Interdepartmental Working Groups

Tuesday, 26 March 2019

Questions (1412)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

1412. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the working groups currently established in his Department; the focus of their work; the membership composition of each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13569/19]

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Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

Details of the working groups currently established in my Department, including the focus of their work are set out in the attached table. In answering this question, I am interpreting "working groups" broadly to include such groups as advisory groups, steering committees and expert groups.

Title of Working Group	Focus of Work of Working Group	Membership Composition
Steering Group of the Value for Money review of homelessness services	A Value for Money review of homelessness services, i.e. an evaluation of the various homelessness accommodation and supports funded by the Department	An independent chair and representatives of my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and the local government sector.
Steering Committee of the joint DHPLG/ESRI research programme on housing economics.	To provide high-level oversight and to help determine the work-plan for the programme.	An independent chair and representatives of my Department and relevant public bodies.
Inter-Departmental Group on Marine Spatial Planning	The Group advises the Department on the establishment of goals and objectives for Ireland’s National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) and assists in the drafting of the NMPF.	Representatives from various Government Departments and relevant public bodies.
Advisory Group on Marine Spatial Planning	The purpose of the Advisory Group is to harness the potential and capacity of a broad range of stakeholders in the preparation of Ireland’s National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF).	Representatives of my Department, relevant public bodies, universities, NGOs and industry & tourism representative groups.
Rural Housing Guidelines Review Working Group	To review and where necessary, recommend changes to the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing to ensure that rural housing policies and objectives contained in local authority development plans comply with EU Law.	Representatives of my Department and the Planning Divisions of local authorities.
Working Group on Disability Voting	Improving accessibility to polling stations, promoting measures to advance voting accessibility. Developing and improving ballot paper templates.	Representatives of my Department and relevant bodies.
Receivership Working Group	To examine the scope for amending legislation to provide for greater protection of tenants’ rights during the receivership process.	Representatives of my Department and other Government Departments.
Working Group on Rental Standards	To develop a national system of shared support services covering ICT, legal services, training and capacity development and resource and performance management.	Representatives of my Department, relevant public bodies and local authorities.
Housing Data Analytics Group	Reviewing the various sources of housing and housing related data collected nationally. To make recommendations to improve housing and housing related data.	Representatives of my Department, other Government Departments, relevant public bodies and local authorities.
Marine Licence Vetting Committee	The MLVC is a multi-disciplinary standing committee that provides scientific, technical and engineering advice on applications for foreshore consent.	Representatives of my Department, other relevant Government Departments and relevant public bodies.
Review of Valuation Tribunal	To identify how improvements in accountability, efficiency and effectiveness can be secured and to assess the governance structure of the Valuation Tribunal and the Department’s oversight of the Valuation Tribunal.	Representatives of my Department, Department of Public Expenditure & Reform, local authorities and the Valuation Tribunal.
Review of Schedules 3 and 4 of the Valuation Act (Valuation Act 2001)	A review of the categories of relevant property contained in the Valuation Act 2001.	Representatives of my Department, Department of Public Expenditure & Reform, local authorities and the Valuation Tribunal.
Working Group to conduct a review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services	The review is focused on the actions required to improve and sustain rural water services. The scope of the review includes all water services outside of the public (Irish Water) network.	Representatives of my Department and representatives of relevant public bodies.
Climate Adaptation Team	Coordinating and overseeing the process of preparing a climate Sectoral Adaptation Plan in respect of water quality and water services infrastructure.	Representatives of my Department, other Government Departments, local authorities and relevant public bodies.
Shannon Fish Passage Steering Group	To consider the impact of barriers to fish migration at Parteen, and to make recommendations for improving fish passage in its environs.	Representatives of my Department and of relevant public bodies.
Outputs Monitoring Group	Review key metrics in relation to investment by Irish Water, both financial and output indicators.	Representatives of my Department and relevant public bodies
Nitrates Expert Group	To advise on the Nitrates Action Programmes and to consider nitrate-related issues in relation to water quality.	Representatives of my Department, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and relevant public bodies.
Lead Mitigation Advisory Group	To consider and make recommendations on the broader Irish Water Lead Mitigation Strategy and to consider appropriate guidelines and criteria for Irish Water’s decision-making process for lead mitigation measures.	Representatives of my Department, local authorities and relevant public bodies.
Bathing Waters Expert Group	To consider mechanisms to safeguard the health of bathing water users. To develop measures to increase public awareness of and participation in the implementation of the Bathing Water Directive in Ireland (BWD). To undertake an annual review of bathing water quality data from previous bathing season.	Representatives of my Department, local authorities, relevant public bodies and NGOs.
Rates Steering Group	The Rates Steering Group was established to enable sectoral policy input to, and consultation on proposals to amend rates legislation.	Representatives of my Department and local authorities.
General Accounts Working Group	To address matters of an accounting and financial reporting nature in the local government sector.	Representatives of my Department, Heads of Finance in Local Government and Local Government Audit Service.
INSPIRE Steering Committee	Coordinate the monitoring and reporting required by the INSPIRE Directive on Geo-Spatial information.	Representatives of my Department and relevant public bodies.
Tailte Éireann Merger Project Board	To lead on the merger of 3 state bodies; Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Property Registration Authority and the Office of the Commissioner for Valuation.	Representatives of my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the relevant parties.
National Flood Forecast Warning Service – Communications Working Group	To develop a Communications Strategy for Stage 1 of the NFFWS	Representatives from Met Éireann, OPW and Local Authorities.
National Flood Forecast Warning Service – Technical Sub -Group	To discuss technical issues with respect to the NFFWS and provide recommendations to the NFFWS SG	Representatives from Met Éireann and OPW.
National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability (NHSPWD) Implementation Monitoring Group (IMG)	To oversee an implementation and monitoring framework to support the effective implementation of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability, 2011 – 2016.	Representatives of my Department, the Department of Health, relevant public bodies and charities.
Disability Consultative Committee (DCC)	To facilitate engagement between the Department and representatives from the disability sector in the implementation of actions and to monitor the Department’s input into the National Disability Inclusion Strategy.	Representatives of my Department, the Department of Health, relevant public bodies, charities and NGOs.
Homelessness Inter-Agency Group	To assist in the coordination of the State’s response to addressing homelessness.	Representatives of my Department, other Government Departments, local authorities, and Tusla.