Skip to main content
Normal View

Tuesday, 29 Jun 2021

Written Answers Nos. 208-229

Emergency Accommodation

Questions (208, 209, 210)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

208. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of residential properties allocated for use as emergency accommodation during Covid-19 during 2020 and in 2021 to date by county in tabular form. [34396/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

209. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of residential properties allocated for use as emergency accommodation during Covid-19 that were utilised in 2020 and to date in 2021, by county in tabular form. [34397/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

210. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average letting period that residential properties allocated for use as emergency accommodation during Covid-19 were utilised for in 2020 and to date in 2021, by county. and to date in 2021, by county. [34398/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 208 to 210, inclusive, together.

My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. This includes the provision of units or properties that are used for households that are in emergency accommodation that may be required to self isolate for COVID-19 purposes.

The number and type of properties provided is an operational issue for the relevant housing authorities in consultation with the HSE. From a strategic perspective, in the context of the overall response to COVID-19, my Department is in regular contact with local authorities to ensure the availability of sufficient bed capacity to facilitate the isolation of suspected or confirmed cases that arise in homeless services.

Question No. 209 answered with Question No. 208.
Question No. 210 answered with Question No. 208.

Housing Provision

Questions (211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 219, 221, 223, 225)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

211. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons on the waiting list for social housing less than one year by county in tabular form. [34399/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

212. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons on the waiting list for social housing for one to three years by county in tabular form. [34400/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

213. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons on the waiting list for social housing for three to six years by county in tabular form. [34401/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

214. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons on the waiting list for social housing for six to nine years by county in tabular form. [34402/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

215. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons on the waiting list for social housing for nine to 12 years by county in tabular form. [34403/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

216. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people on the waiting list for social housing for 12 to 15 years by county in tabular form. [34404/21]

View answer

Sorca Clarke

Question:

217. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons on the waiting list for social housing for more than 15 years by county in tabular form. [34405/21]

View answer

John Brady

Question:

219. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons from each municipal district in County Wicklow that joined the social housing list in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34417/21]

View answer

John Brady

Question:

221. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons who joined the social housing list in County Wicklow in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34419/21]

View answer

Johnny Mythen

Question:

223. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons from each municipal district in County Wexford who joined the social housing list in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34459/21]

View answer

Johnny Mythen

Question:

225. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons who joined the social housing list in County Wexford in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34461/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 219, 221, 223 and 225 together.

Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).

The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 6,813 households or 9.9% on the last assessment in June 2019. Since 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 61,880, a reduction of 32.4%.

Below is the link to the summary report for 2020 which includes breakdowns by each local authority, including Counties Wicklow and Wexford, across a range of categories. SSHA data is collected and collated at local authority level and therefore a breakdown of the numbers by municipal districts cannot be provided.

In relation to the number of applicants on the waiting list for a given number of years, details on the length of time spent on the record of qualified households (waiting lists) can be found at tables 2.8 and A1.8 of the reports. Please note, it does not provide a breakdown of the number of years beyond the category of more than 7 years.

It should be noted that the SSHA is a point in time snapshot of the demand for social housing support in each local authority area and does not necessarily reflect the dynamic nature of entry to and exit from the housing waiting lists. It does not explicitly provide data on the number of new applicants that joined the social housing list each year.

SSHA 2020 Reportwww.gov.ie/en/publication/970ea-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2020-key-findings/#:~:text=The%20Summary%20of%20Social%20Housing,is%20not%20currently%20being%20met.

Question No. 212 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 213 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 214 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 215 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 216 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 217 answered with Question No. 211.

Housing Schemes

Questions (218, 220)

John Brady

Question:

218. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the discretionary top-up for HAP payments was used in 2020 in County Wicklow by municipal district; the average percentage amount of this top-up per district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34416/21]

View answer

John Brady

Question:

220. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons from each municipal district in County Wicklow that are currently in receipt of a HAP payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34418/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 220 together.

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of 2020, over 86,900 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were nearly 60,000 households actively in receipt of HAP support, including 1,668 households in Wicklow.

Local authorities have discretion, because of local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum rent limit by up to 20%, or up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of homelessness. It is a matter for each local authority to determine whether the application of a discretionary increase is warranted, and the level of such an increase, on a case-by-case basis.

A breakdown of the number of HAP tenancies in 2020 and the average discretionary increase paid for each of the municipal districts in Wicklow is detailed in the table below.

Municipal Area

Active Tenancies @end Q4 2020

No. of tenancies that received discretion

Average Discretion Rate

Arklow

644

157

16%

Baltinglass

180

49

16%

Bray

229

74

16%

Greystones

157

75

19%

Wicklow

380

111

17%

Other*

78

48

17%

*inter-authority movements, whilst the tenant is registered with Wicklow, the tenancy is outside of the county.

Question No. 219 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 220 answered with Question No. 218.
Question No. 221 answered with Question No. 211.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (222, 224)

Johnny Mythen

Question:

222. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the discretionary top-up for HAP payments was used in 2020 in County Wexford by municipal district; the average percentage amount of this top-up per municipal district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34458/21]

View answer

Johnny Mythen

Question:

224. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons from each municipal district in County Wexford who are currently in receipt of a HAP payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34460/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 222 and 224 together.

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of 2020, over 86,900 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were nearly 60,000 households actively in receipt of HAP support. Of that, 1,613 households were actively in receipt of HAP support in County Wexford at end December 2020.

Local authorities have discretion, because of local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum rent limit by up to 20%, or up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of homelessness. It should be noted that it is a matter for the local authority to determine whether the application of the flexibility is warranted on a case by case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case.

At the end of Q4 2020, 50.4% of the total number of households supported by HAP were benefiting from the additional flexibility. If the additional discretion available to homeless households in the Dublin Region is removed, then 44.7% of households nationally were benefiting from the additional flexibility. In those cases, the average rate of discretionary payment was 17% above HAP rent limits.

A breakdown of the number of HAP tenancies in 2020, and the average rate of discretion applied, for the municipal areas requested is set out in the following table:

Wexford Summary

MD

Active tenancies

In receipt of discretion @ Q4 2020

Average Rate of Discretion

Enniscorthy

343

129

16%

Gorey/Kilmuckridge

360

217

18%

New Ross

301

119

17%

Wexford Borough

503

257

17%

Rosslare

62

37

19%

Other*

44

17

17%

Total

1613

681

17%

*Inter-authority movements, whilst the tenant is registered with Wexford, the tenancy is outside of the county.

Question No. 223 answered with Question No. 211.
Question No. 224 answered with Question No. 222.
Question No. 225 answered with Question No. 211.

Housing Provision

Questions (226)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

226. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social homes completed and the number of social homes in the pipeline availing of the one-stage approval process; and the number of those delivered to date and in the pipeline to date that have availed of the one-stage process since the threshold was increased. [34465/21]

View answer

Written answers

When first introduced in 2018, the single stage approval process applied to social housing projects up to the value of €2m but I increased this to €6m in September 2020, to give further options to local authorities.

77 projects delivering 216 homes have availed of the single stage option to date, of which 43 projects delivering 130 homes are either onsite or completed. Since the threshold was increased in September last, 23 projects for 43 units have availed of the process.

Housing Provision

Questions (227)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

227. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties offered, purchased and tenanted under the Minister's call for housing in August 2020. [34466/21]

View answer

Written answers

The ‘Call for Housing 2020’ was launched on 21 July 2020 as a short-term intervention to examine opportunities in the property market to secure additional properties for social housing. The campaign was run on behalf of my Department by the Housing Agency, in consultation with the local authorities.

To 28 June 2021, 311 properties were offered for sale to the Housing Agency including 42 properties also offered for leasing. A further 138 properties were offered for leasing or for Rental Accommodation Scheme arrangements. Of the properties offered for sale, 45 proceeded to sale, with 32 of these purchases completed to date. A further number of properties submitted to the Housing Agency are being pursued by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies independently.

The allocation of these properties to households on the social housing waiting lists is a matter for the relevant local authorities and my Department does not hold details in this regard.

Housing Provision

Questions (228)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

228. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Q1 and Q2 social housing pipeline reports will be published. [34467/21]

View answer

Written answers

My Department publishes a Social Housing Construction Status Report each quarter, which contains details of all social housing developments completed, under construction or at the planning and design stage in each local authority area. The most recent report, published on 28 May 2021, covers the period up to the end of Quarter 1 2021 and is available at the following link: rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-obrien-publishes-social-housing-construction-status-report-for-q1-2021/.

The data pertaining to the Construction Status Report for Quarter 2 will be collated in the coming weeks and published thereafter.

Departmental Schemes

Questions (229)

Ruairí Ó Murchú

Question:

229. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the shared waters enhancement and loughs legacy project; the anticipated Covid-19 related delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34558/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Shared Water Enhanced & Loughs Legacy (SWELL) project is a cross border initiative which aims to improve the quality of water in Carlingford Lough and Lough Foyle through the upgrade of wastewater assets on both sides of the border. The SWELL project is funded under the European Regional Development Fund through the allocation of €35m under INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). This figure includes a 15% match funding component provided by both the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage here and by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. It is understood that the Withdrawal Agreement ratified between the EU and the UK in January 2020 provides for the full completion of pre-existing programmes thereby ensuring that projects such as SWELL can be fully completed post-Brexit.

Operational matters relevant to the water services investment programme are a matter for Irish Water which has been given statutory responsibility for the planning, delivery and development of water services since 1 January 2014. In this regard Irish Water has advised that wastewater treatment works under the SWELL project have commenced at the Lifford project site, and are due to commence at the Carrigans and Killea project sites in the near future, while wastewater network upgrade works will commence in Omeath, Co. Louth later this year. Irish Water has further advised that all SWELL project works are expected to be substantially completed by the end of 2021, and that it does not anticipate to encounter delays attributable to Covid-19.

Top
Share