Written Answers Nos. 217-236
217. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 355 of 25 October 2018, if she will address a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47644/18]
View answerThe person concerned was in receipt of rent supplement for which a review issued on 1/6/2018 and which subsequently closed due to failure to respond to this review by the customer. Final payment on this claim was for May 2018.
The person concerned submitted a new application for rent supplement which was received by South Kildare West Wicklow Rents Unit on 31/7/2018. The application was awarded and notification issued to the person concerned on 21/8/2018 and payment issued effective from July 2018.
To date there is no record of any contact by phone, email or in writing from the person concerned making a request for payment for June or identifying any reasons for failure to respond to the review within the requested timeframe. South Kildare West Wicklow Rents Unit telephone line operates Monday to Friday from 9.30am-12.30pm. If the person concerned wishes to discuss any aspects of her claim she should telephone during our operating hours. Alternatively, if the person concerned wishes to make a request for arrears, she should outline her reasons for seeking same in writing and this can be submitted for consideration to South Kildare West Wicklow Rent Unit, PO Box 1107, Newbridge, Co. Kildare or RentsKildareSouth@welfare.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
218. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the new youth employment support scheme does not provide for employer payment top-up; and the breakdown of national and EU funding in this regard. [47654/18]
View answerThe Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) was introduced on Monday 1st October 2018 and has been open to applications since that date.
YESS is a new work experience placement programme which is specifically targeted at jobseekers aged 18-24 years who are long-term unemployed or who face barriers to employment. YESS will aim to provide jobseekers with the opportunity to learn basic work and social skills in a supportive environment while on a three-month placement, which may be extended to six months if certain conditions are met. During the placement, participants will be paid a weekly YESS allowance by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The total weekly YESS personal rate of payment will be €229.20 per week. Participants whose underlying entitlement is in excess of that amount will continue to receive their current entitlement plus a top-up allowance of €22.50 per week
Participants on the YESS may engage in education and training provided by the placement host, or part-time education and training courses, irrespective of length and provided that it does not have an adverse impact on the placement.
Participants on the YESS will be eligible to avail of the Training Support Grant (TSG) of up to €500 on two occasions during a 12 month period where deemed necessary. This will also apply to jobseekers who are engaged with JobPath and who go on to pursue a YESS placement.
The scheme will provide a supportive structure for participants, including case officer support for both placement hosts and jobseekers. A Learning and Development Plan will be agreed between the placement host and the participant at the outset of the placement. The Plan will include a range of personal development skills as well as any specific ‘work’ skills that will be acquired during the placement and which are based on the advertised vacancy. The placement host will complete a reference for the participant at the end of the placement.
A DEASP case officer will be the key liaison person for both the placement host and the participant. The case officer will be available for support throughout the placement and will regularly review the progress of same. This will include a formal review meeting after 2 months, which will also facilitate the case officer in deciding whether to approve a request for an extension of the placement duration to 6 months, if an extension has been requested. The case officer will also provide post-programme supports to the participant for up to six months after the placement ends.
The option of an employer contribution was examined by my department; however, an employer contribution would result in the contract between the placement host and the participant becoming one of employment rather than a placement, which is not the purpose of the scheme.
YESS is co-funded by the Irish Government, the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020. Exchequer funding for YEI-supported activities is matched by separate YEI and ESF contributions. Therefore the total allocation of €16m for YESS is made up of approximately €5.333m in Exchequer funding, with matching allocations from ESF and YEI funding. As with all ESF-supported activities in Ireland, YESS is fully funded upfront by the Exchequer and applications for reimbursement of relevant expenditure are submitted to the European Commission in arrears.
219. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if it is policy that local authorities should employ quantity surveyors directly in each instance possible rather than employing external contractors on an ad hoc contract basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47464/18]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities, for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, it is a matter for each individual Chief Executive to recruit and assign staff to specific business function areas.
My Department has not issued any policy direction to local authorities in relation to the employment of quantity surveyors.
220. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of local authority loans paid out in quarter 3 of 2018 by local authority; and the number of such loans paid out to date in 2018, by local authority in tabular form. [47510/18]
View answerMy Department publishes, on a quarterly basis, data on the number and value of local authority house purchase loan drawdowns. This information, broken down by local authority area, is available on the Department's website www.housing.gov.ie at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-loan-activity
This information is currently updated to end Q2 2018; Q3 data will be published shortly.
221. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 709 of 23 October 2018, if his attention has been drawn to an incident regarding a site that his Department is funding development of in which the local authority instructed its contractor to demolish a structure and boundary walls on a neighbouring site (details supplied); if further funding will be released to remedy the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47513/18]
View answerThe management and implementation of the development in question is a matter for Wicklow County Council and its contractors. My Department is not directly involved with the specific implementation of this project.
222. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if an urgent review of policy will be implemented in regard to grants of permission for the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure such as the plan to build a large industrial terminal on the Shannon Estuary from the United States of America in view of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which warned that the world has only 12 years in which to act to prevent climate breakdown. [47527/18]
View answerMy colleague the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, leads on energy policy and my Department consults on an on-going basis with his Department on how best to achieve the transition to a low carbon economy and society.
The National Planning Framework (NPF), published together with the National Development Plan (NDP) as part of Project Ireland 2040 earlier this year, sets out an ambitious high-level national vision for Ireland for 2040, and provides the framework and principles to manage future population and economic growth over the next 20 years. The NPF builds on the commitments made by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, in the 2015 Energy White Paper, Ireland's Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future, and the Government in the 2017 National Mitigation Plan, to move from a fossil fuel-based electricity system to a low carbon power system.
With specific reference to the topic of energy infrastructure, the NPF provides a strategic framework to link planning, development and investment to climate mitigation and adaptation, through facilitating greater energy efficiency, the development of renewable energy systems and infrastructure and a more diverse energy mix.
While I have no plans at present to carry out a review of the kind referred to, I will continue to consult with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment on how the planning system can assist in the implementation and integration of climate change objectives, including the transition from fossil fuels to a low-carbon power system.
Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as Minister, I am specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Board is or may be concerned, except in very specific circumstances, which did not arise in this case.
In addition, it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment on the development referred to as it is the subject of High Court proceedings.
223. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a water issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47533/18]
View answer224. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the connection of houses in an area (details supplied) to the lower harbour drainage scheme. [47534/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together.
Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of the planning, delivery and operation of water and wastewater services at national, regional and local levels. As Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, I have no direct role in relation to the planning, delivery and operation of water and wastewater services, and I must respect the statutory authority that the Oireachtas has conferred on Irish Water in this regard.
However, I understand that the public water supply has been fully restored to the Belvelly area in recent days. I appreciate that some residents may still have concerns about water quality issues in the area and my colleague, Minister of State John Paul Phelan, undertook, in the context of a Topical Issue debate, to revert to the Deputy in the matter.
The Deputy, can, of course, also raise any outstanding matters with the dedicated team established by Irish Water to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
225. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to change the tenant purchase scheme. [47544/18]
View answerIn line with the commitment given in Rebuilding Ireland, a review of the first 12 months of the Scheme’s operation has been undertaken. The review is now complete and a full report has been prepared setting out findings and recommendations.
I hope to be in a position to publish the review shortly, following completion of consideration of a number of implementation issues arising.
226. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to change the Rebuilding Ireland loan as announced in February 2018 in view of the issues those applying for same are having; and the number of successful applicants as opposed to the number of applicants. [47545/18]
View answerThe Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme was launched in February to replace the existing House Purchase and the Home Choice Loan Schemes. The Scheme has been established under the Housing (Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan) Regulations 2018, which also provide that I as Minister issue a Statutory Credit Policy. The purpose of the Policy is to set out in more detail the eligibility criteria for obtaining a loan and procedures to be followed by local authorities in considering loan applications. In addition the Housing Agency has been given the task of carrying out assessment of the loan applications on behalf of the authorities and making recommendations in respect of each application. 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 and Statutory Credit Policy, having regard to the recommendations made by the Housing Agency.
In line with best practice, I have asked my Department to undertake a review of the operation of the Scheme. The review will have regard to the advice from local authorities, the Housing Agency and Housing Finance Agency, and will also take account of the issues raised by Dail Deputies over the last 9 months. However, in making any recommendations in relation to the operation of the Scheme, the review will also have to take account of the need to ensure that lending issued under it is provided on a prudential basis, so as to protect the financial interests of the local authorities.
The most recent figures for the scheme, as at the end of October, indicate that the Housing Agency had received a total of 3,309 applications for assessment since the scheme was launched in February. Of these, 619 were deemed invalid, while the assessment of 107 others was still in progress. Of the remainder, a total of 1,317 applications, or 51% of the total valid number assessed, had been recommended for approval.
227. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when he will announce an affordable housing scheme for those unable to purchase their own homes. [47546/18]
View answer229. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason for the delay in establishing the promised affordable housing scheme; and when full details will be issued to local authorities in relation to same. [47568/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 229 together.
I commenced the relevant provisions of Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 to provide a statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing for purchase on local authority sites. Part 5 contains significant detail on the procedures and operation of the new affordable purchase Scheme and it will be supported by associated Regulations and Guidance, which are close to finalisation following extensive consultation between my Department, the Housing Agency and local authorities. Last week, my Department hosted a workshop for all local authorities on affordable housing and local authority land activation issues.
In order to deliver affordable homes in the areas of the country most affected by a lack of affordable housing supply the Government has committed €310 million, over the 2019-2021 period under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF). It will fund key facilitating infrastructure on local authority sites to support the provision of affordable homes to purchase or rent.
All local authorities are currently undertaking economic assessments of the requirement for affordable housing in their areas and the viability to deliver such affordable housing from their sites. A second call for proposals under the Serviced Site Fund will be made as soon as is practicable and the scope of that call will be influenced by the information received from local authorities, as part of the aforementioned economic assessments, which they have been requested to submit by 30 November.
228. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 709 of 23 October 2018, the date on which his officials will hold their next quarterly meeting with Wicklow County Council to review projects funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47555/18]
View answerThe next of the meetings which are ordinarily held on a quarterly basis, between my Department's Architectural and QS Advisors and Wicklow County Council, is scheduled for 9 January 2019.
230. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when he plans to proceed with legislation to address the issue of spiralling rents in student accommodation as promised in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47569/18]
View answerMy Department is working with the Department of Education and Skills (DES), including through the forum of the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Student Accommodation which is convened by the DES, to examine the wide range of student accommodation types (and ancillary services) available with a view to considering how best to regulate pricing arrangements, including, if appropriate, new regulatory or legislative proposals. My Department is engaged in consultations with the Office of the Attorney General to scope out, with the benefit of information provided by DES on the purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) sector, the legal feasibility of introducing related amendments in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2018 as it passes through the legislative process in the Oireachtas.
It is worth noting that certain PBSA, provided by the private sector, let rooms on the basis of tenancy agreements that are registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. Other private PBSA providers let their student rooms on the basis of licensing agreements which are not classified as a tenancy and, therefore, are not within the remit of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2016.
If there is any doubt as to the type of agreement in place in respect of individual dwellings, for example whether it is a tenancy or licence, the matter should be referred to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) for a determination.
It is important that the design of any new regulatory system to be introduced is mindful of the pressing need to secure the delivery of the pipeline of PBSA development in train and does not deter future necessary investment in the sector, given the critical importance of increasing the supply of rental accommodation for students and achieving a more balanced supply/demand position.
231. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if a company (details supplied) was involved in the building of social housing; and if so, the steps he is taking to ensure quality control. [47570/18]
View answerThe data requested is currently being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
232. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his Department is part of the public sector energy reporting programme; if so, the percentage of improvement in energy efficiency to date that has been achieved; the way in which this was achieved; if his Department noted a decrease in energy efficiency in view of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan for energy efficiency targets; if targets will be met by the 2020 deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47594/18]
View answerMy Department’s Energy Policy and Environmental Policy Statements recognise that good environmental performance is as relevant in our workplace as in the home and elsewhere, and is accordingly an integral part of our day-to-day management and activities. The office environment is demanding on many resources, including energy, water, paper, equipment and other consumables. In this regard, as part of our green housekeeping policy, we have placed particular emphasis on conservation and maximising energy efficiencies. The commitment of my Department is indicated by its accreditation to ISO 14001 International Standard for Environmental Management Systems for the Custom House.
My Department has reported a 24.5% improvement in energy efficiency to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Public Sector Monitoring & Reporting (M&R) System in accordance with the provisions of the European Union (Energy Efficiency) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 426 of 2014) which transpose the Energy Efficiency Directive (Directive 2012/27/EU) into Irish Law, in respect of its offices in Ballina, Wexford and the Custom House between the baseline year 2009 and 2017. Met Éireann, which is a Division of my Department, has reported a 9.6% improvement in energy efficiency to the SEAI during the same period.
This has been achieved by staff efficiency awareness and energy saving initiatives and participation in the OPW Optimising Power@Work Programme and the SEAI’s Energy Management Action Programme (EMAP). In order to achieve further efficiency gains, major lighting efficiency projects are currently underway in Ballina and Met Éireann which are envisaged to be completed by year-end. My Department remains committed to achieving a 33% improvement in energy efficiency by the 2020 deadline.
233. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding an infrastructural development (details supplied) in County Kildare. [47547/18]
View answerWaterways Ireland commenced the development of Blueways as a means to attract new visitors to use the waterways recognising changes in recreational activity with the growth in demand for activities such as walking, canoeing, cycling and stand-up paddle boarding.
The project in question will upgrade some 115km of existing navigation towpath which is also a National Way-marked Way. These upgrades will provide a multi-use shared leisure route connecting in County Kildare passing through a number of towns.
This proposal will improve access to the Way-marked Way for a wider range of users including walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and families and will enhance safety and accessibility in all weather conditions.
The current position regarding the project is that Waterways Ireland has submitted a planning application to, inter alia, Kildare County Council for the towpath to enable it to become a Blueway. The applications were refused planning permissions in February 2018 for the ‘river’ elements of the navigation. Waterways Ireland has subsequently appealed those decisions to An Bord Pleanála and awaits their outcome.
234. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of planning and development matters in County Tipperary between 2014 and 2017 in which her Department was consulted regarding the potential impact of proposed development on the archaeological heritage; the recommended conditions in these cases; the number of planning permissions recommended for refusal in the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47564/18]
View answerUnder the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, planning authorities refer development proposals that may impact on our archaeological heritage to my Department so that recommendations can be made, as appropriate, to avoid or mitigate any such impacts.
The Regulations provide for the referral of such applications in relation to:
- a cave, site, feature or other object of archaeological, geological, scientific, ecological or historical interest,
- a monument or place recorded under section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994 (No. 17 of 1994),
- a historic monument or archaeological area entered in the Register of Historic Monuments under Section 5 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1987 (No. 17 of 1987),
- a national monument in the ownership or guardianship of the Minister under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004.
The foregoing represent of the order of 140,000 archaeological sites and monuments nationally.
Between 2014 and 2017, there were 703 such referrals to my Department in relation to planning and development matters in Co Tipperary. In response, the Department recommended the inclusion of conditions relating to archaeological protection in 144 cases. The Department advised that it could not support the granting of permission in 5 cases and appealed 2 grants of permission to An Bord Pleanála.
In responding to planning referrals, archaeological recommendations are made in line with national policy on the protection of the archaeological heritage as appropriate to the circumstances in each case. My Department's practice in all cases is to seek the inclusion of suitable conditions or design changes rather than recommending refusal which would only be considered as a last resort. This is evidenced by the small number of cases where the Department has indicated that it is not in position to support a grant of permission or has found it necessary to appeal against a planning approval.
235. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the workshops for the Heritage Ireland 2030 consultation will be announced; if she will meet with members of wildlife NGOs to discuss habitat protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47567/18]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 10 today.
My Department will be happy to meet all stakeholders with an interest in Heritage 2030. Officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service will engage with wildlife NGOs to discuss habitat protection and indeed are in ongoing liaison with various interest groups.
236. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department has received notification of a proposal from Donegal County Council to establish an emergency deprivation task force, consisting of various State agencies and Departments dedicated to the development of the Donegal Gaeltacht region; her views on the proposal of the local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47461/18]
View answer238. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has received notification of a proposal from Donegal County Council to establish an emergency deprivation task force, consisting of various State agencies and Departments, dedicated to the development of the Donegal Gaeltacht region; if her Department has to date responded to the proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47507/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 238 together.
I understand that the matter of establishing a task force, as outlined by the Deputy, was discussed at length at a meeting of Donegal Council in January of this year, on foot of a motion submitted. However, at this point in time, no notification regarding the establishment of the task force has been received either by my Department or by Údarás na Gaeltachta from Donegal County Council.
The establishment of a task force would require careful consideration. The Terms of Reference for such a task force would need to be clearly set out in advance, which would include such issues as the status of the task force, its reporting relationship into the relevant Government departments and agencies taking part and the servicing of same.
I should point out, however, that Údarás na Gaeltachta established an inter-agency working group in April 2014 to assess and propose solutions to mitigate against job losses in the Gaoth Dobhair area at that time. That working group prepared a report and action plan with the overall objective of creating 300 new jobs in the Gaoth Dobhair Business Park over the 3-year period of the action plan.
A report on the implementation of the 5 key recommendations contained in the action plan was published on 31 May 2018 and is available Údarás na Gaeltachta's website: http://www.udaras.ie/faoin-udaras/foilseachain/eile
Needless to say, any such notification referred to by the Deputy, if and when received, will be carefully considered by both my Department and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
