Departmental Reviews

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 July 2021

Tuesday, 13 July 2021

Questions (327)

Holly Cairns

Question:

327. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the social impact assessments carried out by his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit since 1 January 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37296/21]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an analytical framework that is designed to examine the demographic profile of public services users, and how they are impacted by budgetary policy decisions.  As a tool predominantly used to assess the impact of certain tax and welfare policy measures, SIAs have been conducted in the main by departments responsible for such functions.

Traditionally, ex-post budgetary impact assessment exercises assessed the impact of certain tax and welfare policy measures across different household types based on a large-scale, nationally representative survey.  This approach is useful in terms of analysing certain tax and welfare measures but does not take account of factors outside of these measures, e.g. expenditure on public services such as housing, health and education.

The Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES), published a paper in April 2016 putting forward a proposal for a framework that would broaden the scope of SIA exercises, specifically with regard to addressing expenditure on public services.  An SIA on Social Housing Supports was subsequently published by IGEES in October 2018 and this is available at: https://igees.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SIA-Series-Social-Housing-Supports-1.pdf.

My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the State bodies under its aegis.  These State bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of the Oireachtas, as set out in the following table.

State Body	Contact E-mail Address
An Bord Pleanála	[e-mail]
An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum)	[e-mail]
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority	[e-mail]
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum	[e-mail]
Ervia	[e-mail]
Gas Networks Ireland	[e-mail]
Heritage Council	[e-mail]
Housing Finance Agency	[e-mail]
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency	[e-mail]
Irish Water	[e-mail]
Land Development Agency	[e-mail]
Local Government Management Agency	[e-mail]
National Oversight and Audit Commission	[e-mail]
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee	[e-mail]
Office of the Planning Regulator	[e-mail]
Ordnance Survey Ireland	[e-mail]
Property Registration Authority	[e-mail]
Pyrite Resolution Board	[e-mail]
Residential Tenancies Board	[e-mail]
Valuation Office	[e-mail]
Valuation Tribunal	[e-mail]
Water Advisory Body	[e-mail]
Waterways Ireland	[e-mail]