State pension (contributory) based on total contributions is progressing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39112/18]
View answerThe Government intends to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards (TCA2020). I launched a public consultation on this proposal earlier this year in May. This formally closed on the 3rd of September. My Department has now started studying the submissions.
The consultation sought input on a range of relevant factors which included the amount of contributions needed for a full rate contributory state pension, the amount of credited contribution a person could avail of, the provisions of homecaring periods and whether there would be a "phase-in period" for the changes.
The online consultation lasted for over 3 months and we received over 270 responses. An analysis of the views submitted is now being undertaken and feedback will be published on the Department's website. Following examination and consideration of the submissions to the consultation, my officials will prepare proposals for the design of the new approach for consideration by the Government in due course.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
241. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the State pension (contributory); the extent to which this number has fluctuated over the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39113/18]
View answerState pension (contributory) is an insurance-based payment, paid to people from the age of 66 who satisfy a number of qualifying conditions. The number of persons currently in receipt of state pension (contributory) is 404,136.
The following table shows the number of state pension (contributory) recipients over the past ten years. Due to demographic trends and people living longer, the number of state pension (contributory) recipients has grown steadily year on year over the past decade.
|
Year |
No. of recipients of state pension (contributory) |
% increase |
|
2007 |
237,599 |
|
|
2008 |
250,117 |
5.3% |
|
2009 |
265,102 |
6.0% |
|
2010 |
280,419 |
5.8% |
|
2011 |
296,995 |
5.9% |
|
2012 |
312,314 |
5.2% |
|
2013 |
329,531 |
5.5% |
|
2014 |
346,420 |
5.1% |
|
2015 |
361,725 |
4.4% |
|
2016 |
377,062 |
4.2% |
|
2017 |
394,378 |
4.6% |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
242. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the State pension (non-contributory); the extent to which this number has fluctuated over the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39114/18]
View answerApplicants for State pension non-contributory must be aged 66 or over, be permanently residing in the State, satisfying the habitual residence condition and a means test.
The following tabular statement shows the numbers of recipients at the end of each year, reflecting a gradual downward trend as more people have sufficient contributions to qualify for State pension contributory.
|
Date |
Recipients |
|
31 August 2018 |
95,092 |
|
2017 |
95,140 |
|
2016 |
95,221 |
|
2015 |
95,179 |
|
2014 |
95,570 |
|
2013 |
95,801 |
|
2012 |
96,126 |
|
2011 |
96,749 |
|
2010 |
97,179 |
|
2009 |
97,798 |
|
2008 |
97,784 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
243. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if, in the course of a review of entitlement to a social welfare payment, provision is made for a basic payment until the outcome is determined in view of the fact that in the past some applicants have become homeless due to failure to meet their rent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39115/18]
View answerThe supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants.
Basic weekly SWA may be paid to customers awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment. In certain circumstances if a person is not eligible for other social welfare payments and their weekly income is below the SWA rate for their family size, a payment may be made to bring their income up to the appropriate SWA rate. Apart from a number of excluded categories, anyone in the State who satisfies a habitual residence condition and a means test, has registered for employment (unless they have a physical or mental disability) and can prove unemployment may qualify for SWA.
The Community Welfare Service (CWS) officer will engage with the claimant to establish eligibility as quickly as possible and limit any delay to payments. If there is a specific risk of homelessness this should be communicated to the CWS officer at the earliest opportunity.
Continued entitlement to a rent supplement payment from the Department is not linked to entitlement to other social welfare schemes, however the rent supplement claim may be reviewed following a decision to suspend or disallow a primary social welfare payment as there may be a change to the claimant’s circumstances that could affect eligibility. During a review of a rent supplement claim, the CWS officers will engage with the claimant to establish continued eligibility as quickly as possible and limit any delay to payments.
Any person in this situation is encouraged to contact the Department’s CWS responsible for their rent supplement claim to discuss their circumstances. Any persons who consider that they have an entitlement to a basic weekly SWA payment should contact the CWS at their local Intreo centre.
If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a particular case he should bring the details to the attention of the Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
244. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if and when a basic social welfare payment will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied); if the matter can be corrected in view of the fact that they have two dependent children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39116/18]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18th September 2018. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer/Designated Person on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral appeal hearing.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
245. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of deserted wife's benefit payments that have been discontinued for any reason in the course of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39117/18]
View answerThe Deserted Wife's Benefit scheme was closed to new applicants with effect from 2nd January 1997, when the One Parent Family Payment was introduced. A total of 6,254 individuals continue to receive Deserted Wife’s Benefit because they qualified for the payment before 2nd January 1997.
In order to continue to qualify for this payment, the claimant must be inadequately maintained by her spouse and must not be in a cohabiting relationship. Where the claimant is under 40 years of age, she must have at least one qualified child residing with her. In respect of claims made after 31st August, 1992, the claimant must not have earnings exceeding €20,000 per annum. Claimants of Deserted Wife's Benefit may transfer to State pension contributory at age 66 where they satisfy the contribution conditions of that scheme.
While a number of claims are closed each year because the claimant dies, moves to another scheme or advises the Department that they no longer meet the conditions of the scheme, a number of claims are also terminated or discontinued. The principal reasons for termination/discontinuance of payment relate to co-habitation, earnings in excess of the limit, or absence from the State. The number of claims that were so terminated/discontinued arising from a review of entitlement in the last five years were
|
Year |
Claimants |
Terminations |
|
2014 |
7,281 |
61 |
|
2015 |
6,867 |
90 |
|
2016 |
6,646 |
117 |
|
2017 |
6,423 |
31 |
|
2018 |
6,254 |
77 (to date) |
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
246. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of widow's pension payments that have been discontinued for any reason in the course of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39118/18]
View answerFrom 1st January 2013 to date, 35,101 widow(er) or surviving civil partner's (contributory) pension claims have been stopped.
Of these, 30,096 claims were stopped due to the death of the claimant.
The remainder have been stopped for a variety of reasons including approximately 2,500 who moved to another payment type; approximately 1,700 who no longer met the conditions of the scheme; and approximately 500 who failed to complete and return a letter regarding their continuing eligibility for the payment.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
247. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which the time taken to determine appeals can be improved; the reason for the long delays at present; if adequate staff remain available to meet the demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39119/18]
View answerThe average appeal processing times for all appeals determined this year to the end of August broken down by all social welfare scheme types is outlined in the following table.
My Department, like all Government departments and agencies is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff.
The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new increasing demands in a wide range of services. This is to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
All claim decisions taken by the Department’s Deciding Officers and Designated Persons are appealable to the Chief Appeals Officer. In any year about 85% of all claims are awarded and just 1% are appealed. Nevertheless, the Department is concerned that these cases are dealt with as quickly as possible.
Accordingly, significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeal process in recent years. As a result, appeal processing times in respect of all schemes improved between 2011 and 2017 from 52.5 weeks for an oral hearing in 2011 to 26.4 weeks in 2017 and from 25.1 weeks for a summary decision in 2011 to 19.8 weeks in 2017. The most recent figures for the period January to August 2018 are 30.6 weeks for an oral hearing and 25.2 weeks for a summary decision.
The time taken to process an appeal reflects a number of factors including that the appeals process is a quasi-judicial process with Appeals Officers being required to decide all appeals on a ‘de-novo’ basis. In addition, appeals decisions are themselves subject to review by the higher courts and decisions have to be formally written up to quasi-judicial standards. Other factors that influence appeals processing times include the quality of the initial decision – in this respect the Department has changed the decisions process in respect of medical schemes, in order to provide more information to the claimant. I expect that this will help to reduce the number of appeals over time.
In addition, a number of new Appeals Officers have joined the Appeals Office over the past 12-18 months, to replace staff leaving on retirement. Given the complexity of the appeals process it takes some time for new staff to be trained up and develop expertise and this has led to somewhat longer processing times during this period. The Chief Appeals Officer has advised me that appeal processing times continue to be a priority for her office.
It should be noted that an appellant can claim supplementary welfare allowance pending the outcome of their appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Appeal Processing Times by Scheme 1 January 2018 – 31 August 2018
|
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
|
Blind Pension |
29.8 |
- |
|
Carer’s Allowance |
24.7 |
29.0 |
|
Carer’s Benefit |
22.2 |
26.0 |
|
Child Benefit |
36.5 |
47.2 |
|
Disability Allowance |
17.6 |
24.8 |
|
Illness Benefit |
31.9 |
38.7 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit |
29.2 |
25.4 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
31.4 |
35.1 |
|
Deserted Wife’s Benefit |
- |
76.6 |
|
Bereavement Grant |
36.1 |
- |
|
Farm Assist |
40.1 |
43.1 |
|
Working Family Payment * |
28.4 |
41.8 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
28.8 |
28.0 |
|
Liable Relatives |
- |
30.7 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
29.6 |
33.8 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
30.5 |
20.6 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
26.2 |
36.9 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
40.3 |
49.2 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
32.7 |
43.5 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
36.4 |
51.9 |
|
Disablement Pension |
34.3 |
30.7 |
|
OIB-Medical Care |
17.5 |
- |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
- |
29.7 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
34.6 |
37.6 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) |
17.2 |
37.3 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
31.9 |
37.5 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Payments) |
25.1 |
31.4 |
|
BTW Family Dividend |
30.9 |
- |
|
Jobseeker's Transitional |
35.0 |
29.6 |
|
Recoverable Benefits & Assistance |
38.3 |
- |
|
Pre-Retirement Allowance |
64.0 |
29.9 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
25.2 |
27.5 |
|
Carer’s Support Grant |
27.3 |
31.2 |
|
Insurability of Employment |
58.7 |
75.5 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
22.4 |
28.4 |
|
Widow/Widower's Pension (Contributory) |
34.3 |
33.5 |
|
Widow/Widower's Pension (Non-Contributory) |
34.4 |
25.2 |
|
Widowed Parent Grant |
35.8 |
43.7 |
|
All Appeals |
25.2 |
30.6 |
* Previously called Family Income Supplement
248. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of exceptional needs payments made to persons or families in other than bereavement circumstances in each of the past five years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39120/18]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, one-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided over €36 million for exceptional payments in 2018.
The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
The tabular statement below contains details of the number of exceptional needs payments, excluding payments for assistance with funeral and burial costs, made since 2014.
Any persons who consider that they have an entitlement to an exceptional needs payment should contact my Department’s Community Welfare Service.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
Number of Payments under the Exceptional Needs and Urgent Needs Schemes, 2014-2018,
(Excluding Bereavement associated payments)
|
Year |
Number of Payments |
|
2014 |
104,200 |
|
2015 |
98,600 |
|
2016 |
97,200 |
|
2017 |
100,700 |
|
2018 (up to end August) |
67,400 |
249. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average length of time taken to determine entitlement to a disability allowance; the extent to which this has fluctuated in each of the past five years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39121/18]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance for people with a disability aged between 16 and 66 with a disability expected to last for at least one year and who satisfy the medical condition, means test and are habitually resident in Ireland.
The average time taken to award a new DA claim in July 2018 was eleven weeks. The following table lists the average processing time over the past 5 years to date.
|
Year |
Average Weeks to Award New Claim |
|
2018 |
13 (average to date) |
|
2017 |
11 |
|
2016 |
12 |
|
2015 |
11 |
|
2014 |
12 |
The Department is committed to ensuring that claims and reviews are processed as expeditiously as possible.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
250. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average length of time taken to determine entitlement to an invalidity pension; the extent to which this has fluctuated in each of the past five years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39122/18]
View answerInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
The average time taken to award a new IP claim in August 2018 was ten weeks. The following table lists the average processing time over the past 5 years to date.
|
Year |
Average Weeks to Award New Claim |
|
2018 |
7 (average to date) |
|
2017 |
6 |
|
2016 |
10 |
|
2015 |
8 |
|
2014 |
9 |
The Department is committed to ensuring that claims and reviews are processed as expeditiously as possible.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
251. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if all issues that arose in respect of the payment of illness benefit payment to recipients in recent months have now been resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39123/18]
View answerThe Department experienced some delays following the introduction of a new system and forms for Illness Benefit. The change is part of an on-going programme of modernisation in the Department which took effect from Monday 6 August.
Some GPs have continued to use the old forms after this changeover date which the Department has, to date, continued to accept in the interest of paying our customers. While the continued use of old forms has caused some delays to our processing times, the Department is doing everything possible to ensure that customers are being paid as quickly as possible.
The new process is working well and we are currently processing all applications and certs received on the new forms the day they are received. There is no backlog of new forms.
There is approximately a two day backlog with regard to new claims received on the old forms while practically all certificates received in the old format are being processed on the day they are received.
I trust this clarifies the situation for the Deputy.
252. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if additional staff have been allocated to the housing delivery office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38925/18]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 799 of the 18 September 2018 which sets out the position in this matter.
253. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he has considered the establishment of a funding model that can utilise credit union funds to build, sell or rent social and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38926/18]
View answerFollowing engagement with the credit union sector on proposals for credit unions to provide funding for the provision of social housing, the Central Bank undertook a review of the relevant investment framework in 2017.
On foot of this review, revised Regulations commenced on 1 March 2018. The revised Regulations included the addition of investment in “regulated investment vehicles where the underlying investments of the regulated investment vehicle are investments in Tier 3 Approved Housing Bodies” as a permitted investment class for credit unions. As such, since 1 March 2018, credit unions are permitted to provide funding, through a regulated investment vehicle, to Tier 3 AHBs for the provision of social housing.
In respect of the development of specific Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) by the credit unions to enable them to make investments in the sector, it is a matter for the credit unions themselves to make the necessary arrangements to facilitate this.
My Department did inform the Credit Unions' representative bodies that it was funding a project being undertaken by the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) to examine the establishment of SPVs to facilitate investment in the sector. The Department put the bodies in contact with the ICSH with a view to those bodies examining further how they could invest in the sector.
Work has been ongoing between the ICSH, a number of larger Tier 3 AHBs and their financial advisors on the development of a vehicle or mechanism for delivering private financing for AHBs which are providing social housing, in line with commitments under the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness. This project involved a number of phases, including engagement with a range of financial institutions. Part of this also involved the AHBs examining models that will facilitate private financing, having regard also to the recent reclassification decision by Eurostat of the larger Tier 3 AHBs earlier this year.
I understand that significant progress has been made with the project. One AHB has already established a Special Purpose Vehicle to enable it access private finance from a financial institution. Further work is on-going to enable the establishment of SPVs, based on the outcome of phases 1 and 2 of the ICSH project and it is expected that there will be further developments over the coming months.
254. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if an application to have water schemes at locations (details supplied) can be amalgamated in order that one can act as a backup for the other; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39013/18]
View answerOn 21 September I announced the final funding allocations for 2018 under my Department's Multi-annual Rural Water Programme. The group water scheme that the Deputy refers to is located in the jurisdiction of Limerick City and County Council and my announcement included an allocation of €80,000 to the Council under Measure 1(b) of the programme for the scheme.
Measure 1(b) provides for Rationalisation / Amalgamation of Group Water Schemes in order to provide a sustainable supply of water and enhance compliance with the quality parameters of the Drinking Water Regulations.
The day-to-day implementation of the Rural Water Programme - subject to its terms and conditions - has been devolved to the local authorities, in this case Limerick City and County Council, since 1997. It is now a matter for the scheme to engage with the Council on implementation of the proposed works based on the terms and conditions of the programme.
255. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the full register of State-owned land in County Meath which has been ascertained by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39014/18]
View answerMy Department does not collate or hold a full register of State owned land in County Meath.
However, given the importance of ensuring that public land suitable for residential development is brought forward for the development of social and affordable housing, the residential lands in the ownership of the Housing Agency, local authorities and certain other public bodies, including lands in County Meath, have been detailed and mapped on the Rebuilding Ireland website. The lands involved can be viewed at the following weblink: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/rebuilding-ireland-land-map/.
In addition, Project Ireland 2040, including the National Planning Framework , signals a significant policy shift towards securing more compact and sustainable urban and rural development, which requires significantly more effective active land management. Against that background, the new Land Development Agency, which was established earlier this month, will work to ensure the optimal use and management of State land through strategic development and regeneration, with an immediate focus on delivering homes, including a significant proportion of social and affordable homes, on publicly owned lands.
256. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the nature of the compensation process with respect to form 98 and rule 184 of the Land Registration Rules 2013 (details supplied); if problems with applicants have arisen; if the system has been examined recently; the constitutional position of property owners concerned by the digital mapping systems currently in use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39057/18]
View answerSection 120 of the Registration of Title Act 1964 (the 1964 Act) provides for the payment of compensation in circumstances where a claimant has suffered a verifiable loss as a result of an error originating in the Property Registration Authority (the PRA). The error must be in relation to registered land (whether of misstatement, misdescription, omission or otherwise, and whether in a register or in a registry map) and any entry in or omission from a register or registry map caused or obtained by forgery or fraud or any error arising from an official search or any inaccuracy in any office copy of a register or map.
The process relating to a claim of compensation under Section 120 arises with the lodgement of a completed application by the claimant (or their Solicitor) in Form 98 of the Land Registration Rules 2012 accompanied by the necessary proof of loss (such as receipts etc.) together with the prescribed fee.
A member of the Legal Services Division of the PRA investigates the claim to ensure that it comes within the remit of Section 120 of the 1964 Act and that the applicant has proved that he/ she has suffered the loss, as claimed. If the loss being claimed is relatively small it may be dealt with by the PRA who will reimburse the applicant for his/ her loss; otherwise, the claim is forwarded to the Chief State Solicitor’s office, for processing.
The PRA keeps the scheme under review and addresses issues that arise on a case by case basis.
Property rights are protected by the Constitution. The PRA guarantees the title to registered land and this is underpinned by Section 120 of the 1964 Act. It should be noted that the PRA also operates a non-conclusive boundary system in accordance with Section 85 of the Act as substituted by Section 62 of the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006. Any digital mapping issues/updates are covered by Section 84 of the Act, as substituted by Section 61(2)(a) of the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006 and Rule 146 of the 2012 Rules.
257. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of children who have been in emergency homeless accommodation by hubs or hotels and guest houses for fewer than three to six, six to nine, nine to 12, 12 to 24 and for 24 months plus, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37912/18]
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 homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.
Data in the format sought is not routinely collected by my Department. However, earlier this year, the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) provided me with a report which it had produced in relation to families who experienced homelessness in the Dublin region in 2016 and 2017. While this report relates to families rather than solely children, it showed that 1,087 families were accessing emergency accommodation in Dublin on 31 December 2017. Of these, 480 (44%) had been in emergency accommodation for 6 months or less, 277 (25%) for 6-12 months, 147 (14%) for 12-18 months, 101 (9%) for 18-24 months and 82 (8%) for more than 24 months.
A record total of 4,729 adults, along with their associated dependents, exited homelessness into an independent tenancy during 2017. My Department is working closely with the local authorities to increase further the numbers of exits. The welfare of families and children is an absolute priority for my Department and I work closely with the Minister of Children and Youth Affairs to ensure that robust child protection measures, inspection arrangements and health supports are in place in emergency accommodation for families.
