Written Answers Nos. 379-398
379. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of shared ownership housing arrangements that remain in place by local authority; the number of such arrangements that have been restructured involving the rolling-up of all outstanding debt under a shared ownership arrangement into a single annuity loan since 1 April 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36515/20]
View answerMy Department collects information on Shared Ownership Loans from local authorities. There are currently active 2,525 Shared Ownership Loans in place, as set out in the following table.
|
Local Authority |
Shared Ownership Loans |
|
Carlow County Council |
12 |
|
Cavan County Council |
24 |
|
Clare County Council |
84 |
|
Cork City Council |
55 |
|
Cork County Council |
308 |
|
DLR County Council |
48 |
|
Donegal County Council |
127 |
|
Dublin City Council |
473 |
|
Fingal County Council |
159 |
|
Galway City Council |
7 |
|
Galway County Council |
34 |
|
Kerry County Council |
50 |
|
Kildare County Council |
188 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
40 |
|
Laois County Council |
144 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
1 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
98 |
|
Longford County Council |
36 |
|
Louth County Council |
9 |
|
Mayo County Council |
16 |
|
Meath County Council |
45 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
16 |
|
Offaly County Council |
15 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
10 |
|
Sligo County Council |
79 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
104 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
76 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
180 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
33 |
|
Wexford County Council |
19 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
35 |
|
Total |
2,525 |
In relation to the number of shared ownership loans that have been restructured since 1 April 2016, the information requested is not readily available in the format required. However it can be sent directly to the Deputy when the information has been complied.
380. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria for town status to be bestowed on a high population catchment area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36635/20]
View answerThe Local Government Reform Act 2014 established municipal districts as the fundamental sub-county level of governance and democratic representation in the State. Separate town councils are not provided for under the Act. Municipal districts are a key decision-making component, with specified reserved powers, of plenary councils and each municipal district can include several towns and their hinterlands.
The Programme for Government commits to ensuring a strong voice for towns at the heart of local authority decision making. It also commits to considering the review by the Institute of Public Administration regarding the role and operation of municipal districts with a view to strengthening local democracy and to identifying local needs and initiatives needed to strengthen and grow our communities, villages and towns in a sustainable manner.
This review, which was published on 25 June 2020, is available on the Institute's website at https://www.ipa.ie/_fileUpload/Documents/MunicipalReport_June2020.pdf.
Prior to the 2014 Reform Act, qualified electors of a town, having a population of at least 7,500, could petition their County Council and the Local Government Commission to recommend that the Minister establish a new Town Council under the criteria set out in the Local Government Act, 2001. However, these provisions are no longer in force and the strategic focus is to achieve a stronger, more effective and more responsive local government system. The municipal district model is a key element of this, as an innovative system of sub-county governance designed to strengthen local government, through more effective local community-focused decision making and democratic accountability and representation. Subsidiarity is thereby enhanced while, at the same time, achieving the benefits of greater integration, such as the removal of duplication, the reduction of corporate overhead, a more integrated administration and more effective local government generally.
381. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if funding will be provided for a collaborative town centre health check for Drogheda, County Louth; his views on whether such an initiative should be undertaken to support the regeneration of the town centre area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36638/20]
View answerThe Collaborative Town Centre Health Check is an initiative of the Heritage Council which is funded by my Department. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for the Heritage Council is oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie.
382. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if planning guidelines permit for planning permission applications to be considered on economic grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36760/20]
View answerA County Development Plan (CDP) provides the strategic framework and policy context for all local planning decisions. The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, (“the Act”) reinforces the role of the development plan as the primary strategic statement on land-use planning at city and county levels, and provides a clearly defined context for the formulation and content of planning applications. The making of a CDP is a reserved function of elected members of each local authority.
It is a matter for each local authority to determine city and county development plan policies to which they will have regard when determining planning applications. The Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2007) issued by my Department under Section 28 of the Act, outlines that the land-use policies of the development plan must be informed by and reflect the socio-economic and cultural considerations of the strategies for economic, social and cultural development of a city/county. Economic and social considerations are central to proper planning and sustainable development and must underpin the strategy, policies and specific objectives of the plan.
My Department is currently reviewing and updating the Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities to assist with the review of development plans and it is my aim to have draft Guidelines published for public consultation by the end of the year.
383. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the percentage contribution homeowners availing of the pyrite remediation scheme have had to make towards the full cost of repairing their homes; and if the homeowners availing of the scheme are compensated for relocation costs during the repair works to their homes. [36771/20]
View answerThe Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency.
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.
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 in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website, www.pyriteboard.ie.
The scheme is applicable to dwellings, which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established, in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2017 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In this regard, 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.
Once a dwelling is included in the Scheme, the cost of testing, damage verification, professional services and remediation works are borne by the Scheme. A scheme participant may recoup the vouched cost of the Building Condition Assessment, subject to a maximum limit of €500 (including VAT). This may be recouped from the Housing Agency once the dwelling is approved for inclusion in the Scheme.
The vouched cost of the alternative accommodation, required for the dwelling occupants during the remediation works, can be recouped by the scheme participant. Recoupment of the vouched cost is subject to a monthly maximum limit of €1,500 (including VAT) and an overall limit of €4,500 (including VAT) per dwelling.
The vouched costs in relation to the removal, storage and return of the furniture in the dwelling, equipment and effects can be recouped by the scheme participant, subject to a maximum limit of €2,500 (including VAT) per dwelling.
Where the scheme participant satisfies the Housing Agency in advance that suitable rental accommodation cannot be obtained for €4,500 or less, the alternative accommodation and the removal and storage expenses may be combined, but are subject to an overall limit of €7,000 (including VAT).
The average all-in cost of remediation in 2019 was €65,000 per dwelling. There can be significant variation in costs, with one-off houses generally having larger ground floor areas being the most expensive.
384. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the financial supports he will provide to Donegal County Council to assist it to make the estimated 1,000 homes in its housing stock affected by mica defective concrete blocks safe for tenants; and if this financial support will be additional to financial supports Donegal County Council would expect under the public house building programme. [36772/20]
View answerMy Department provides significant funding support to local authorities in terms of various targeted housing stock upgrade programmes.
In respect of local authority housing stock in Donegal impacted by defective concrete blocks, further evaluation of the issue is being undertaken by Donegal County Council. Once this evaluation is complete my Department will consider the requirements necessary to resolve the matter with Donegal County Council.
385. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Kerry County Council does not have a general housing acquisition programme for 2020 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36773/20]
View answerThe supply of social housing is in the first instance a matter for each local authority in line with local housing need. My Department supports local authorities through the policy and legislative framework and the range of funding schemes and delivery channels available.
In the case of Kerry County Council, I welcome that their social housing construction programme pipeline has increased significantly for 2020 and 2021. It is important that this momentum is maintained and that the resources of the local authority remain focused on the construction programme.
In respect of acquisitions in 2020, as part of the response to addressing homelessness, particularly the Housing First programme, the need to target one-bedroom properties for that programme has been emphasised by my Department in communications with all local authorities.
My Department has also discussed with all local authorities a need to focus acquisitions on other priority situations, for example, on tenants with particular needs, or in areas of need where there may be no other scope for delivery due, for example to lack of suitable lands for development or infrastructural deficits.
Acquisitions also remain an important part of the local authority response to issues such as vacancy and dereliction.
386. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date he plans to make an official announcement and launch of an affordable housing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36776/20]
View answer388. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the legislation for an affordable housing scheme; when it will come before Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36835/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 388 together.
In Budget 2021, the total funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes was €3.3 billion. From this sum, €110 million was ring-fenced for a new national Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme and a new Cost Rental Equity Loan facility to help deliver Cost Rental homes. Both of these programmes will begin in 2021.
€75 million will be allocated to the affordable purchase shared equity scheme. I intend to target the scheme at first time buyers, who are seeking to buy a new home but who cannot quite secure the full mortgage amount to do so at the present time. Subject to the final qualifying criteria, the scheme would see the State take a limited equity stake in a property, in order to help more people meet the cost of buying a new home with their available mortgage.
To this end, significant preparatory work has already been carried out by my Department working primarily with the Housing Agency and the Department of Finance. Intensive engagement continues with key stakeholders informing the final detailed parameters of the scheme, as well as with home builders to seek to increase the output of new homes in response to the new scheme.
In addition, €35m has been allocated to the new Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) facility to support Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to deliver approximately 350 Cost Rental homes at scale from next year. Added to the 50 Cost Rental homes that will be delivered in Enniskerry Road, Stepaside in Q3 2021, it will accelerate delivery in this new sector in advance of the Land Development Agency's planned future output and the work of local authorities. This scheme will leverage the proven expertise and capacity of the AHBs, demonstrated in their development and management of social housing units.
The CREL scheme will see financing made available to AHBs on favourable terms to cover 30% of the costs for Cost Rental homes. CREL funding will be provided on similar terms to the existing Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) model which is extensively used by AHBs for social housing. In terms of the remaining 70% of capital costs, subject to appropriate conditions, it is anticipated that long term competitive financing will be made available to the AHBs by the Housing Finance Agency. This will allow cost-covering rents to be set at a lower level and so making them more affordable for tenants. Further details on the scheme will be announced in due course.
I intend to bring forward any necessary provisions to underpin these schemes in a forthcoming Affordable Housing Bill which will be brought to Government in the coming weeks.
387. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of establishing a land development agency in Cork city; the number of staff to be assigned; the specific roles and grades of staff; and the timeline on the delivery of projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36804/20]
View answerThe Land Development Agency (LDA) was established on an interim basis in September 2018, by way of an Establishment Order made under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971, pending the enactment of primary legislation when it will be established as a commercial State agency.
A Cork Docklands Delivery Office was recently established by Cork City Council in partnership with the Land Development Agency. This focus of this office is on supporting and catalysing the Cork Docklands area.
The LDA have advised the Department that there are plans to recruit a programme lead in the near future to initiate the office which will also be supported by Cork City Council and the LDA. The delivery office will be staffed by a small group of staff with roles and levels to be finalised upon completion and agreement of the business plan and exact workstreams.
As with all State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department, arrangements have been put in place by the LDA through which Oireachtas members can request information directly from the Agency in relation to operational matters - in this regard, the LDA may be contacted directly at oireachtas@lda.ie.
389. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which his Department’s annual amount for contingent liability is set; the factors considered when setting contingent liability; if forecasting is undertaken regarding setting future amounts; the contingent liability figure for his Department for 2020; and if the contingent has been utilised to date in 2020. [36907/20]
View answerMy Department does not make specific provision for contingent liabilities in the accounts. They are disclosed by way of a standard note with regard to legal proceedings in the Appropriation Account. In the case of my Department this reference relates to the Mahon Tribunal.
The contingent liability for the Mahon Tribunal is set through consultation with the Registrar of the Tribunal, and the Head of Legal Costs at the State Claims Agency (SCA), which is charged with negotiating Third Party Claims resulting from the Tribunal. The factors that are considered in setting the contingent amount are:
- An estimate of the outstanding Third Party Claims – recoupments of costs incurred by persons in dealings with the Tribunal (as these are negotiated by the SCA it is difficult to predict an accurate figure);
- An estimate of anticipated possible High Court costs – the costs of litigation in which the Tribunal has been engaged (again difficult to accurately predict); and
- Outstanding operational costs associated with the Tribunal – including administration and Tribunal internal legal fees.
Forecasting is difficult as the timeline of expenditure is dependent on the submission of claims by Third Parties, which is outside the control of the Department.
The cost of the Tribunal up to the end of October 2020 was €140.6m. The estimated final cost is expected to be €144.7m.
390. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, at the proposed end of the current Covid-19 level 5 restrictions on 1 December 2020 and-or when the ban on the implementation of eviction notices ends ten days later, he will extend the ban on the implementation of eviction notices until such time as all level 2, 3 and 4 Covid-19 restrictions are also lifted in order that tenants that face the threat of eviction from 10 December 2020 are not made homeless due to the fact that they are not allowed visit the homes of prospective landlords with a view to renting alternative shared accommodation on account of the restrictions on visits by non-household members and to non-household members under levels 2, 3 and 4; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36917/20]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Act 2020 was enacted and came into operation on 24 October 2020 to help mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on tenants and to support the efforts of Government in restricting the movement of people in order to suppress the spread of Covid 19. The Act modifies the operation of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020 to prevent any notices of termination served by landlords, in all but limited cases such as anti-social behaviour, from taking effect in geographical locations and during periods specified by the Minister for Health in Regulations made by him under section 31A of the Health Act 1947 in respect of which a restriction applies on the movement of people outside a 5 km radius of their place of residence.
The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 8) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 448 of 2020) came into effect on 22 October 2020 and are expected to expire on 1 December 2020.
Regulation 5 provides that a person shall not leave his or her place of residence without reasonable excuse. Regulation 5(2)(p) provides for a reasonable excuse for travelling or moving in order to "move to another residence where, in all the circumstances of the case, such movement is reasonably necessary".
The Property Services Regulatory Authority, under the remit of the Department of Justice, has updated its Property Services Providers Guidance to implementing Plan for Living with Covid 19 which is available here:
http://www.psr.ie/en/PSRA/Pages/WP20000008.
The enhanced tenancy protections under the Residential Tenancies Act 2020 are designed to operate when most needed by tenants during times of the most severe restrictions on people's movements.
Separately, the provisions of the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 which came into effect from 1 August 2020, provide enhanced protections for those tenants who are facing rent arrears due to Covid-19 and, as a result, are at risk of losing their tenancy. If a tenant’s ability to pay rent has been impacted by Covid-19 and the tenant meets specific criteria, new procedures and protections under that Act apply. Tenants who follow these procedures cannot be required to vacate their rental accommodation before 11 January 2021, and are not required to pay any rent increase in respect of the period ending 10 January 2021.
My Department has published a guidance document, the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020: What this Means for Landlords and Tenants, which sets out exactly what is expected as the rental protections under the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 expire, and provides details on the new protections for tenants in rent arrears and the income and other supports available to tenants and landlords. This guidance document clearly explains the new rent arrears procedure for both landlords and tenants facing rent arrears. The Guidance document is available on the Department's website - www.housing.gov.ie - and on the RTB's website - www.rtb.ie.
391. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authority houses accessed annually for accessibility for disabled persons. [36932/20]
View answerLocal authorities are responsible for the provision of social housing in their areas, and, as such, decide on the number and specific types of dwellings to provide in their developments, based on identified need. My Department oversees national social housing delivery at programme and scheme level and does not hold specific details in relation to the accessibility of individual dwellings for disabled persons.
Social housing is built to the design standards set out in the guidelines 'Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities' which are available at https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad%2C1979%2Cen.pdf. In preparing these Guidelines, particular account was taken of the objectives of government policy on sustainability, including access for people with disabilities and meeting the varied needs of occupants through their lifetime.
The design approach to social housing seeks to eliminate barriers to accessibility for all users - particularly older people, and those with mobility impairment or other disability. Where units are being designed for those with disabilities, the Guidelines refer to the National Disability Authority publication 'Building for Everyone: Inclusion, Access and Use'.
New buildings and extensions or material alterations to existing buildings must comply with the legal minimum performance standards set out in the Building Regulations 1997 - 2019. In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access.
Part M of the Building Regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.
392. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of the local authority housing stock currently available that is accessible for disabled persons. [36933/20]
View answerIt is a matter for local authorities to ensure that the number and specific types of dwellings provided in their social housing developments meet local needs. My Department does not hold details on the proportion of local authority housing stock that is accessible for disabled persons, that granular information dwelling level information would be a matter for local authorities.
The Programme for Government commits to increasing the social housing stock by more than 50,000, with an emphasis on new builds. In 2021, the total funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes is €3.3bn. This includes funding to deliver 12,750 social homes through build, acquisition and leasing, with a particular focus on build.
Design standards for social housing are set out in the guidelines 'Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities' which are available at https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad%2C1979%2Cen.pdf.
393. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the mechanisms in place for assessing the effectiveness of the National Housing Strategy for Persons with a Disability 2011; and the impact it has had on disabled persons’ lives. [36934/20]
View answerThe National Housing Strategy for people with a Disability (NHSPWD) 2011-2016 and associated National Implementation Framework were jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health. They set out the Government’s broad framework for the delivery of housing for people with disabilities and were developed as part of a coherent framework in conjunction with the Government’s mental health policy, A Vision for Change (2008), and the report of the working group on congregated settings, Time to Move on from Congregated Settings (2011). In 2016, the Strategy was extended to allow it to continue to achieve its aims.
Implementation of identified actions in the NHSPWD is being driven primarily by the Housing Agency by means of a dedicated sub-group comprising representatives from my Department, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Department of Health, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and various disability representative organisations. The Housing subgroup, established in 2012, is progressing a range of priority actions. An Implementation Monitoring Group (IMG) was established in 2012 to monitor and report on progress, and has met on sixteen occasions since then with a further meeting scheduled for December 2020. Five progress reports on implementation covering the period September 2012 to December 2018, have been published by the IMG to date. These comprehensive reports are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/policy/people-disability/housing-people-disability.
The National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability will be reviewed by my Department and the Department of Health in 2021.
394. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the housing supports available for disabled persons that do not qualify for social housing supports. [36935/20]
View answerMy Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to support the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older Persons and Persons with a Disability. The grants are available to applicants to assist in the carrying out of works which are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a privately owned home more suitable for the accommodation needs of an older person or a person with a disability.
The detailed administration of the grants, including the assessment, approval and prioritisation of grants to applicants under the various measures, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. Exchequer funding of €55.267m was made available in 2019 for the payment of 10,023 grants. Local authorities add a 20% contribution which brought total spend in 2019 to €69m. An Exchequer budgetary provision of €59m has been made available for 2020 which alongside the 20% local authority contribution makes €73.75m available for 2020.
395. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to carry out refurbishment works on Canon Mooney Gardens, Ringsend, Dublin 4. [36961/20]
View answerThe regular management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, is a matter for each relevant local authority, and it is open to each authority to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources. However, my Department also supports local authorities to improve their social housing stock through a range of programmes including energy retrofitting, regeneration and refurbishment works to vacant properties in order to return these to productive use as quickly as possible.
My Department does not have any funding submissions from Dublin City Council for the refurbishment of Canon Mooney Gardens in Ringsend.
396. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the policy of all local authorities in relation to persons on their social housing waiting lists is to remove them from these lists if they at any stage during their time on the list exceed the income thresholds applicable; if so, if the policy is uniformly applied across all local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36981/20]
View answerThe oversight and management of the lists of qualified households awaiting accommodation, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with Sections 20 and 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Assessment and Allocation Regulations, respectively.
Under Regulation 28 of the Assessment Regulations, a household’s qualification for support may be reviewed at the discretion of a local authority and Regulation 29 provides that the household’s qualification for support shall be reassessed at the point of allocation of support. If upon review, a household is found to exceed the limits on income eligibility grounds, for example, they would be removed from the list.
Furthermore, authorities are also required, when directed by the Minister, to undertake a statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) to count the number of households on the waiting list for social housing supports whose need has not yet been met. The SSHA process requires all local authorities to review those households who are on their housing list but who are not currently in receipt of housing support.
397. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if approved housing bodies have the authority to decide if they will house tenants sent to them from the local authority social housing waiting lists following an interview with the perspective tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36982/20]
View answer399. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria used by approved housing bodies to allocate housing units in developments over which they operate which are not available to the local authority in their area for housing tenants from the social housing waiting lists; if these units are subject to any control or oversight by his Department in terms of rents levied or tenancy agreements entered into; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36984/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 399 together.
Households wishing to obtain social housing support from a local authority or an approved housing body must first apply to the relevant local authority for a social housing assessment. Where the household is deemed qualified for support it is placed on the housing authority’s waiting list, and offers of suitable accommodation are made in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme as they arise.
The allocation scheme is made by the elected members under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and in compliance with Social Housing Allocation Regulations made thereunder, and specifies, among other things, the manner of, and the order of priority for, the allocation of dwellings to households on the housing and transfer lists. Under section 22, an allocation scheme shall apply to dwellings owned or under the control of a local authority, as well as dwellings provided by approved housing bodies (AHBs) with Exchequer funding.
Where a vacancy arises in a dwelling owned by an AHB, the relevant local authority may nominate suitable households from its housing or transfer list to that body, having regard to the order of priority set out in its allocation scheme.
Such nomination rights are linked to the provision of funding by my Department under its capital and current funding schemes for social housing. The rules in this regard are set down in my Department's memorandum on Capital Funding Schemes for the Provision of Rental Accommodation by Approved Housing Bodies (Voluntary and Co - Operative Rental Housing) of May 2002, and related circulars, and the relevant Payment and Availability Agreements in force. AHBs may also, in consultation with the relevant local authority, make their own nominations for a proportion of tenancies in accordance with the relevant funding rules for tenancies in a housing project funded under a capital scheme.
AHBs are independent, not for profit organisations. Those AHBs that are signed up to the Voluntary Regulation Code (which includes all the large and growth AHBs ) must abide by the Code and associated standards. One such standard is the Performance Standard which sets out that AHBs are expected to have tenant service policies and management procedures establishing the roles and responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord throughout the life of the tenancy agreement, from commencement to termination.
If an AHB is in receipt of funding under a relevant Exchequer funding scheme, they must comply with the terms and conditions of that scheme. Under such funding schemes (made available through local authorities), the AHB is required to make the property available for social renting for the duration of the mortgage or, as the case may be, the availability agreement.
It is a matter for the governing board of an individual AHB to determine how property, which is solely owned by the AHB without any mortgage or debt funding in place, is allocated to tenants in accordance with their constitution. All AHB tenancies are registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and therefore this channel should be the primary recourse in terms of procedures in any tenant/landlord matters.
398. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing units provided by approved housing bodies for social housing of those on local authority social housing waiting lists in each of the years since 2015; the total number of housing units provided by approved housing bodies since 2015, that is, units built, purchased, leased and so on by these bodies which are not made available to the local authority for the purposes of housing persons on the social housing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36983/20]
View answerThere are two primary funding mechanisms provided by my Department to facilitate the delivery of properties for social housing purposes by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to AHBs to provide accommodation for people with specific needs. The persons being housed must be assessed by the local authorities as in need of housing (a loan of 95% may be advanced where the AHB chooses to retain the right to nominate 25% of tenancies).
My Department also provides financial support to AHBs in the form of a long term loan under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) to assist with the financing of the construction or acquisition of units that will be provided for social housing use. This loan facility can support up to 30% of the eligible capital cost of the project, where the units will be provided by the AHB under long-term lease arrangements (known as Payment and Availability Agreements and funded by the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) to local authorities for social housing use.
Both schemes are administered by local authorities, and funding advanced to AHBs is subsequently recouped from my Department in line with the terms and conditions of the relevant scheme.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on all social housing delivery, including AHB delivery. This is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
