Written Answers Nos. 66-80
67. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the construction status of a development (details supplied); the reason for the delay; if a revised schedule and expected delivery date for occupancy will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45469/21]
View answerThe social housing project referred to in the question is being advanced by Mayo County Council with funding support from my Department under the Social Housing Capital Investment Programme. While my Department had provided post-tender (Stage 4) approval for the project to advance to construction, the Council has now advised that it needs to be re-tendered arising from difficulties with elements of the work and the tendered costs. The Council has further advised that the re-tendering process is well advanced and my Department hopes to have a new cost proposal from the Council as soon as possible.
The management of this project, including the timing of the appointment of contractors, the completion of the project and its tenanting, are all matters for the Council. I am very keen that it advances as soon as possible and further detailed information on the specific contract and delivery issues, if needed, should be available directly from Mayo County Council.
68. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the fact that funeral directors no longer qualify for a commercial rates waiver for funeral homes, even though due to Covid-19 restrictions homes are not open to the public; if he will be providing them with a rates waiver; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45475/21]
View answerIn order to continue supporting ratepayers, and in recognition of the impacts of COVID 19 and the associated public health restrictions, the Government put in place a targeted commercial rates waiver for the first 9 months of 2021. It applies to businesses most seriously affected by the restrictions.
Automatic eligibility is extended to hospitality including hotels, pubs and restaurants, leisure and entertainment, personal services such as hairdressers and barbers, and various other sectors. Categories of commercial property, such as offices, industrial premises, and banks are not automatically eligible, but may qualify if they can provide proof of serious impact to their local authority.
As provision has been made for businesses that do not automatically qualify to apply, there are no plans to broaden the scope of automatic eligibility.
69. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is taking action to ensure that persons suffering from chronic illnesses which put their health at serious risk can access prioritisation for social housing as part of the Housing for All plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45514/21]
View answerFirstly, I must point out that the allocation of homes to those on social housing waiting lists is a matter for local authorities in exercise of their statutory housing function. Where a household request a priority based on the health needs of a member of the household this will be assessed by the local authority when the applicant household applies and provides all of the medical information to the local authority.
Secondly, the recent launch of Housing for All demonstrates that this Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that quality housing solutions are available to everyone in Irish society in particular those in greatest need. The Plan commits to increasing new housing supply to an average of at least 33,000 new units per year over the next decade. This will include over 10,000 social homes each year over the next five years, with 9,500 of these being new-builds, and an average of 6,000 affordable homes for purchase or rent.
Finally, under the Plan, the co-ordination of housing provision with the delivery of key health and social care supports for people with a disability and older people is paramount, recognising the need for greater coordination among State service providers for this kind of care. Under the guiding principle of Housing for All and underpinned by a new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People from 2022 all of the agencies will work to deliver appropriately designed housing for people with a disability, in line with the vision and principles of universal design.
70. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to waive commercial rates owed to local authorities beyond the end of September 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45608/21]
View answerIn order to continue supporting ratepayers, and in recognition of the impacts of COVID 19 and the associated public health restrictions, the Government put in place a targeted commercial rates waiver from January to end September 2021. The 2021 rates waiver scheme applies to businesses most seriously affected by the restrictions. Automatic eligibility is extended to hospitality including hotels, pubs and restaurants, leisure and entertainment, personal services such as hairdressers and barbers, and various other sectors. Categories of commercial property, such as offices, industrial premises, banks, building societies and credit unions are not automatically eligible, but may qualify if they can provide proof of serious impact to their local authority. €480m has been allocated by Government to fund the cost of the 2021 commercial rates waiver. There are currently no plans to extend the waiver beyond the end of September 2021.
71. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to amend legislation in respect of the regulation of boundary hedges and hedgerows with particular reference to height and unrestricted growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45615/21]
View answerPlanning legislation places no specific restrictions on the height of trees or hedges, nor does it make any particular provision for remedy from any other nuisance which may be caused by trees in an urban residential area. However, a civil remedy is available through the Courts concerning branches or roots of neighbouring trees encroaching on a person’s property.
The possibility of providing a broader civil law remedy for parties affected by high trees and hedges on adjoining properties was raised previously with the Minister for Justice. In this regard, advice was sought on the possibility of legislative provision being made, whereby a person substantially deprived of the enjoyment of their property, such as the deprivation of light caused by high trees on a neighbouring property, could apply to the Courts for an order, and that the Courts could make an order as they see fit, for example, to cut the trees back to an appropriate height. Safety considerations relating to overhanging trees could also potentially be addressed in any such provisions.
In response, the Minister for Justice suggested that disputes of this nature between neighbours could perhaps be more appropriately dealt with through mediation, which is being increasingly used internationally as a tool for the resolution of civil disputes, rather than through the Courts. Legislation subsequently introduced by the Minister for Justice has been enacted as the Mediation Act 2017 (the Act).
The Act, which came into operation on 1 January 2018, contains provisions to underpin a comprehensive statutory framework to promote the resolution of disputes through mediation as an alternative to court proceedings which should ideally be only used as a last resort. In essence, the underlying objective of the Act is to promote mediation as a viable, effective and efficient alternative to court proceedings, thereby reducing legal costs, speeding up the resolution of disputes and reducing the stress and acrimony which often accompanies court proceedings, including those involving adjoining property owners.
72. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if not for profit organisations can be liable for large wastewater removal charges from Irish Water (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45621/21]
View answerResponsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, or CRU. Water charging policy is based on actual metered consumption, consistent with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. Under the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 Irish Water is required to collect charges, where relevant, from its customers in accordance with a water charges plan approved by the CRU. The CRU, as regulator, is independent in this matter and has come to its own assessment of the appropriate tariff and charging arrangements that shall apply to non-domestic customers, including not for profit organisations in the community and voluntary sector.
Irish Water will readily engage with customers who may be experiencing temporary difficulties. Customers facing such circumstances should contact Irish Water, via its call centre (1850 778 778), at an early date to access the available supports.
73. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the establishment of the proposed new marine and climate unit within the SID structure of An Bord Pleanála to support the development of offshore renewable energy; if a sufficient budget has been allocated to An Bord Pleanála to ensure the proposed staffing levels of one assistant director of planning and five inspectors together with two administrative staff are met; if recruitment for these roles has commenced; if not, when it is envisaged it will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45732/21]
View answerMy Department is currently finalising a response to An Bord Pleanála's latest draft Workforce Plan in the context of the 2022 budgetary estimates process. This draft Plan includes proposals for the staffing of a new Marine and Climate Unit to implement the role to be assigned to An Bord Pleanála under the Maritime Area Planning Bill currently before the Oireachtas.
74. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will revoke the open season order for those species that have been classified as red list bird species and of conservation concern. [45744/21]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 212 of 16 September 2021 which sets out the position in this matter.
75. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department’s IT infrastructure is monitored for security breaches on a 24/7 basis; the guidance provided from Government on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45311/21]
View answerMy Department operates a robust Security Incident Management system which is underpinned by a 24/7 on call ICT service which monitors and responds to all cyber security incidents. My Department implements all recommendations issued by the National Cyber Security Centre as part of our ICT strategy.
76. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current approximate wait time for first-time passport applicants to receive their passport; and when his Department estimates the wait time will return to its pre-pandemic duration. [45328/21]
View answer83. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the backlog in respect of first-time passport applications; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that applications are taking longer than the suggested eight weeks to finalise; the steps that are being taken to speed up this process and tackle the backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45550/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 83 together.
The current Passport processing turnaround times are:
- 10 working days for Simple Adult renewals,
- 15 working days for Complex renewals,
- 40 working days for First Time applications on Passport Online and
- 8 weeks for Passport Express.
Almost 45% of passports for simple adult renewals continue to issue within one business day while more complex applications take longer.
The Passport Service has received approximately 500,000 applications in 2021 to date, with 111,000 under process. These applications comprise of 63,000 valid applications which are with the Passport Service and 43,000 incomplete applications that require action by the applicant.
25% of valid applications are for adult renewals, 16% are complex renewals for children and 59% are for first time applications.
First time applications for adults and children are complex applications involving measures to assure the true identity of the applicant, their entitlement to Irish citizenship and, in the case of children, that all guardians have consented to the issuing of the passport. Particular complexity relates to the processing of application from children born in Ireland after 2004 due to the need to verify entitlement for Irish citizenship.
The Passport Service began scaling up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”. Since that date, the Passport Service has issued over 300,000 passports while continuing to operate the emergency service for priority cases for which customers are encouraged to contact our Customer Service Hub if they require assistance. Over 4,000 Foreign Birth Registrations have also been processed in cases of exceptional urgency.
The Passport Service are continually looking for ways to improve efficiency and welcome the Deputy’s proposal in relation to the return of documentation. While Passport Service resources are primarily focused on meeting current demand, we will be reviewing the documentation required to support a passport application and will examine the processes around the verification and processing of supporting documentation with a view to further streamlining the process and reducing turnaround times.
The Passport Tracker Service gives an indication of the estimated delivery date based on the vast majority of applications and is not an intended guarantee of service. I accept the frustration this may cause to applicants and work is ongoing to improve the information provided to customers in relation to their application.
The Customer Service Hub has handled approximately 80,000 customer queries since scaling up operations in June through its phone and web chat services. They also continue to examine ways to meet the very high demand for this service at this time including through the allocation of additional resources.
The Passport Service, like many Government Services, have been impacted by COVID-19. Operations have been maintained notwithstanding the fact that the processing of passports requires physical attendance on site to deliver this service. As a result of well implemented safety protocols our staff were able to assist citizens who required passports for a range of emergency and urgent personal, business or legal reasons, or who had compelling humanitarian needs to travel.
In line with our continued scaling up of services my Department are actively planning for the opening of our Public Offices for the processing of urgent applications for those renewing their passport. This service will resume initially in the public office of the Passport Service in Dublin and we will be making a public announcement on the specific date very soon.
77. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he can assist with the resolution of an urgent case of an Irish child (details supplied) stranded abroad and unable to return to school due to inability to get a passport renewal seemingly involving a bureaucratic loop in which an Irish embassy is unable to issue a temporary passport until the passport renewal process for the child is completed in Ireland and the Irish passport office seem unable to complete the renewal process without the child’s presence at a Garda station in Dublin to get a form signed and stamped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45355/21]
View answerThe applicant is receiving direct assistance from the relevant Embassy of Ireland supported by the Passport Service. As soon as the required supporting documents are received an emergency travel document will be issued immediately.
78. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps taken by his Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within his Department who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; his plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45368/21]
View answerMy Department is fully supportive of the implementation of the national remote work strategy. The majority of staff have the ability to work remotely and have access to videoconferencing facilities utilising a range of cloud and on-premises technologies to support blended working. Some staff are unable to work remotely due to their presence being required to carry out essential duties and deliver essential services in our buildings. Video conferencing facilities are part of the department's worldwide communications infrastructure. Equipment and licenses for this are tendered through the Office of Government Procurement.
By spring 2022, it is intended to have developed a blended working policy that will support the wider Civil Service Blended Working Framework where the Department will formalise the approach to how staff work remotely.
79. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps taken by agencies under the remit of his Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within these agencies who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; if there are plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45385/21]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs does not have any agencies under its remit.
80. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the content of the planned passport reform programme of his Department; the timeline of the planned roll-out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45406/21]
View answerThere has been an ongoing process of reform within the Passport Service since 2016. The programme has delivered a number of high profile and successful Improvements for citizens at home and abroad who rely on this service.
This includes the facility for online applications. In 2019, online applications accounted for 47% of all applications received. Despite the challenges currently facing the Passport Service, 40% of online adult renewals issued last week in 2 working days or less, and over 93% issued in less than 10 working days. Further enhancements over the past number of years means that Passport Online can now be accessed by first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world.
Recent reforms have also improved our fraud detection capacity, following the introduction of new facial recognition technology, which improves efficiency and the integrity of the passport system. Maintaining that integrity is essential to ensuring that the Irish passport is one of the most secure in the world, and one of the most effective, in terms of granting citizens visa-free access to most countries in the world.
The next major element of the reform programme will be to replace the core technology underpinning the Passport Service. The current system, the Automated Passport System or APS, was launched in 2004 and will be replaced by a more modern, integrated system. The procurement process for the new system will conclude very shortly and is expected to be operational in 2023.
The Passport Service continues to identify efficiencies in the service. We recently concluded arrangements that provides applicants with a MyGovID profile with the option to pre-populate information to their online application form details, saving further time.
The Passport Service, like many Government Services, have been impacted by COVID-19. Operations have been maintained notwithstanding the fact that the processing of passports requires physical attendance on site to deliver this service. As a result of well implemented safety protocols our staff were able to assist citizens who required passports for a range of emergency and urgent personal, business or legal reasons, or who had compelling humanitarian needs to travel. In line with our continued scaling up of services my Department are actively planning for the opening of our Public Offices for the processing of urgent applications for those renewing their passport. This service will resume initially in the public office of the Passport Service in Dublin and we will be making a public announcement on the specific date very soon.
