Written Answers Nos. 62-76
62. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has to date identified any capacity issues or other blockages at OPW level that may already be impacting on the delivery of projects assigned to it under the National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6951/22]
View answerI am advised that the Chairman with responsibility for the Office of Public works will respond directly to the Deputy on these matters.
63. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of women in proportion to the number of men that occupy senior management positions at the OPW; if he is satisfied with the gender diversity at senior level in the organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6952/22]
View answerI am advised that the Chairman with responsibility for the Office of Public works will respond directly to the Deputy on these matters.
64. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of vacant civil service positions filled in all offices in County Donegal from both internal and mobility transfers in each of the years 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6957/22]
View answerCivil Service Mobility offers an opportunity for staff members to apply for Mobility (i.e. transfer) through an open and transparent system.
It is one of a number of arrangements put in place to fulfil the requirements of Action 15 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan which calls to “expand career and Mobility opportunities for staff across geographic, organisational and sectoral boundaries” and Action 14 of the People Strategy for the Civil Service which calls for the further expansion of a coherent Mobility policy to facilitate staff development.
The country is divided into 46 zones/locations for the purpose of the mobility scheme. County Donegal encompasses Zone 1, 2 & 3.
In the last 3 years 19 staff members have moved under the scheme to transfer within or to the Donegal area - breakdown per grade is as follows:
- 12 Clerical Officers (7 of whom transferred from Departments already located in Donegal); and
- 7 Executive Officers (6 of whom transferred from Departments already located in Donegal).
|
Grade |
To |
From |
Headcount |
|
Clerical Officers |
Donegal |
Donegal |
7 |
|
Donegal |
Monaghan |
1 |
|
|
Donegal |
Dublin |
3 |
|
|
Donegal |
Sligo |
1 |
|
|
Executive Officers |
Donegal |
Donegal |
5 |
|
Donegal |
Limerick |
1 |
|
|
Donegal |
Donegal |
1 |
These moves were made in accordance with the following organisational sequencing for mobility which is applied nationwide rather than per zone/location;
Clerical Officer – 1 in 2 vacant posts will be filled though Mobility.
Executive Officer – 50% Open: 25% Interdepartmental** : 25% Internal.
** one in every two Interdepartmental vacancies to be filled by Mobility.
Organisational internal mobility may take place within a zone in the event that an organisation has more than one office location. This Department does not govern internal moves and has no central visibility of such moves. Organisations were directed to develop and publish an official internal mobility policy in line with the Guidelines for Departmental Internal Mobility which were drafted by my Department in 2017.
For further information on the scheme and the internal guidelines please visit the Mobility website at:
hr.per.gov.ie/en/corporate-pages/career/mobility/
65. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will take appropriate steps to ensure that the pandemic bonus payment will be paid to front-line nurses in the Irish Prison Service who worked over the past period of almost two years dealing with both suspected and positive Covid-19 patients in challenging circumstances in prisons; if he will acknowledge that prison nurses played a vital role in the protection of the State’s prisoners from the consequences of Covid-19 through the use of personal protective equipment, managing the isolation and quarantining of prisoners, cocooning the elderly and more vulnerable prison population by means of ongoing PCR testing of prisoners and in the latter stages of the pandemic through vaccination and ongoing care; and if he will confirm qualification for the bonus payment in view of this essential and emergency frontline pandemic work by prison nurses. [7103/22]
View answerThere are many thousands of people across the country who went above and beyond over the course of the last two years. The continued contribution of so many people in all walks of life has been essential to getting us through this difficult time. Collaboration and solidarity have been the hallmark of our national approach to COVID-19 and the measures announced on 19 January are true to those principles.
After careful consideration, the Government made the decision to give all the people of Ireland a national day of recognition and commemoration on the 18th of March this year, and another permanent public holiday in February commencing in 2023.
The Government took many factors into consideration when coming to a decision in relation to any additional recognition measure for specific sectors, however it ultimately agreed that acknowledging certain frontline healthcare workers in the public sector and in private nursing homes and hospices in particular was the most fair and appropriate, whilst acknowledging all other healthcare workers and sectors with the public holidays.
This is a balanced package of measures that will benefit all workers across the economy, while also recognising in particular the risks faced by certain frontline healthcare workers during this pandemic.
The Department of Health is working together with the HSE to provide additional details on this measure including full eligibility criteria, particulars and terms and conditions that apply. This will be published as soon as possible. This work underway is to ensure fairness in the application of this measure as the Government intended.
66. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the performance delivery agreement between Galway 2020 and her Department has expired; if so, the date it expired; if not, the date that it will expire; and her views on whether the agreement was breached at any time. [6774/22]
View answer67. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of times representatives from her Department attended monitoring meetings including virtually bilateral meetings with Galway 2020; and the number of times her Department met with Galway City Council regarding Galway 2020 in each of the past five years. [6787/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 67 together.
The Performance Delivery Agreement (PDA) between the Department and Galway 2020, signed on 6 November 2018, provided for quarterly bilateral monitoring meetings. In July 2020 revised terms and conditions for the Galway 2020 restructured cultural programme owing to the pandemic, required fortnightly meetings. In total to the end of 2021, 31 monitoring meetings took place between the Department and Galway 2020.
The PDA also provided for regular monitoring meetings between the Department and the other public funders and the Department and Galway City Council met in this context on 15 occasions up to end 2021.
The PDA between the Department and Galway 2020 expired on 31 December 2021. The commitments set out in the PDA to deliver an effective cultural programme under its year as Ireland’s 2020 European Capital of Culture were met on an ongoing basis, including compliance with the requirements for the drawdown of Department funds and quarterly monitoring and reporting arrangements.
68. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide an update on the report of the Future of Media Commission. [5965/22]
View answerA vibrant, diverse and independent media sector is vital for not only our democracy but our cultural development. However, it is a sector that is undergoing fundamental change and faces significant challenges.
Acknowledging both the importance of the sector and the rapidly changing landscape in which it operates, the Programme for Government committed to the establishment of the Future of Media Commission.
Chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith, the Commission was tasked with considering the future of print, broadcast, and online media in a platform agnostic fashion; to consider the potential measures required to ensure that our public service media continues to play its essential role within our society for the foreseeable future.
After extensive engagement with stakeholders and the wider public, the Commission completed its work last autumn and submitted its report to the Taoiseach and myself. The Report’s recommendations are far-reaching and will inform media and broadcasting policy in the coming years. As such, they require careful and detailed consideration, particularly in light of a range of other complex and inter-related issues that will require decisions by Government in the wider media and digital space. These include the recently published national digital strategy Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework and Ireland’s approach to the implementation of the forthcoming Digital Services Act. It is intended that the report will be brought to Government for consideration very shortly.
69. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the definitive timeline for the appointment of a project manager to oversee the implementation of the enhanced scheme further to the changes announced to the defective concrete block scheme on 30 November 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6898/22]
View answerI aim to bring the required primary legislation to give effect to the enhanced scheme before the Oireachtas as soon as possible with Spring 2022 being the indicative target timeline. Arrangements for the implementation of the scheme will be finalised in parallel with the development of the legislation.
70. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the definitive timeline for the development of the implementation plan for the enhanced scheme further to the changes announced to the defective concrete block scheme on 30 November 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6899/22]
View answerI brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on the 30 November 2021. It included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn. The comprehensive changes include:
- The current 90% maximum grant will be increased to a 100% grant for all remediation options 1-5.
- The maximum grant cap for option 1 (demolition and rebuild) will be increased from €247,500 to €420,000.
- The grant calculation methodology in respect of option 1 remediation will be based on a cost per square foot with grant costings to be set by my Department following receipt of information on up to date construction costs from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). An indicative rate of €145 per square foot for the first 1,000 sq foot with a sliding scale thereafter has been announced by my Department and this will be subject to review as required in line with construction cost changes. In the case of remediation options 2-5 a similar but necessarily different approach will be taken to inform the appropriate grant rate for blockwork removal and replacement following receipt of advice from SCSI. The SCSI will be completely independent in their engagement with my Department on construction costs.
- A revised application process will be introduced which will only require the homeowner to submit an initial ‘Building Condition Assessment’ at minimal cost recoupable on entry to the Scheme. The Housing Agency will take over testing, sampling and categorisation of homes on behalf of homeowners and local authorities and will thereafter recommend the appropriate remediation option and grant amount for each home.
- Alternative accommodation and storage costs are to be included, subject to a maximum of €20,000.
- In relation to works carried out under remediation options 2-5, a second grant option, will be available for such a home in the future if blockwork which was not removed as part of the initial remediation work subsequently proves defective in accordance with the IS;465 standard.
- A new independent appeals process will be introduced.
- €5,000 will be available for essential immediate repair works recommended by a building professional as part of the Building Condition Assessment process.
- The Scheme will be extended beyond the current scope of Principal Private Residences only, to also cover Residential Tenancies Board registered rental properties, subject to the introduction of a clawback mechanism upon re-sale within a set time period depending on the remediation option used. Opportunities for the State to acquire such rental properties for social housing purposes will also be examined.
Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link;
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/
I aim to bring the required primary legislation to give effect to the enhanced scheme before the Oireachtas as soon as possible with Spring 2022 being the indicative target timeline.
In the immediate term I am making amendments to the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 which will allow for the recoupment of Engineer fees to homeowners who have applied for entry into the scheme. Furthermore, as part of these amended regulations, up to €5,000 will be recoupable as an allowable cost under the scheme for essential immediate repair works which are deemed necessary by a homeowners engineer under a Building Condition Assessment report.
71. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to a structural problem with a heritage listed bridge (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6929/22]
View answerCaragh Bridge is a protected structure and a National Monument. I can confirm that Kildare County Council have been in contact with my Department to inform of the need to carry out repairs to the bridge. Such works require my consent and I can also confirm that an application for consent has been received by the National Monuments Service of my Department. This application is being processed as a matter of priority.
72. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will remove the means testing for persons that suffer from thalidomide that are applying for housing adaptation grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6935/22]
View answerMy Department provides funding to local authorities so as to enable them administer the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. These schemes assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs.
The grants available operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. The schemes are means tested. Grant assistance is not available to applicants whose household income exceeds €60,000 per annum.
Housing for All, however, commits to undertaking a review of the range of housing grants available to assist with meeting specific housing needs both for our ageing population and people with a disability which includes a review of the existing grant limits and income thresholds applicable to the grant schemes. The review is being undertaken this year.
73. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the eligibility criteria for the new affordable purchase schemes will be published; when these schemes will open for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7008/22]
View answerAs set out in Housing for All, this Government is committed to supporting 54,000 new affordable homes by 2030, of which 36,000 will be for purchase. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides for two new affordable purchase schemes, which will both be targeted at moderate-income households constrained by the maximum mortgage and deposit available to them.
The Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme will see local authorities make homes available for purchase on their own land. Regulations to set out the detailed criteria for the Scheme are at an advanced stage and will be issued in the coming weeks.
The first affordable purchase homes will be made available on an administrative basis at Boherboy in Cork next month. Cork City Council has indicated these will cost €218,000 for a 2-bedroom, and €243,000 for a 3-bedroom dwelling. These will be followed by a scheme at Dun Emer in Dublin, where Fingal County Council has indicated a 2-bed apartment will cost €166,000, and a 3-bed dwelling will be between €206,000 and €258,000.
Separately, the First Home affordable purchase scheme will operate for the period 2022 to 2026, deploying overall c. €400m jointly funded by the State and retail banks. It will support eligible first-time buyers to buy a new-build home in private developments. A new First Home Designated Activity Company, incorporated in December, will operate this scheme. Significant work is continuing on the detailed design and parameters of the scheme, and full details will be confirmed upon completion of this work. It is anticipated that initial activity on key areas of work, including public communications, will be undertaken in Q1 in advance of First Home’s first receipt of applications and deployment of equity support, scheduled for Q2 this year.
74. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the updating of regulations to allow for plebiscites to change place names. [7084/22]
View answerProvisions relating to placename changes in Part 18 of the amended Local Government Act 2001 were commenced in early 2019. Previous provisions under local government legislation were repealed. In addition, provisions in the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011, amending Part 18 of the 2001 Act, were commenced.
The newly commenced provisions under the amended Part 18 of the 2001 Act require updated Regulations to be made for the holding of plebiscites to change placenames.
However, in advance of making those Regulations, an issue has been identified concerning the interaction of the amended Part 18 of the Local Government Act 2001 and provisions contained in Official Languages legislation, under the aegis of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
My officials are continuing to work with their counterparts in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media with a view to resolving the issue identified. Once a policy approach and draft legislative amendments have been agreed, it is hoped to include them in an appropriate Bill at the earliest available opportunity.
75. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a funding source will be available to apply to for the preparation of a master plan in respect of St. Finan’s Hospital and grounds, Killarney, County Kerry; if the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund would be such a suitable source; if an application with a strong focus on housing potential in the old building and site would fit the scheme criteria; if there is a timeline regarding future applications and allocations under such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7195/22]
View answerThe Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development. The Fund is providing part-funding for projects that will enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed-use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people choose to live and work, as well as to invest and to visit.
In keeping with the aims of the National Planning Framework and Project Ireland 2040, the URDF demonstrates a new and more tailored approach to the provision of Government support. Over its planned duration up to 2030, URDF support will be targeted in an integrated, dynamic and responsive way to support the regeneration and rejuvenation of our towns and cities.
Already, the URDF is providing assistance for major projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s five cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and National Development Plan.
Through the URDF, successful applicants are receiving targeted integrated support for innovative holistic solutions to the issues that have hindered the regeneration and rejuvenation of our large towns and cities.
To date there have been two Calls for proposals under the URDF with a total of almost €312m allocated so far in respect of the 87 projects approved under Call 1, while in March 2021 I announced URDF funding support of €1.3 billion in respect of a countrywide programme of 45 proposals approved under Call 2.
At this stage my Department's immediate focus is on ensuring early progress on these important projects and in this regard my Department recently engaged in a series of meetings with local authorities to consider the advancement of the current programme of 132 URDF-supported regeneration and development projects.
The next call for proposals under the URDF will be arranged later this year. As part of the application process my Department will explain the specific focus of the call and provide details of the related qualifying criteria. It will then be a matter for Kerry County Council, as the relevant local authority, to consider in that context which projects will be proposed for URDF support.
76. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure the passports for persons (details supplied) are issued in time for international travel on 14 February 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6822/22]
View answer78. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6963/22]
View answer80. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will examine an issue with a passport application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7089/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 76, 78 and 80 together.
With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has provided an update on the status of the passport application to the applicants' parents.
