Written Answers Nos. 168-192
168. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is satisfied with the length of time it takes to process an application for a carer's allowance; if measures will be introduced to speed up this process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46043/18]
View answerMy Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested payment, made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that they require that level of care. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people.
At the end of September 2018 the average waiting time for a decision on a new CA application was 17 weeks. Additional staff have also recently been reassigned to the CA area to work on claims processing and this should lead to a reduction in processing times.
Before a decision can be made on entitlement to CA, evidence must be provided in respect of the carer’s habitual residence in the State, the level of care they provide, their means and also that the person being cared for has such a disability that they require full-time care and attention.
In general, social welfare schemes with a number of complex qualifying conditions can take longer to process. This is compounded if the documentary evidence provided at initial application stage is incomplete or insufficient; this is sometimes the case with carer’s allowance applications.
The Department recently launched a re-designed CA application form. The new form includes a Care Report section which has been arrived at through consultation between officials and medical assessors of my Department and representatives and members of Family Carers Ireland. It is expected that the new form will allow carers to provide more information on the type and level of care they provide, with an aim to providing Deciding Officers with the information they need to expedite decisions on entitlement.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
169. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on rent supplement in 2017; and the projected amount for 2018 and 2019, respectively. [46060/18]
View answerRent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 25,700 recipients for which the Government has provided €179.50 million in 2018.
The outturn figure for 2017, with projected costs for 2018 and 2019, are provided in the following table. The 2018 forecast outturn figure remains in line with actual outturn trends to date for the year. The 2019 figure, similar to 2018’s forecast, is predicated on current trends associated with Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP) and the underpinning macroeconomic conditions prevailing throughout next year.
The strategic goal of returning rent supplement to its original purpose, that of a short-term income support, has been primarily facilitated by the introduction of the HAP. The “Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness (July 2016), reiterated in the “Housing First National Implementation Plan 2018-2021” (September 2018), is to provide 87,000 flexible housing supports through the HAP and Rental Accommodation Scheme between 2016 and 2021. Part of this commitment will be the transfer of those out of rent supplement with long term housing needs to HAP with a targeted completion date of these transfers by the end of 2020. For 2019, HAP’s transfer activity is expected to yield a closing rent supplement base of approximately 15,000 rent supplement customers at year end.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement:
Rent Supplement Outturn: 2017 Actual Costs with 2018 & 2019 Forecasts
|
Year |
Total Expenditure€000 |
|
2017 |
231,221 |
|
2018 |
179,500 |
|
2019 |
132,300 |
170. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision has been made on a paternity allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46076/18]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the paternity benefit appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
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.
171. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason all parental income is taken into account on the means assessment for social welfare applicants under 25 years of age; the reason a parent in receipt of a carer's allowance parental income is normally disregarded under all other schemes yet it is taken into account when a person under 25 years of age is still living with their parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46092/18]
View answerSocial welfare legislation provides that where a person under 25 years of age is claiming a social welfare payment and is living with a parent or step-parent in the family home, an assessment is made of the yearly value of any benefit and privilege enjoyed by that person by virtue of residing there. The value of the benefit and privilege assessed is based on the level of the parents' assessable income.
Assessable parental income is calculated as gross income less tax, PRSI, Universal Social Charge, superannuation and union dues. Rent or mortgage repayments are then disregarded, where appropriate, and, finally, a parental allowance of €600 per week per couple plus €30 per week in respect of each additional dependent child is also disregarded. The balance is assessed at 34% and this constitutes the weekly value of benefit and privilege to the claimant. This weekly value is deducted from the maximum personal rate applicable to determine the level of weekly entitlement. Where the level of entitlement as calculated is at least €1 per week and less than €40 per week, a minimum rate of €40 per week is payable.
All social welfare payments are included as assessable income with the exception of the following: Fuel Allowance, Child Benefit, Carer's Support Grant, Guardian's payments, and Domiciliary Care Allowance.
However where a social welfare payment such as Carer's Allowance is the only source of parental assessable income, there would be no means assessed from benefit and privilege against the claimant, as the level of disregards would be higher than the level of weekly payment. If the Deputy has a particular case in mind he should bring it to the attention of the Department.
It should be noted that there are some exceptions to assessing benefit and privilege. No assessment is made where a son or daughter and his or her spouse/civil partner/partner is living with his/her parents. No assessment is made where a son or daughter has a child dependant and is living with his/her parents. In addition, where a person returns to the parental home having had an independent life elsewhere in Ireland or abroad for an appreciable length of time, e.g. at least three years, the assessment in this case is €7 per week.
Furthermore, once a person reaches 25 years of age, the value of any benefit and privilege is no longer regarded as means.
172. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if correspondence on the 2012 pension changes has been issued to 67,000 Irish residents and 9,000 non-Irish residents who were set to receive it over the course of October 2018 as stated by her in Dáil Éireann on 25 September 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46097/18]
View answerOn 23 January last, the Government agreed to allow pensioners, born on or after the 1st September 1946, affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, to have their state pension (contributory) entitlement calculated under an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA). The changes also provide for up to 20 years of home caring periods in the calculation of that entitlement, for those who took time out of the workplace for parenting children under age 12, or individuals who needed increased levels of care.
The changes apply to those who reached pension age on or after 1st September 2012 who were awarded less than maximum rate, on post Budget 2012 rate bands. The changes do not apply to anyone already entitled to maximum rate state pension (contributory).
Currently there are approximately 79,000 pensioners in this category and my Department is now in the process of issuing Information Letters to them
Work on examination of the social insurance records of the pensioners concerned commenced in September. As social insurance records are unique to individual pensioners, this manual examination phase is expected to continue to the end of the year. To date, over sixty temporary staff members have been recruited to work on this phase. Further recruitment will take place in January 2019 when the first pension reviews are expected to get under way and it is anticipated that the first review outcomes will be notified to pensioners during Quarter 1 2019.
Payment of increases, where awarded, will be made immediately after an individual's review is completed. If a pensioner does not qualify for an increased rate, they will continue to receive their existing rate of entitlement.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
173. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a claim for illness benefit by a person (details supplied) will be processed to completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46116/18]
View answerThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned has been processed and any arrears owing to him have been issued.
If the person remains ill and unfit for work, he should submit further medical certificates to the Department as soon as possible to enable further payments to issue to him.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
174. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for an occupational injury benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46126/18]
View answerThe Occupational Injury Benefit (OIB) claim for the person concerned was disallowed.
The reason for this decision is because, as stated by the person concerned, he first noticed his incapacity before Christmas last. However, his incident at work did not occur until 8th February 2018.
OIB is only allowed in cases where the incapacity is solely due to a work place accident or develops due to the nature of the work.
The person concerned does not have sufficient contributions for the award of an Illness Benefit payment.
If the person has an urgent financial need, he should contact the Community Welfare Service through the local Intreo Centre.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
175. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the delays in processing new and existing illness benefit claims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46127/18]
View answerOverall payment levels of Illness Benefit (IB) are now at their normal level. For information, in any one week, circa 50,000 customers are entitled to an IB payment. Last week, circa 54,000 customer payments were made, approximately 4,000 payments in excess of the normal level, and this includes some customers due arrears. For any customers with arrears outstanding, the Department would like to assure them that they will receive their back payments as soon as possible.
The Department can confirm that a normal level of payments will issue to IB customers this week. It is, however, important to note that there will always be some people who do not get paid in any given week. This is due to issues such as delays in receipt of claims and certificates, incorrectly completed certificates, human error, inconsistencies between the information submitted and the information already on file, the existence of another welfare payment for the main claimant or their dependants on the claim, all of which can lead to payments being suspended or delayed. This was always the case.
However, the Department acknowledges that the majority of the delays over the past few weeks were due to system and processing issues rather than normal levels of exceptions and would like to again apologise to the customers affected.
In August, the IB scheme migrated from an old legacy IT system approaching its end-of-life to a more up-to-date system already successfully used for many of the Department’s other payments. As part of this process, IB payments transitioned from a payment in arrears to a real-time payment model. This model was designed to provide quicker access to payments for customers and also to greatly reduce the manual processing work involved in administering IB claims. Unfortunately, although the majority of customers continued to receive payments, there were a number of unanticipated difficulties and some IB customers’ payments were adversely affected with delays and missed payments.
The Department would like to sincerely apologise for the difficulties and frustration experienced by customers who did not receive the correct IB payment or who experienced delays in their payments. The Department has been working hard over the past few weeks, and is continuing to work, to resolve any outstanding issues - allocating additional staff to IB claim work and developing a number of IT modifications to identify and rectify payment issues.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
176. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a review of an invalidity pension in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be expedited; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46145/18]
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 department received a claim for IP from this gentleman on 03 August 2018. His claim was disallowed on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on 04 October 2018 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review and appeal.
He requested a review of the decision and submitted further medical evidence in support of his request.
This review will be processed as quickly as possible and when a decision is made he will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
177. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to cease sending voting cards to each registered voter in view of the fact that they are not required to vote; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46027/18]
View answerElectoral law provides that where a poll is to be taken at a referendum or a Dáil, European, Presidential or local election, the returning officer shall send to every elector whose name is on the relevant register of electors for the constituency and who is not on the postal or special voters lists, a card (referred to as a polling information card). The purpose of the card is to inform the elector of his or her number (including polling district letter) on the relevant register of electors and of the place at which he or she is entitled to vote. The card also contains a statement in relation to the documents required for the purposes of establishing a person’s right to vote. At a referendum, the polling information card also contains a statement for the information of voters in relation to the proposal which is the subject of the referendum. I have no plans at present to change arrangements in regard to polling information cards.
178. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of buy and renew units delivered to date in 2018; and the average cost for each unit. [46002/18]
View answerCapital funding is provided to local authorities to acquire a range of properties for social housing use. The properties involved can range from those in good condition to those that need remediation and may have been vacant.
To ensure a local-led response to such work, responsibility for property acquisitions is delegated to local authorities. To further assist local authorities pursuing vacant properties, funding is available through the Buy & Renew Scheme to facilitate local authorities in acquiring and remediating vacant properties that may be suitable for social housing.
As with standard acquisitions, local authorities have delegated responsibility to utilise the Buy & Renew Scheme, as part of the blend of property acquisitions, as appropriate to their area, given housing need and the availability of properties of different types.
To date in 2018, cicra 65 housing units have been delivered through the Buy & Renew Scheme and taking the purchase price and upgrade costs into account, the average cost per unit is approximately €173,000.
179. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of homes brought into use to date in 2018 via the repair and lease scheme; and the average cost of each unit. [46003/18]
View answerThe Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was initially piloted in Carlow and Waterford and the pilot has been rolled out nationally since 23 February 2017. The scheme is one of a suite of measures available to local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use. Since the national roll out, my Department has been working intensively with local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to develop and implement the scheme. There have been a number of national and local press advertising initiatives, as well as targeted online promotion, in an effort to ensure that property owners who can avail of the scheme are aware of it.
A breakdown of the RLS data for 2017 and up to end Q2 2018 is set out in the following table:
|
Year |
Applications |
Agreements to lease |
Operational |
|
2017 |
820 |
31 |
9 |
|
2018 (to end Q2) |
217 |
60 |
22 |
Based on claims received to end Q2 2018, the average cost of works per dwelling is €28,145.
180. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of units delivered to date in 2018 via the Housing Agency’s €70 million rolling Housing Agency fund; and the average cost for each unit. [46004/18]
View answerUnder Actions 1.1, 2.5 and 5.6 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Housing Agency is actively engaged with banks and investment companies in relation to its acquisitions programme. An Acquisitions Fund of €70m, which is a revolving fund, has been established with the objective of acquiring some 1,600 units over the period to 2021 for social housing use.
As of 30 September 2018, the Agency had bids accepted on 818 units. Contracts have been signed for 509 units and 487 of these purchases have closed. The process of selling properties on to Approved Housing Bodies is underway. As of 30 September 2018, the Agency had signed purchase option agreements for 217 properties with Approved Housing Bodies and these units are now under Caretaker Leases. In addition, the onward sales of 215 properties (212 to AHBs and 3 to Local Authorities) have been completed in full and the Agency has received €45.3m for these units.
As of 30 September 2018, the average cost per property purchased by the Agency is €182,079. When properties are sold to AHBs, the price paid is made up of the original cost of the unit as well as the cost of the upgrade work. The average sales price for the 215 properties sold as of 30 September 2018 is €211,008.
181. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of Rebuilding Ireland home loan applications by local authority area to date in 2018; the number of approvals and drawdowns, respectively, by local authority area; the average loan amount awarded in each local authority area in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46005/18]
View answerAs 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. My Department does not directly collect information on the number of loan applications received by each local authority.
However, as is currently the case, my Department will continue to publish information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Information up to Q2 2018 is available on the Department's website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-loan-activity, and this information will be updated on a quarterly basis as additional data is compiled.
In addition, the Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses loan applications that are made to the local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities as to whether loans should be offered to applicants. I have asked the Agency to centrally compile figures on the numbers of applications that it has assessed and recommended for approval; the most recent figures, as at the end of October, indicate that the Agency had recommended a total of 1,317 applications for approval since the scheme launched.
|
Local Authority |
Recommended to Approve |
|
Carlow County Council |
15 |
|
Cavan County Council |
2 |
|
Clare County Council |
18 |
|
Cork City Council |
43 |
|
Cork County Council |
104 |
|
Donegal County Council |
17 |
|
Dublin City Council |
189 |
|
Dún Laoghaire - Rathdown County Council |
38 |
|
Fingal County Council |
185 |
|
Galway City Council |
26 |
|
Galway County Council |
36 |
|
Kerry County Council |
35 |
|
Kildare County Council |
85 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
13 |
|
Laois County Council |
32 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
2 |
|
Limerick City & County Council |
38 |
|
Longford County Council |
14 |
|
Louth County Council |
22 |
|
Mayo County Council |
15 |
|
Meath County Council |
109 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
3 |
|
Offaly County Council |
12 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
12 |
|
Sligo County Council |
17 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
92 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
25 |
|
Waterford City & County Council |
11 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
12 |
|
Wexford County Council |
39 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
56 |
|
Total |
1,317 |
The average loan amount requested to date is €158,433. The average loan amount recommended for approval where the maximum borrowing is €288,000 is €207,927. The average loan amount recommended for approval where the maximum borrowing is €225,000 is €131,493.
Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance with the regulations, having regard to the recommendations made by the Housing Agency.
182. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the Traveller accommodation allocations for each local authority for 2018; and the drawdown to date for each local authority in tabular form. [46006/18]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The allocations and recoupment profiles for capital Traveller accommodation projects can vary across local authorities given local priorities, circumstances and project timelines as set out in the TAPs. Local authorities adopted the fourth and current round of TAPs in 2014, with five-year rolling programmes running from 2014 to 2018. These programmes provide a road map for local authority investment priorities over the period. They also form the basis for the allocation of funding from my Department for Traveller accommodation. Preparations are underway for the fifth TAP programme in respect of the period 2019-2024.
The following table sets out the allocation versus drawdown to date in 2018 by local authority.
|
Local authority |
Allocation |
Drawdown to date |
|
2018 |
2018 |
|
|
€ |
€ |
|
|
Carlow |
€ 167,740.00 |
€ - |
|
Cavan |
€ 30,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Clare |
€ 853,250.00 |
€ 13,250.00 |
|
Cork |
€ 251,197.00 |
€ - |
|
Cork City |
€ 310,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Donegal |
€ 121,800.00 |
€ - |
|
Dublin City |
€ 1,321,558.39 |
€ 329,147.54 |
|
South Dublin |
€ 869,642.50 |
€ 927,454.92 |
|
Fingal |
€ 851,189.00 |
€ - |
|
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown |
€ 673,685.78 |
€ 40,860.00 |
|
Galway County |
€ 1,080,100.00 |
€ 36,158.41 |
|
Galway City |
€ 176,996.00 |
€ - |
|
Kerry |
€ 15,350.00 |
€ - |
|
Kildare |
€ 80,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Kilkenny |
€ 201,682.00 |
€ 32,126.04 |
|
Laois |
€ 30,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Leitrim |
€ 159,614.00 |
€ - |
|
Limerick City and County |
€ 858,739.00 |
€ 26,875.00 |
|
Longford |
€ 2,922.00 |
€ - |
|
Louth |
€ 17,039.00 |
€ 3,810.00 |
|
Mayo |
€ 30,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Meath |
€ 65,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Monaghan |
€ 400,000.00 |
€ 29,714.30 |
|
Offaly |
€ 49,379.00 |
€ 10,998.97 |
|
Roscommon |
€ 230,000.00 |
€ 102,273.72 |
|
Sligo |
€ 1,046,095.00 |
€ 75,974.44 |
|
Tipperary |
€ 25,655.00 |
€ 42,002.50 |
|
Waterford City and County |
€ 317,280.00 |
€ - |
|
Westmeath |
€ 150,000.00 |
€ - |
|
Wexford |
€ 498,801.00 |
€ - |
|
Wicklow |
€ 209,620.00 |
€ 19,393.14 |
|
Reserve |
€ 905,665.33 |
€ - |
|
TOTAL |
€ 12,000,000.00 |
€ 1,690,038.98 |
183. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46042/18]
View answerUnder Action 18 of the Strategy for the Rental Sector, a Working Group was established, involving representatives of all major public stakeholders with a policy interest in short-term lettings, to develop guidance in relation to planning applications, changes of use relating to short-term lettings and to examine the need for new regulatory arrangements, including having regard to regulations in place in other jurisdictions.
Proposals considered by the Working Group have been aimed at facilitating short-term letting of accommodation within permanent residences, known as homesharing, while protecting the existing stock of residential property in areas of high demand.
Having considered the Group's report as well as the recommendations in the Oireachtas Committee's report on short-term lettings, I recently announced plans to introduce a “one host, one home” model in areas where there is high housing demand.
Homesharing will continue to be permissible for a person’s primary residence, and such home-sharers will have to now register with their local authority. An annual cap of 90 days will apply for the renting out, on a short-term basis, i.e. for 14 days or less at a time, of a person’s entire home where it is their primary residence.
Where a person owns a second property and intends to let it as a Short Term Letting (STL), they will require planning permission to do so unless the property is already permitted to be used for tourism/short-term letting purposes. Planning permission for a change of use to STL can be sought and it will be up to each local Planning Authority to consider applications, based on guidance that will issue from my Department, taking account of housing demand pressures and other relevant factors such as cumulative impacts.
These proposed changes will not affect the operation of holiday homes as typically understood, or longer-term flexible lettings which are provided for those coming to Ireland under employment contracts.
It is intended that the new planning changes will come into effect on 1 June 2019, to allow property owners to prepare for and adapt to the new laws. In addition to revised draft exempted development planning regulations, which have been prepared, amendments to primary legislation will also be introduced which will underpin and strengthen the new proposals; drafting of these amendments is currently underway.
Any unauthorised development, including breaches of the proposed exemptions, may be the subject of planning enforcement by the relevant planning authority.
184. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the steps he is taking to ensure that 2018 social housing construction targets will be achieved by his Department, the local authorities and housing agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46049/18]
View answerMy Department is supporting local authorities in the provision of new build social housing through a range of different initiatives and schemes, including the construction of social homes on their own lands, construction delivery in conjunction with approved housing bodies and also, local authorities are working in partnership with private developers to deliver social housing construction through turnkey arrangements.
Through this range of supports, local authorities now have substantial pipelines of new build social housing projects approved, details of which can be seen in the Quarter 2 2018 Construction Status Report, which is available on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-publishes-latest-social-housing-construction-report/.
The report shows a strong build pipeline is in place with 1,067 projects and 16,351 homes already completed or in the pipeline.
While the management of the social housing delivery programmes is a matter for individual local authorities, my Department has set targets across the period 2016-2021 and is working closely with all stakeholders to accelerate delivery and further expand pipelines. In parallel with developing pipelines for delivery, ensuring that progress and delivery on ongoing projects remains on track is critical.
Data in relation to social housing construction delivery in 2018, to end Quarter 2, is available on my Department's website at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/social_housing_output_overview_q2_2018.xlsx.
Some 1,438 homes have been delivered through build programmes in the first half of the year, which includes delivery by local authorities, approved housing bodies, Part V homes and a small number of voids. Construction delivery in the second half of the year is expected to be considerably higher than delivery to end Quarter 2, in keeping with the normal annual pattern of delivery.
My Department engages with all local authorities on a regular basis regarding the delivery of social housing. This includes structured quarterly meetings to review progress and in the case of the four Dublin local authorities, monthly meetings are held. I am confident that the actions, targets and resources available to all local authorities under Rebuilding Ireland provide a strong platform for meeting our challenges in the housing sector and I am satisfied that all stakeholders are mobilised to keep delivery on track.
185. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the social housing construction targets for all local authorities in 2018; the number of these homes that have been completed by the end of quarter 3 in 2018; and the number to be completed by the end of 2018, in tabular form. [46050/18]
View answerDetails of the 2018 social housing delivery targets, including build targets, can be accessed on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-publishes-social-housing-delivery-targets-for-local-authorities-2018-2021/.
The published build targets include both local authority and approved housing body construction projects, turnkey schemes, regeneration schemes and a small number of void homes being brought back into active use through remedial build activity.
Data in relation to social housing construction delivery in 2018, to end quarter 2, is available on my Department's website at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/social_housing_output_overview_q2_2018.xlsx.
Some 1,438 homes have been delivered through build programmes in the first half of the year, which includes delivery by local authorities, approved housing bodies, Part V homes and a small number of voids. Construction delivery in the second half of the year is expected to be considerably higher than delivery to end quarter 2, in keeping with the normal annual pattern of delivery.
Data in relation to quarter 3 social housing delivery is currently being finalised by my Department and will be published when complete.
My Department engages with all local authorities on a regular basis regarding the delivery of social housing. This includes structured quarterly meetings to review progress and in the case of the four Dublin local authorities, monthly meetings are held. I am confident that the actions, targets and resources available to all local authorities under Rebuilding Ireland provide a strong platform for meeting our challenges in the housing sector.
186. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the housing (regulation of approved housing bodies) Bill will come before the Houses of the Oireachtas in view of the fact that over 500 voluntary housing bodies are not subject to statutory regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46052/18]
View answerMy Department is working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to finalise the text of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Bill for publication, subject to Government approval, shortly. While it was hoped that the Bill would be published before now, the complex nature of some of the issues involved in drafting the legislation has required additional time to work through. The Bill is expected to be published during the current Dáil term.
The Bill provides for the regulation of the social housing provider sector for the purposes of ensuring proper governance and the financial viability of the sector. This is to ensure that the State’s contribution towards Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and tenants’ interests in relation to those housing assets are safeguarded. Similarly, the Bill will provide assurance to tenants, the public and investors that the sector is well regulated.
Currently, AHBs have to be approved under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. In anticipation of the introduction of the new statutory regulatory framework under the Bill referenced above, an interim Regulation Committee for the AHB sector was established in 2014 under the auspices of the Housing Agency, which, supported by a Regulation Office based within the Agency, oversees implementation of a voluntary regulation code (VRC) for AHBs.
Since the Code was put in place, any AHB applying for housing funding from my Department and local authorities must furnish proof of compliance with the voluntary code. Only those AHBs that have undergone a satisfactory assessment as part of the annual assessment process by the Regulation Office are considered eligible for funding for the provision of social housing. At present 256 AHBs, including all the larger Tier 3 AHBs, encompassing some 95% of the AHB social housing stock, have signed up to the code.
187. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount spent on the rental accommodation scheme in 2017; and the projected amount for 2018 and 2019, respectively. [46061/18]
View answerThe Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) introduced in 2005 places responsibility on local authorities to meet the accommodation needs of people in receipt of Rent Supplement for 18 months or longer, and who are assessed as having a long-term housing need.
Expenditure on the scheme in 2017 was just under €143m. €134.34m has been allocated to RAS for each of the years 2018 and 2019. From 1 January to the end of August 2018, expenditure of €111.7m had been incurred. This provision will fund the cost to local authorities of existing RAS agreements and new transfers targeted over the period.
RAS continues to be an effective and secure form of social housing support, and remains a significant part of the suite of social housing options currently available to those who are assessed as being in need of housing support.
188. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount spent on the housing assistance payment in 2017; and the projected amount for 2018 and 2019, respectively. [46062/18]
View answerThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is funded through a combination of Exchequer monies and tenant differential rents collected in respect of HAP tenancies. Budget 2019 has increased the Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme to €422 million. This will allow for the continued support of existing HAP households and also enable the additional 16,760 households targeted under Rebuilding Ireland to be supported by HAP in 2019, as well as supporting the roll-out of the Homeless HAP Place Finder Support Service across the country.
The exchequer funding spent in 2017 and the exchequer funding allocated for 2018 and 2019, are set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Funding |
|
2017 |
€152.69m |
|
2018 |
€301m |
|
2019 |
€422m |
At the end of Quarter 2, 2018, there were over 37,750 households in receipt of HAP and over 21,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.
I am satisfied with how the HAP scheme is currently operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme under Rebuilding Ireland. My Department will continue to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review.
189. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to introduce a deer management plan for Killarney National Park; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45980/18]
View answer192. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the culling carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service since the deer on Innisfallen Island, Killarney, were found starving in March 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46057/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 189 and 192 together.
I can assure the Deputy that the deer population in Killarney National Park is carefully monitored and managed by qualified staff in my Department. As the Deputy will be aware, as part of its regular on-going management operations, the Department carries out localised annual deer counts on State lands, when appropriate. Every year, as part of this on-going management of deer populations within the Park, deer numbers may need to be reduced. Deer have the potential to impact significantly on woodlands, including the iconic yew, oak and also wet woodlands, within the Park (e.g. by bark stripping of mature trees and preventing regeneration).
The Department commissioned a comprehensive survey and report in the winter of 2016 on the distribution, population density and population structure of red deer and sika deer in Killarney National Park. The study found that the total estimated red deer density over the entire study area of 13.64km2 was some 708 deer. A further census of areas of the Park was commissioned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and conducted in Spring 2017. Following consideration of these reports, population surveys, on-going monitoring by staff and scientific advice, my Department commenced a cull in January 2018.
The cull in Killarney is carried out by trained, experienced and dedicated NPWS staff in a professional manner and is based upon scientific research. As part of this managed process, more than 120 deer have been culled since January 2018. It is not possible to estimate how many more deer will be culled in 2018 due to weather and other factors. The following points should be noted:
- The 2018 cull was decided upon following consultation with NPWS professional staff, including scientific input as required.
- Shooting of deer in the Park is carried out only by NPWS professional staff members, who are fully trained, competent, expert and licensed in the use of firearms.
- The selection of deer shot is in accordance with normal deer management protocols. The deer are shot humanely by qualified NPWS marksmen.
- The remains are processed and disposed of in full compliance with the applicable Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine guidelines, and with the involvement, as appropriate, of officials from that Department.
There is a significant challenge in attempting to balance the demands of agriculture, forestry and conservation with the need to ensure that deer populations occupying the same land resources are managed at sustainable levels, and in a responsible and ethical manner. Ultimately, however, where deer species are increasing in range and numbers, depending on the annual count and instances of damage caused by deer to habitats (especially woodland), culls need to be carried out to ensure that deer populations do not reach levels that would have negative ecological consequences.
190. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress regarding the purchase of land for the new entrance for a walkway to a location (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45988/18]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my previous reply to Parliamentary Question No. 718 of 23 October 2018. The legal process of acquiring lands from the local landowners to facilitate works to provide enhanced public access to the area has taken longer than had been anticipated and is now close to conclusion.
191. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the regional manager and district conservation officer posts will be filled for Killarney National Park (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46037/18]
View answerI am advised that the District Conservation Officer post in Killarney National Park has been filled since the 22nd October 2018, while the Regional Manager post in Killarney National Park has been filled since the 5th November 2018.
