Tuesday, 15 Jan 2019

Written Answers Nos. 1-61

Urban Development

Questions (50)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

50. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will report on his recent statement on the urban regeneration and development fund. [50451/18]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

The €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched as part of Project Ireland 2040, to support the compact growth and sustainable development of Ireland’s five cities, regional drivers and other large urban centres.

A total of 189 applications were submitted to my Department under the first call for proposals. All submissions were assessed following a three stage process and against a 10 point pre-assigned assessment criteria framework. An initial appraisal process on all submissions was carried out within my Department, with preliminary recommendations being made to a Project Advisory Board (PAB) who provided high-level input and advice as applicable per category or proposal. Following this process, preliminary proposals were presented to a management committee who brought the final recommendations to me for consideration.

On 26 November 2018, I announced details of the 88 successful applicants for funding, details of which are published on my Department's website. This included two types of project: Category A - projects that are 'ready to go' and Category B - projects which are at an earlier stage (Master-planning/Feasibility) and which will assist in forming a future pipeline of projects, as the URDF is a rolling fund, with €2 billion available to 2027.

Successful bid proposals have been approved in principle, subject to final agreement of technical details with my Department, and the funding allocations should be regarded as an initial investment of support for the projects. My Department will be meeting with successful applicants, as necessary, over the coming weeks to discuss the detailed progression of proposals on foot of which contract agreements and associated documentation will be finalised.

It became apparent during the assessment process that there was a further category of Project, described as ‘Category C’, which comprised projects that could not be funded as part of the initial call, but are likely to have strong potential as part of future calls, subject to further development and, in some cases, refinement. My Department is providing feedback to the proposers of these projects also.

It is expected that a second call for proposals under the Fund will be launched later in the first quarter of this year.

Housing Data

Questions (51)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

51. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of rapid build properties constructed under Rebuilding Ireland to date; the number tenanted to date; the number of properties delivered to date via the vacant housing funds including the rolling €70 million allocated to the Housing Agency, the repair and lease scheme and the buy and renew scheme; and the reason there is such a large gap between the targets set in 2016 and delivery to date. [1433/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

Since 2016, some 40 rapid delivery projects have been added to the social housing construction pipeline and these are expected to yield in the region of 1,100 homes over the period to 2021. While data in relation to Q4 2018 outputs is currently being compiled, data up to Q3 2018 shows that 325 homes had been delivered under the programme. The allocation and tenanting of these and all social housing homes is a matter for the relevant local authority.

In relation to the repair and leasing scheme- to end Q3 2018, a total of 1,214 applications had been received from property owners; 48 homes had been brought back into use and were tenanted; and a further 122 agreements for lease had been signed. In addition, over 250 social housing homes have been delivered to date through the buy & renew scheme, including some properties that may have initially been considered under the repair and leasing scheme.

Under the Housing Agency €70 million Fund, the Agency had bids accepted on 874 homes at end November 2018, 814 of which were vacant. Contracts have been signed for 571 homes and 531 of these purchases have closed.

Each local authority now has a dedicated Vacant Homes Office, whose work includes establishing a co-ordinated approach towards the implementation of their Vacant Homes Action Plans. Having undertaken initial vacancy assessments within their administrative areas, and drilling down into the available vacancy statistical data, it appears that a significant proportion of potentially vacant residential properties are not in areas of high demand for housing. Notwithstanding this, my Department will continue to work closely with local authorities and other key stakeholders to ensure that all reasonable avenues for addressing vacancy are pursued.

Question No. 52 answered orally.

Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility

Questions (53, 68, 69, 86, 95, 102, 1142, 1150, 1171)

Aindrias Moynihan

Question:

53. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the review of income limits for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1469/19]

Brian Stanley

Question:

68. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to review the income thresholds to qualify for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1295/19]

Darragh O'Brien

Question:

69. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the review of the income eligibility limits for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1313/19]

Brendan Smith

Question:

86. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the review of income eligibility limits for social housing will be published; when the limits will be increased; if his attention has been drawn to the particular difficulties in areas such as in counties Cavan and Monaghan in which income limits are very low; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1419/19]

Brendan Smith

Question:

95. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the review of income eligibility limits for social housing will be finalised and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1420/19]

Brian Stanley

Question:

102. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if there has been an assessment in recent years of the qualification criteria needed to qualify for social housing in particular in regard to income thresholds applied by local authorities. [1296/19]

Aindrias Moynihan

Question:

1142. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the review of income eligibility for social housing will be completed. [54543/18]

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

1150. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the 2018 review of income eligibility levels for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1076/19]

Robert Troy

Question:

1171. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the review of the income eligibility limits for social housing applications will be published. [1326/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 53, 68, 69, 86, 95, 102, 1142, 1150 and 1171 together.

The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands according to the area concerned, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy.

The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs, plus a comparative analysis of the local rental cost of housing accommodation across the country. It is important to note that the limits introduced at that time also reflected a blanket increase of €5,000 introduced prior to the new system coming into operation, in order to broaden the base from which social housing tenants are drawn, both promoting sustainable communities and also providing a degree of future-proofing.

As part of the broader social housing reform agenda, a review of income eligibility for social housing supports in each local authority area is underway. The Housing Agency is continuing to carry out the detailed statistical work, which will underpin this review, on behalf of my Department.

The review will also have regard to current initiatives being brought forward in terms of affordability and cost rental and will be completed when the impacts of these parallel initiatives have been considered.

Approved Housing Bodies

Questions (54)

Alan Farrell

Question:

54. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if a cost benefit analysis of the provision of funding to approved housing bodies towards the construction of social homes in 2018 built for local authorities has been conducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1361/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are an important social housing delivery partner, working closely with local authorities throughout the country to deliver new homes. In 2018, they again contributed significantly to the output of new build social housing and there was a clear demonstration of increasing capacity to deliver. Of particular importance are AHBs' potential to harness non-Exchequer investment in social housing, as well as their specialist expertise in tenant and estate management and in the provision of special needs housing.

Through local authorities, my Department provides AHBs with access to a range of funding streams to assist with the delivery of social housing, including construction activity. All funding schemes seek to secure value for money for the Exchequer and the highest quality social housing homes for those on local authorities' waiting lists. This is done by ensuring that the relevant local authority is fully supportive and approves of the project, requiring independent valuations of costs for all construction, acquisition and leasing projects, adhering to unit cost ceilings which also apply to local authorities, and undertaking an independent financial appraisal of certain projects.

As part of the 2018 Spending Review process, an analysis of current and capital expenditure on social housing supports, including the supports available to AHBs, was carried out by the Irish Government Evaluation and Economic Service (IGEES). The findings of this review, together with the work of my own Department and local authorities in respect of the management of the individual funding streams, provide assurance that appropriate value for money scrutiny is in place in relation to AHB activity in the provision of social housing.

Commercial Rates

Questions (55)

Willie Penrose

Question:

55. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to address the negative impact of rates on small businesses in small villages and towns in rural Ireland. [52144/18]

Written answers

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

Local authorities have a statutory obligation to levy rates on property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details in the valuation lists prepared by the Commissioner of Valuation. The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV), decided by local authority members annually, is applied to the valuation determined by the Valuation Office, to calculate the amount payable. Rates income is vital to the delivery of local services and the elected members adopt the ARV they consider necessary in order to provide those services.

The national average ARV has not changed significantly in recent years. It decreased slightly each year from 2010 to 2015 and increased, only slightly, each year from 2016 to 2018.

Local authorities may offer assistance or money in kind in order to promote the interests of the local community, which includes the economic and general development of the administrative area of the authority concerned. Local authorities also work closely with ratepayers experiencing difficulty in the payment of rates and facilitate flexible payment options that reflect capacity to pay.

The Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018 was published in August 2018 and includes provisions to allow local authorities to introduce rates alleviation schemes to support policy objectives, including, local economic and community plans; development objectives and national planning policies. I hope the Bill can be progressed through both Houses as early as possible this year.

Housing Assistance Payment

Questions (56)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

56. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will address the perceived inadequacies with the new housing assistance payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1309/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) provides fast, flexible housing support to all eligible households in their area of their choice. Individuals, who in the past were reluctant to avail of full time work as they would lose their Rent Supplement support, can now move to HAP and avail of full-time employment and retain their housing support, with an adjustment in their differential rent.

At the end of Q3 2018 there were more than 40,000 households having their housing needs met via HAP and over 25,000 landlords and agents in receipt of monthly HAP payments. As HAP is a social housing support and consequently households are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list, Ministerial directions have issued to ensure that, should they so choose, HAP recipients can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support through a transfer list.

Guidelines on inter-authority movement were introduced in 2017 to allow local authorities to facilitate movement of HAP households currently on one local authority's waiting list, who wish to access rented accommodation with HAP support in another local authority area, subject to conditions.

The Homeless HAP Place Finder Service provides all local authorities with the option to pay deposits and advance rental payments for any households in emergency homeless accommodation, in order to secure accommodation via the HAP Scheme. I continue to keep the operation of HAP under review but I am currently satisfied with how the scheme is operating.

Pyrite Issues

Questions (57)

Clare Daly

Question:

57. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to commission a review of the pyrite remediation scheme. [1188/19]

Written answers

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

The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” for affected homeowners who have no other practical option to obtain redress and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out on the Pyrite Remediation Board’s website at www.pyriteboard.ie.

The provisions of the Act apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive pyrite in the subfloor hardcore material and not to damage arising in any other circumstance, e.g. such as pyrite in concrete blocks. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. Dwellings which do not have a Damage Condition Rating of 2 are not eligible to apply under the scheme. This ensures that, having regard to the available resources, the focus of the scheme is on dwellings which are most severely damaged by pyritic heave.

I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion or to commence a review of the scheme more generally.

Pyrite Issues

Questions (58, 85)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

58. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the action he plans to take to help homeowners in Fingal who require remediation work for their homes due to the contamination of concrete blocks with pyrite and mica; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1217/19]

Clare Daly

Question:

85. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to expand the pyrite scheme to support homeowners with evidence of mica contamination in blocks in north Leinster and beyond; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1187/19]

Written answers

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 85 together.

Neither I, nor my Department, are aware of any existing issue that has emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in the Fingal area.

As you are aware, an Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks was established by my Department in 2016, and its terms of reference were limited to the investigation of the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Counties Donegal and Mayo.

In 2017, the report of the Expert Panel was published and included eight recommendations, which my Department is actively progressing. Further to recommendation 1 of the report of the Expert Panel, a standardised protocol was published by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) on 13 November 2018 and is available at www.nsai.ie.

This standard can be used by homeowners anywhere in the country, including Fingal, to assess and categorise the damage in properties where the concrete blocks are suspected to contain the minerals mica or pyrite and it will inform the course of action in relation to remedial works for all such affected properties.

Previously, there was no common way for engineers or homeowners to assess the damage caused by defective concrete blocks, in order to decide what, if any, remedial work could be carried out. It is important, however to note, that in general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved: the homeowner, the builder, the developer and/or their respective insurers, structural guarantee or warranty scheme.

Local Authority Housing Applications Data

Questions (59, 90)

Mick Barry

Question:

59. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of new local authority builds here in 2018. [1457/19]

Darragh O'Brien

Question:

90. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the output of social housing new build in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1315/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 90 together.

Over the course of the 6-year Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, the Government is committed to meeting the housing needs of over 137,000 households. The implementation of Rebuilding Ireland is well underway and making significant progress. Annual delivery targets were exceeded in 2016 and again in 2017. By end September 2018, over 63,700 additional social housing solutions had already been provided under the plan.

The latest data in relation to social housing delivery sets out the position at end Q3 2018 and is published on my Department's website. This shows that some 18,781 additional housing solutions had been provided across all local authorities in the first nine months of 2018. This represents 74% of the overall target for 2018 and an increase of 6,423 on the position at end Q2.

In terms of build activity, 2,369 social housing homes, or 48% of the target for 2018, were delivered in the first 9 months of the year. Excluding voids, 1,764 new build homes were delivered at end Q3 2018, comprising 833 local authority build, 582 Approved Housing Body build and 349 Part V homes.

Data in relation to Q4 2018 is currently being compiled and will be published shortly. I am satisfied that the overall national social housing target of delivering approximately 25,500 social housing solutions in 2018 will be met and that, within that, a strong performance on new build delivery will have been achieved.

The picture will, of course, vary from one local authority area to another, in terms of what was achieved. Last January, I committed to publishing individual targets for housing delivery in each Local Authority area in 2018, to enable greater transparency and accountability when it comes to increasing the stock of social housing. The Government has committed over €6 billion to Rebuilding Ireland and it is vital that taxpayer funding is used efficiently and transparently to deliver new homes.

Targets for 2018 were published and, in conjunction with delivery information for the fourth quarter of last year, I will publish full year delivery details by local authority, measured against the targets set at the beginning of the year. Following another Housing Summit later this month, this process will be repeated for 2019.

With the policy, resources and funding in place, it is up to local authorities to ensure delivery, and I will continue to work with them to ensure the accelerated delivery of much needed homes for our citizens.

Housing Issues

Questions (60)

Tony McLoughlin

Question:

60. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the roll-out of the Rebuilding Ireland programme in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1311/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

Rebuilding Ireland sets out a range of actions to tackle the challenges in the housing sector across a number of key areas. Specifically the Plan sets out a number of actions, with substantial public funding support, to address the social housing needs of over 137,000 households over the period 2016 to 2021. This includes delivering an additional 50,000 social housing units, with a further 87,000 households having their housing need met through the Housing Assistance Payment and the Rental Accommodation Scheme, all supported by over €6 billion of investment.

Sligo County Council is progressing the delivery of social housing under a range of programmes, in line with the targets set for them under the Plan. Their progression in this regard can be seen through the information that is made publicly available as part of the implemention of Rebuilding Ireland. The social housing delivery targets out to 2021 for all local authorities, including Sligo, are available 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/. Each local authority's delivery against these targets is published on a quarterly basis on my Department’s website, with data on delivery up to end Q3 2018 available at the following link: https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Data on social housing delivery for end Q4 2018 is being collated and will be published shortly.

A detailed breakdown of the new social housing build programme is available at the following link, which also covers the period up to end Q3 2018: http://rebuildingireland.ie/install/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CSR-Q3-2018-Final-Report-1.pdf.

I am pleased to see concrete progress being made on this programme by Sligo County Council, where 66 new social homes commenced construction at Knappagh Road, Rosses Point, Ballymote, Collooney and St Joseph's Terrace in late 2018. Sligo Council added a further 82 social housing homes to their construction pipeline last year and I understand they are working to bring forward more projects at various locations to meet local housing need.

In general terms, Sligo County Council had a target for delivery of 239 social housing homes in 2018. To end Q3 2018, the Council had delivered a total of 328 homes across all programmes. I am pleased to see this progress with new projects, on top of what has been already delivered, and I have assured them that the necessary funding to support their activity is available.

Vacant Properties

Questions (61, 103, 105)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

61. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will report on the vacant homes action plan with details across the country of the repair and lease scheme, compulsory purchase of vacant homes and the vacant site levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1386/19]

Mick Wallace

Question:

103. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he is satisfied that the vacant site levy is working to its full potential in its current format; his views on whether site owners are utilising loopholes in the legislation to avoid paying the tax; his plans to amend the legislation with a view to tightening up the definition of a vacant site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1475/19]

Mick Wallace

Question:

105. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his views on whether local authorities are not utilising their powers under the compulsory purchase order to supply land for social and affordable housing; his further views on whether certain local authorities appear to be ignoring their requirement under the legislation enacting the vacant site levy; his plans to issue a new circular with regard to the vacant site levy to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1478/19]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 103 and 105 together.

All local authorities have drawn up Vacant Homes Action Plans to identify the scale of vacant residential homes and to set ambitious but realistic targets for the number of vacant homes that can be brought back into use. In addition, each local authority now has a dedicated Vacant Homes Office, whose work includes establishing a co-ordinated approach towards the implementation of their Vacant Homes Action Plans. I have also published the National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, containing a range of objectives and key actions which will be pursued in partnership with stakeholders across the housing sector to address vacancy in our housing stock. It draws together the strands of ongoing work in one document with a clear vision for the areas to be prioritised for continued action.

My Department and local authorities have already been proactive in dealing with vacant properties and there are a number of schemes available to incentivise reactivating suitable dwellings into the liveable housing stock. While the initial national rollout of the innovative Repair and Lease Scheme did not yield as much progress as hoped for, the scheme was reviewed and improvements were made to render it more effective. Up to end Q3 2018, a total of 1,214 applications had been received under the scheme from property owners; 48 homes had been brought back into use and were tenanted; and a further 122 agreements for lease had been signed. In addition, over 250 social housing homes have been delivered to date through the buy & renew scheme, including some properties that may have initially been considered under the repair and leasing scheme.

In relation to compulsory purchase, the approval or confirmation of proposals for the compulsory purchase of land is a matter for An Bord Pleanála. In this connection, the 2017 Annual Report of the Board - the latest report available - outlines that there was an increase in the number of compulsory acquisition cases coming before the Board. Much of this increase was attributable to the increased use of CPO powers by local authorities to acquire individual vacant or derelict houses for social housing purposes, which is a positive development.

The use of CPO powers by local authorities to acquire land specifically for social and affordable housing is not presently a notable feature of local authorities' housing delivery programmes with the primary focus currently being on the use of existing local authority or State-owned land banks for this purpose. Instead, where local authorities have been using their CPO powers to acquire land for housing related purposes, it has been more focused on the acquisition of land to facilitate the provision of site access and other enabling infrastructure to support the development of housing schemes through the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF).

In relation to the vacant site levy, planning authorities are empowered under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market value of relevant vacant sites where a site exceeds 0.05 hectares in area, was in the planning authority’s opinion vacant or idle in the previous year, and is in an area identified by the planning authority in its development plan or local area plan for residential or regeneration development. As signaled in Budget 2019, the rate of the levy has been increased to 7%, which will be payable for the first time in January 2020 in respect of sites listed on a local authority vacant site register for 2019.

My Department has actively engaged with local authorities in relation to the implementation of the vacant site levy in order to ensure the consistent application of the levy provisions by all local authorities and to facilitate the sharing of best implementation practice. My Department has also provided detailed guidance on the implementation of the levy and organised information seminars for local authorities in this regard.

While my Department does not maintain a central register of vacant sites, as each local authority administers the vacant site register in respect of their own functional areas, on foot of a recent review of the on-line vacant site registers across all local authority areas, it is understood that there are collectively over 380 individual sites currently listed on the local registers. Over 140 of these sites were entered on the local vacant site registers on 1 January 2018 and will therefore be subject to the levy at the 3% rate in 2019, unless development works were activated in the interim, with all sites listed on the local registers in 2019 being subject to the higher 7% levy in January 2020, unless development works have been activated in the meantime.

My Department will continue to monitor implementation of the levy to ensure that it is being effectively applied, in line with its intended purpose of incentivising the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas. In that context, my Department is currently examining the most recent progress reports received from local authorities in relation to the levy's implementation.