Wednesday, 17 Oct 2018

Written Answers Nos. 231-241

Local Authority Housing Maintenance

Questions (231, 237, 238)

Gerry Adams

Question:

231. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the 2018 maintenance budget at Louth County Council has been exhausted; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that Louth County Council tenants are being refused urgent maintenance and repair works meaning that in some cases they are being left without heating or running hot water; if a request has been made by Louth County Council for additional moneys; his views on whether this is an acceptable situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42570/18]

Gerry Adams

Question:

237. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a person (details supplied) in County Louth who is a tenant of Louth County Council and who currently has no central heating at the tenant's property; if the issue will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42633/18]

Gerry Adams

Question:

238. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to persons (details supplied) in County Louth who are tenants of Louth County Council and currently have no central heating at their property; if the issue will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42634/18]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 231, 237 and 238 together.

While my Department provides exchequer funding to local authorities to support eligible capital improvements to local authority housing, including through the Voids and energy efficiency Programmes, section 58 of the Housing Act 1966 provides that the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is a matter for each individual local authority in the first instance. This includes the implementation of planned maintenance programmes and carrying out of responsive and pre-letting repairs, which would appear to encompass the issues referred to in the Questions.

Building Regulations

Questions (232)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

232. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will publish his Department's annual reviews of the building control amendment regulations; and the outcomes or recommended reforms that have been proposed or implemented as a result of these reviews. [42577/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

I refer to the reply to Question No. 677 of 16 October 2018 which sets out the position on this matter.

Commemorative Medals

Questions (233)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

233. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding 1916 medals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42587/18]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

The provision of fire services in local authority areas is a statutory function of the individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy and through a range of service development programmes.

The issuing of 1916 – 2016 Commemorative medals was a commitment in "A Programme for a Partnership Government" for the Defence Forces, and therefore did not include staff in local authority Fire Services. However, my Department is commissioning medals in recognition of the role played by staff working in the Fire Services in relation to the 1916 commemorations. It is envisaged that all Fire Services staff serving in 2016 will be eligible to receive the medal.

My Department has been in contact with all Fire Authorities in relation to this matter and a tender process is being undertaken.

Development Contributions

Questions (234)

James Browne

Question:

234. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the position regarding local authority development contributions and the practice of double charging; the information a county council can request to ensure that development contributions already paid in respect of a development are properly deducted from subsequent charges in view of the fact that the development has already made a contribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42616/18]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

Under sections 48 and 49 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the 2000 Act), planning authorities may levy development contributions in respect of public infrastructure and facilities provided by, or on behalf of, the local authority that benefit development in the area, based on a scheme of contributions adopted by the elected members of the authority. The level of contribution and the types of development to which development contributions will apply, including any waivers or reductions from charging in specific circumstances, are determined at local authority level and in accordance with the powers vested in elected members in this regard.

My role as Minister is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted by each local authority. In this context, my Department issued statutory guidelines to planning authorities in January 2013 under section 28 of the 2000 Act on the implementation of development contribution schemes and to which planning authorities are required to have regard in the performance of their planning functions. The 2013 guidelines updated and supplemented non-statutory guidance previously issued to local authorities by my Department by way of Planning Circulars PD 4/2003 and PD 5/2007.

The 2013 guidelines specifically address the issue of "double charging". All local authorities have been advised that any development contribution already levied and paid in respect of a given development should be deducted from any subsequent charge applied on that development so as to reflect that a contribution has already been paid.

Development contributions are levied as conditions attached to planning permissions and are payable prior to commencement of development or as otherwise agreed by the local authority. Local authorities may facilitate the phased payment of contributions, such as when a certain number of housing units are completed or when a particular stage is reached in the development. In this context, planning authorities should ensure that appropriate monitoring and control procedures are in place to prevent any double charging of this nature.

Local Authority Housing

Questions (235)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

235. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if a decision has been made on an application for funding to purchase a house (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42617/18]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

The acquisition of properties for allocation to those on the social housing waiting list is a matter for the relevant local authority, in this case Kerry County Council. It is expected that a Council will satisfy itself that any such prospective acquisitions are suitable, meet social housing need, represent value for money and are fully compliant with all building and other regulations. My Department has not received a formal application for funding in relation to the property in question. However, I understand that the Council has encountered a number of issues in relation to the purchase of this property which, so far, have not been resolved.

Housing Adaptation Grant Funding

Questions (236)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

236. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the additional funding sought by a county council (details supplied) for housing repair grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42621/18]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

My Department has requested clarification from the Council concerned, regarding the amount of additional funding sought for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. Their request for additional funding will be considered upon receipt of the required information.

My Department works closely with the local authorities to achieve a full drawdown of their allocations and there is careful scrutiny of spend, with any underspend redistributed to those local authorities with high levels of grant activity who seek additional funding.

Questions Nos. 237 and 238 answered with Question No. 231.

Departmental Funding

Questions (239)

John Brady

Question:

239. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the detail of State funding that is provided to religious organisations or persons here by his Department; the amount of funding provided for each of the years 2010 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43157/18]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

The financial records of my Department relating to its current configuration indicate that no payments of the nature referred to in the Question were made in the years 2010-17 or to date in 2018.

Irish Language

Questions (240)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

240. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42648/18]

Written answers

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

My Department has sanctioned annual current funding of €479,551 to the organisation to which the Deputy refers for the 2018/19 school year. In line with the Department's remit insofar as the Irish language is concerned, this overall funding package is specifically directed at supporting the organisation in implementing a range of language-centred actions and initiatives. The following provides an overview of this annual current funding:

- €224,824 has been granted to assist in the provision of their family-centred Irish-language activities. This funding includes funding for the employment of a the full-time director of the organisation, a full-time director of the organisation's home-visits scheme, the part-time employment of 4 employees of the organisation's home-visits scheme, funding for resources for the same scheme and funding for various administration costs. This funding package for 2018 represents €155,430 towards pay (€143,815 in 2017); travel and subsistence €10,000 (€12,000 in 2017); administrative costs, including resources, marketing, rent, maintenance, etc. €59,394 (€81,009 in 2017).

- €239,727 to the organisation for the Language Assistants Scheme in respect of the current school year.

- €15,000 for the Pre-school and After-school Scheme

It should be noted that this organisation is a subsidiary company of the local co-operative which is also in receipt of annual funding from Údarás na Gaeltachta, and which also has a healthy income stream available to it from the Irish summer colleges sector in this particular Gaeltacht region, in which the co-operative is the primary stakeholder.

It should also be noted that on foot of the language plan for the organisation's Language Planning Area being recently sanctioned under the language planning process, annual funding of up to €150,000 will be provided to the organisation to assist in the implementation of the agreed language plan.

In line with the key principles underpinning the language planning process and in line with my Department's priorities in support of the language and all Gaeltacht regions, the Deputy may be assured that my Department remains committed to deploying all of the available resources under both the Community and Language Supports Programme and the language planning process to support language-focused actions in the organisation's operational area as well as the other 25 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas as defined under the Act.

Departmental Funding

Questions (241)

John Brady

Question:

241. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the detail of State funding that is provided to religious organisations or persons here by her Department; the amount of funding provided for each of the years 2010 to 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43151/18]

Written answers

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

While my Department operates a wide range of funding schemes in the areas of arts, culture, heritage and the Gaeltacht none of these are specifically designed for the support of the activities of religious organisations or persons. Details of these schemes are made available on my Department's website and they are open to all eligible applicants including religious organisations or persons should they meet the requirements of the individual funding scheme.

Applicants to schemes such as the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Structures at Risk Fund are not requested to state as to whether whether the owner of a protected structure is part of a religious organisation or a religious person. However, many churches and related buildings around the country are historic in nature and have received funding under these schemes. Details of funding awarded under these schemes, which are administered by local authorities on behalf of the Department, are available on my Department's website and the websites of the relevant local authorities.

Within this context I am advised that in recent years a number of religious organisations have received funding under various schemes including:

- The Local and Regional Museum Scheme (now discontinued) under which funding of €13,100 was provided to Knock Museum between 2014 and 2017; and

- The Decade of Centenaries programme under which funding of €21,623 was awarded to the Representative Church Body in respect of the Church of Ireland Gazette between 2014-2017 with a further €2,000 awarded to Drumgoon Parish Church, for grave renovations, in 2016.

I would also advise the Deputy that funding of €100,000 was approved for the Representative Church Body Library (RCBL) under the Department’s Digitisation Scheme in 2017.