Written Answers Nos. 648-666
649. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the budget for Traveller accommodation in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area; the amount spent to date or most recently of this budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39625/21]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
Following a review of the arrangements for the disbursement of funding for the provision and related supports of Traveller specific accommodation a new allocation process was implemented for 2020. My Department has ceased the practice of allocating specific budgets to individual local authorities. Instead, it is open to all local authorities to apply for and drawdown funds at any time throughout the year and this is actively encouraged by my Department.
My Department’s overall capital and current budgets for Traveller accommodation and support in 2021 is €21.381million. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has not recouped funds from this budget to date in 2021.
650. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of the Traveller community who live in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area; the number of halting sites in the area; the number of members and or families in the Traveller community that are in homeless accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39626/21]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The annual count estimate conducted by the local authority in 2019 reported that there were 139 Traveller families living in the Dún Laghaire-Rathdown local authority area. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council also report that they have 7 authorised Traveller halting sites, 2 emergency halting sites and advise of one further unauthorised site on private land.
The Department publishes a detailed monthly report on homelessness, based on data provided by housing authorities. The Report outlines details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen by housing authorities. The Reports are available on the Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/. The Department does not collate specific data relating to ethnicity for the purposes of provision of emergency accommodation for homeless households.
651. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if further consideration has been given to including an ethnicity question in council social housing need assessment forms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39627/21]
View answerApplications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
In order to qualify for social housing support and be placed on a housing list, an applicant must be assessed by the authority concerned as meeting all of the eligibility and need criteria set down in the legislation.
My Department engaged in a process of revision of the prescribed Social Housing Support application form in collaboration with the local authority sector, which resulted in revised regulations being introduced in April 2021. There are no plans at present to include a broad ethnicity question in the social housing support application form.
Local authorities are however, obliged to prepare and adopt Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation Act), 1998. In order to do so they have to be able to identify the number of Travellers living in their area who are qualified for social housing supports.
One of the recommendations of the Traveller Accommodation Expert Review report, commissioned in 2018 by the then Minister of State, is to amend the assessment regulations governing the Social Housing Support application form to allow for a Traveller 'ethnic' identifier so that Traveller applicants for housing supports can be identified and have their housing needs planned for.
A Programme Board has been established by my Department to drive implementation of the recommendations. The Board has now agreed a work programme for 2021. One of the recommendations being considered in the 2021 work programme is the inclusion of a Traveller identifier on the Social Housing Support application form.
652. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports that have been made available to local authorities to carry out a census of Traveller accommodation needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39628/21]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
My Department’s overall capital and current budgets for Traveller accommodation and support in 2021 is €21.381million. Social Workers and Traveller Accommodation Liaison Officers are employed by local authorities to provide support for Traveller families. They play a key role in the collation of the annual estimate of traveller families within each local authority area and 90% funding support for these posts is provided by my Department on an annual basis.
My Department's budget for Traveller-specific Accommodation Supports in 2021 is €15.5m, an increase of €1m on the previous year. It is open to all local authorities to apply for and draw down funds at any time throughout the year and this is actively encouraged by my Department. Officials from my Department will continue to make regular contact with each local authority throughout 2021 to support and facilitate the development of effective Traveller accommodation projects.
653. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding and supports being made available by his Department to fund local authorities in providing equality training for local authority staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39629/21]
View answerMy Department provides €5,000 to the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) annually to run seminars, briefings and webinars on Access & Equality.
The LGMA inform and raise awareness in the local government sector through conferences and webinars. In 2018, a joint conference was held with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the purpose of this conference was to raise awareness of the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty, the obligations that it poses on local authorities and highlight the benefits of implementing the Duty. This examined two pilot projects in Monaghan County Council and Cork City Council on implementing the Duty the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty.
The LGMA continue to have ongoing engagement with all local authorities on its public service duty.
655. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the citizens’ assembly for biodiversity will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39715/21]
View answer656. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has taken steps to establish a citizens’ assembly on the biodiversity crisis. [39718/21]
View answer662. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for a citizens’ assembly on biodiversity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39829/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 655, 656 and 662 together.
I refer to the reply to Questions No. 325 and 332 of 13 July 2021, which sets out the position in this matter.
657. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the back-up system for Dublin drainage in the event the pumping station in Ringsend failing or being overloaded in view of recent flooding in Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg; if his attention has been drawn to plans to upgrade or improve existing flooding drainage contingencies; and the funding which has been applied for such works in past ten years by the Dublin authorities or Irish Water. [39731/21]
View answerWith effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels for public water services, including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure, encompassing the management of urban waste water collection and treatment infrastructure. Under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, I have no function in the matter. The operation of the Ringsend plant is a matter for Irish Water.
In relation to funding, as part of Budget 2021, I secured funding of over €1.4 billion to support water services. This includes €1.3 billion in respect of domestic water services provision by Irish Water. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and waste water services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area. To be helpful, Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
In addition, the Office of Public Works (OPW) is the lead State body for the coordination and implementation of Government policy on the management of flood risk in Ireland.
658. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether there should be discretion in the legislation or guidelines for council housing grant applications for the elderly in order to allow for a reassessment of income outside of the relevant tax year in cases in which one spouse dies while the grant application is pending resulting in an immediate and permanent reduction in housing income for the surviving spouse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39793/21]
View answerMy Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People, which are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. The detailed administration of this scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation, is the responsibility of local authorities.
The framework for the operation of the scheme is laid down in statutory regulations, namely the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) Regulations 2007, and the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.
The regulations define household income for the purposes of the means test as the combined annual gross income in the previous tax year of both the owner of any property the subject of an application pursuant to these Regulations, together with that of his or her spouse and each member of the household in full-time occupation of the house where such a member is aged 18 years or more, or, where he or she is engaged in full-time third level education, is aged 23 years or more.
The regulations do not allow for any discretion on the tax year assessed for the purposes of the means test. Local authorities, in administering the grant schemes, will always work with qualifying applicants to ensure they get the most beneficial outcome possible under the terms of the schemes.
659. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if applications are still being accepted under the mortgage allowance scheme; if so, the eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39816/21]
View answer660. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of applications received and granted by county council under the mortgage allowance scheme in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39817/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 659 and 660 together.
The Mortgage Allowance scheme provides for an allowance of up to €11,450 payable over a 5 year period, to tenants or tenant purchasers of local authority housing, to assist them to purchase or have a private house built with a mortgage. New applications are still being accepted by local authorities under the scheme, and further details are available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/service/b66ea-mortgage-allowance-scheme/
Details of the applications received and granted by local authority under the scheme are available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/fd048-affordable-housing-and-part-v-statistics/
661. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria for deployment of auxiliary services to assist in fighting large gorse fires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39822/21]
View answerThe provision of a fire service and the assessment of the requirements arising, including the nature of the fire hazards and the probable incidence and extent of fires, in its functional area is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under Section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981.
Despite the best efforts of communities, wildland fires can occur in certain areas of the country during dry periods. The Department of Agriculture monitors conditions and issues colour-coded warnings during periods when wildland fire risk is high. Despite the success of "controlled burning" initiatives, regrettably, wildfires can also occur as a result of carelessness and deliberate setting of fires.
The priority of fire services in responding to wildland fires is the protection of life and health in local communities. Smoke can impact significantly on those with underlying breathing issues. An important secondary objective is working with local communities to try to protect infrastructure, houses and other property, as well as conservation areas, which are threatened. Fire services work with a range of bodies including National Parks and Wildlife Services and Coillte as well as farming communities to minimise damage where it is safe to do so. Fighting wildland fires is difficult and, in all cases, fire services will prioritise safety of community and emergency responders.
After the initial pre-determined attendance response to a report of a fire, all decisions on the mobilisation and deployment of further fire-fighting resources to fire situations are vested in the Senior Fire Officer or Incident Commander present at the scene.
As well as the normal fire service response arrangements through which an incident commander can request additional fire service resources in light of the situation, there are arrangements for mutual support across local authority fire services. Local authorities may mobilise their Civil Defence service volunteers to assist where deemed necessary and appropriate. Local authorities also engage directly with communities, in particular the farming sector who may be able to assist using tractors and water tankers in areas where normal fire service vehicles can't operate. Also, the response to wildfires is supported by well-established arrangements whereby local authority fire services may, through the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) in my Department and working with the Department of Defence, request the assistance of the Defence Forces. The support provided to local authority fire services by the Defence Forces in wildland fire-fighting includes soldiers being deployed to assist on the ground and aerial fire-fighting by Air Corp helicopters. This has been seen to be effective in many cases and is greatly appreciated. On-scene co-ordination of all responding resources takes place under the aegis of the Senior Fire Officer.
Considerable inter-agency efforts have been made to reduce the incidence of wildland fires, led by my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As noted above his Department monitors conditions and issues wildland fire warning notices. That Department has led an inter-agency review which has helped enhance the mitigation of wildland/ gorse fires. It is imperative that communities and relevant bodies continue to work together to seek to prevent and control wildland fires which threaten life, property and eco-sensitive areas.
663. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Traveller sites in County Clare; and the number of individuals each site has capacity for. [39843/21]
View answerIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
Clare County Council report that they have 4 official Traveller halting sites containing 21 halting site bays. In addition Clare County Council provide facilities to a number of unauthorised sites on local authority lands which accommodate a further 28 mobiles/caravans.
664. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration has been given to the challenges faced by some elderly and disabled persons in accessing the choice-based letting model of provision of social housing; if his attention has been drawn to persons struggling to access these platforms due to the fact they are technology based and digitised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39844/21]
View answerChoice Based Letting (CBL) is a method whereby available social housing stock is let by being openly advertised by local authorities to persons on the social housing waiting list. This allows qualified applicants to 'register an interest' in available homes.
Applicants can act on their own initiative to respond to adverts and express an interest in dwellings that they would like to live in, rather than waiting for an authority to offer them a dwelling. This approach offers more choice and involvement for applicant households in selecting a new home, thereby reducing the likelihood of a refusal, and helping to build sustainable tenancies and stable communities.
The Social Housing Allocation (Amendment) Regulations 2016 required all local authorities, if they had not already done so, to provide for CBL as a method of allocation for social housing in their allocation schemes by the end of 2016. The way in which CBL is implemented, including decisions on which properties are to be offered through it, is a matter for the individual authority concerned. However, it must be done in accordance with the relevant regulations and their own scheme of priority.
Given the clear benefits offered by CBL, my Department continues to liaise with the local authorities to ensure that it is implemented as widely as possible across the country and has undertaken a number of surveys to determine its uptake and impact. Data garnered through these surveys has shown that over half of all local authorities are operating a CBL system while others are in the process of running pilot schemes with a view to wider roll out in their respective areas. Of those authorities that are operating CBL the expressed view is that it is having a positive effect on how they allocate houses. The data also shows that where CBL is in operation the rate of refusals has dropped.
Furthermore, the Programme for Government commits to developing a website to allow for CBL on a nationwide basis and my Department is working with the Local Government Management Agency and the County and City Managers Association to progress this. Issues such as those outlined by the Deputy will be considered as part of that process. In this regard, it should also be noted that each local authority has a technical advisor for older person’s housing who can be contacted to advise/support an older person in accessing social housing.
665. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current position regarding circular EL 02/11; if incremental credit can be sanctioned for local authority staff with relevant previous experience; if the circular is having any impact on local authority recruitment drives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39854/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, it was agreed previously by Government that with effect from 1st January 2011, starting pay on recruitment from open competition for all posts within the public service should be at the minimum of the relevant salary scale.
My Department issued Circular EL 02/2011 to all Chief Executives in the Local Government sector, following receipt of the Department of Finance instruction. Circular EL 02/2011 provides that all future competition notices, advertisements and information booklets must specify that, for persons entering a recruitment grade for the first time, starting pay will be at the minimum of the scale. Such notices and booklets must also specify that the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.
The provisions of the Circular state that no undertaking, formal or informal, should be given by or on behalf of any local authority to a candidate that the relevant salary may be negotiable.
However, where a Chief Executive is of the view that there are exceptional circumstances justifying the offer of starting pay above the minimum, the specific sanction of my Department (in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform) should be sought in advance of any offer being made.
This policy is still in force, as are the provisions of Circular EL 02/2011 and my Department has no evidence that it is having any effect on recruitment campaigns for the local government sector.
666. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated revenue that would be raised from increasing the vacant site levy to 20% based on the most recent valuation data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39933/21]
View answerMy Department proactively engages with local authorities with a view to ensuring that the vacant site levy achieves its full potential in terms of bringing concerned sites into productive use. In this regard, my Department issued Circular Letter PL 03/2021 on 8 March 2021 requesting the submission of a progress report on the collection of the levy by each local authority.
The Department received a return from each of the 31 local authorities which indicated that as of 1 January 2020 there were 215 sites with market valuations of €268m listed on local authority registers and were liable to the levy in 2021. These sites will be levied at 7% market valuation rate in 2021 unless works commenced in the interim or their inclusion on the registers is successfully appealed. Based on the information from the recent progress reports, it is estimated that the levy proceeds could be of the order of €53.6m in 2021 if it was applied at a rate of 20%.
The levy is not intended to be a revenue generating measure with the proceeds accruing to the relevant local authority rather than the Exchequer. The levy proceeds generated are specifically intended to be used by local authorities for the provision of housing and regeneration development in the local area in which vacant sites are located. No more than 10% of the levy monies received by planning authorities may be used on their administration costs in collecting the levy.
