Written Answers Nos. 121-140
122. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the emergency repair grant allocated to MICA homeowners; if that grant is controlled by his Department or by the local authority; the way the emergency repair grant can be accessed by homeowners who need the grant urgently particularly in view of recent storms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12044/22]
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.
Full details in relation to the changes announced are available on my Departments website. 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 interim, three enhancements to the current scheme have been brought into effect through amending regulations which I signed on the 24 February. These regulations make provision for the inclusion as an allowable cost of essential immediate repair works, up to a value of €5,555, where such works relate to the structural stability of an affected home. The regulations also make provision in specific circumstances for the recoupment of the fees connected with the provision of the engineer’s report without the need for a prior stage 1 confirmation of eligibility and for an increase from 75% to 85% in the value of stage payments which can be recouped prior to the final grant payment.
It is a matter for the relevant local authorities, as scheme administrators, to roll out the benefits of these immediate enhancements to eligible homeowners. My Department has provided detailed guidance to assist local authorities in this regard and I expect to see eligible homeowners benefit from these changes quite quickly.
123. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review housing supports available from his Department for first-time buyers of new and second-hand properties in view of the difficulties that existing schemes pose in particular for single persons on modest incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12115/22]
View answerThe Housing for All strategy is a multi-faceted approach to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system.
The strategy introduces two new affordable purchase schemes (the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the First Home shared equity scheme), as well as an improved Local Authority Home Loan scheme, which are primarily targeted to support First-time Buyers.
The Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme will support eligible purchasers of Local Authority-delivered new homes. Regulations setting out the detailed eligibility criteria for the scheme will be issued in the coming weeks.
The First Home shared equity scheme will be available to eligible First-time Buyers purchasing new build homes through the private market. It is anticipated the scheme will be available from the second half of this year.
Both of these schemes can be used in conjunction with the Help-to-Buy incentive which supports First-time Buyers in meeting the deposit requirements for new build and self-build homes.
The new Local Authority Home Loan scheme commenced on 4 January 2022, replacing the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, and incorporates more favorable terms for eligible First-time Buyers purchasing new or second-hand homes, or self-builds. The new scheme incorporates a lower interest rate and, specifically for single applicants, has increased income eligibility thresholds from €50,000 to €65,000 in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow which will support homeownership for single people.
126. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the planned cost-rental development at a location (detail supplied). [10836/22]
View answerEmmet Road is an important project for the development of the Cost Rental sector in Ireland. I understand the Deputy's specific interest in this project and the need to keep local residents informed of what is a large-scale project within their area. I know Minister O'Brien has met with the residents directly, most recently in December last. I am also aware of how rigorous the design process for such a large site can be, and appreciate the work undertaken by the Council to date.
The plan to deliver Cost Rental homes here under a Local Authority-led financing structure is a key element in the long-term delivery of Cost Rental more generally, and one that could be replicated elsewhere. A dedicated Dublin City Council Project Manager and project team is working on the development and it is a key deliverable in its Housing Programme.
Along with Minister O'Brien, I am pleased that the Council has advised that the concept design was presented to Councillors on Tuesday and to the Inchicore Regeneration Consultative Forum yesterday. This design will be presented to the public during Phase 3 of the Consultation process, running from the 8th to the 31st of March. Following this consultation and some further refinements, it is the Council's intention to submit a full planning application by end 2022.
127. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to upgrade or amend the HAP scheme (details supplied); his further plans to increase the HAP rent caps to a level that reflects current rents; and his views on whether families in accommodation that no longer suits their needs should be allowed to move to another tenancy and at the same time hold onto the HAP given that many of these tenancies are now years in existence [12104/22]
View answerThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals.
HAP rent limits were set in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection in 2016. Local authorities also 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.
Under Housing for All, my Department was tasked with undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether an increase in the level of discretion available to Local Authorities under HAP is required, in order to maintain adequate levels of HAP support.
The Housing Agency undertook to carry out this analytical exercise on behalf of my Department. The review was submitted on 20 December 2021. It is undergoing analysis by my Department and Minister O’Brien expects to receive recommendations following that analysis.
HAP provides flexibility to tenants to source accommodation in the private rental market that suits their needs.
In relation to moving from one tenancy to another, on entering HAP, the tenant is required to stay in the same property for at least two years. However, you may be able to apply to your local authority for a new HAP payment for another property sooner if your circumstances change. For example, if you receive a job offer in another area, or if your family changes in size and the property is no longer big enough.
128. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to issue revised ministerial guidelines to harmonise apartment standards in respect of build-to-sell and build-to-rent apartments in order to incentivise the development of build-to-sell homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12042/22]
View answerBuild-to-rent was first referenced in 2015 in response to emerging trends, which include on-going population growth, a move towards smaller average household size, an ageing population and a greater proportion of households in the rented sector. At that time, apartments had become a more common form of dwelling in urban areas, comprising 11% of all occupied households in Ireland and almost one-third of occupied households in Dublin City (Census 2011).
By 2016, this had risen to 12%. In 2018, my Department published the updated Sustainable Urban Housing Development Guidelines to respond to changing housing need, in light of emerging dynamics in the urban employment market and ongoing demographic trends. The 2018 Guidelines addressed the relatively new build-to-rent sector and sets out a number of key distinct characteristics.
Since 2018, build-to-rent developments have formed a relatively small proportion of all planning applications lodged, accounting for less than 20% of the total units approved under the SHD process.
The Government supports home ownership and has taken firm action to protect traditional family homes (from bulk purchases), while maintaining investment where it is needed. Housing for All includes the introduction of the ‘owner-occupier’ guarantee, the Croi Conaithe (Cities) Fund and the Croi Conaithe (Towns) Fund, in addition to affordable purchase, shared equity, Local Authority Home Loan and Help to Buy Schemes. Build-to-rent is not the only solution but is a legitimate form of tenure, with secure long-term professional landlords that will provide a proportion of much needed accommodation for those who wish to rent. Following a review of co-living in 2020, updated Sustainable Urban Development guidelines were published and I have no plans to further amend the guidelines from this perspective.
129. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way that he plans to address ongoing issues in relation to the dereliction and regeneration of derelict buildings under the Town Centre First policy particularly in relation to incentivising or penalising persons who own vacant or derelict properties but are not utilising them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8610/22]
View answerThe Town Centre First policy, jointly developed by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development, sets out 33 actions which will provide a co-ordinated framework across established national policy objectives (in particular the National Planning Framework, Housing for All and Our Rural Future) to address the decline in the health of our towns and sets out actions to regenerate and revitalise them.
Addressing vacancy and maximising the use of existing housing stock is a primary objective of this Government and a number of measures are provided for in the Town Centre First policy and Housing for All to address vacancy and dereliction. The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund will be delivered by local authorities for the provision of serviced sites for housing, to attract people to build their own homes and to support the refurbishment of vacant properties, enabling people to live in small towns and villages, in a sustainable way. This scheme is currently being designed with a call for proposals intended to issue to Local Authorities later this Quarter.
In addition, Housing for All provides for the launching of a programme of Compulsory Purchase Orders to bring vacant units to the market for sale, as well as activating unused State owned properties for this purpose. A central advisory service is being established in the Housing Agency that will assist the Local Authorities in implementing this programme which seeks to bring 2,500 properties into residential use by 2026. The programme will also be supported by a bridging finance facility from the Housing Finance Agency for property acquisitions.
130. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the recent research by an organisation (details supplied) which found that the overall poverty rate of households receiving housing subsidies rises to 19% after they have paid their rent; the steps he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5330/22]
View answerI recently met with representatives from Social Justice Ireland and I had a good engagement in relation to findings in their report and what this Government is doing to address housing affordability.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade, rising to more than 40,000 by 2030. The plan provides for an optimal mix of social, affordable and private housing for sale and rent. It is underpinned by measures to support availability of the land, workforce, funding and capacity to enable both the public and private sectors to meet the targets.
Increasing supply is at the centre of Housing for All. This includes direct investment in social and affordable housing, reforms to ensure availability of land, removal of obstacles to and supporting viability of development, and ensuring there is sufficient investment and capacity to support construction.
The cost of housing - for those buying or renting – will continue to be a challenge in the short-term and, while I do not underestimate the difficulties this is causing for households, I am confident delivery of Housing for All will help meet demand, moderate costs and create a more sustainable housing system.
131. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown per local authority area of the affordable housing that is planned to be delivered in 2022; the details of each affordable housing scheme planned to be delivered in each local authority area in 2022; the details relating to the number of homes per scheme and the nature of the tenure in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12043/22]
View answerAt a national level 4,100 Affordable Purchase and Cost Rental homes are targeted for delivery in 2022 through a combination of Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and the First Home shared equity scheme. The annual national targets will increase incrementally over the Housing for All period.
Despite the impacts of Covid-19, 65 Cost Rental homes were delivered by Clúid Housing last year. The 1,500 Cost Rental target for 2022 will be delivered by the LDA, AHBs supported by the Cost Rental Equity Loan, as well as Local Authorities partnering with AHBs, as can be seen on the upcoming Enniskerry Road development in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
Further affordable homes for purchase are coming on stream, with Cork City Council delivering 22 Affordable Purchase homes in Boherboy in the coming weeks, South Dublin County Council recently advertising 16 Affordable Purchase homes in Kilcarbery and Fingal County Council will make available 39 Affordable Purchase homes in Lusk.
The First Home scheme will be available on a national level from the second half of this year. This demand-led scheme targets 1,750 supports for 2022.
A Housing Delivery Action Plan prepared by each Local Authority will underpin delivery in the period 2022 to 2026 and provide projected affordable housing delivery. Local authorities submitted the first iteration of their plans in December and my officials have now met with each. I expect that the final Delivery Action Plans will be published in Q2.
132. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on his work to tackle vacancy and dereliction in County Kildare. [12096/22]
View answer205. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement he has had with Galway City and County Councils in 2021 and to date in 2022 with regard to addressing the issue of vacant houses in both local authority areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11944/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 205 together.
Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum.
My ongoing engagement with local authorities on the delivery of the objectives under Housing for All includes engagement through the delivery of the suite of measures under the pathway to addressing vacancy and efficient use of existing stock. I am ensuring that all local authorities, including Galway City and County Councils, and Kildare County Council, are best positioned and funded to deal with the challenges of vacancy in their town and villages in an appropriate and timely manner.
133. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to review the Building Regulations, 2010, Part M (Access and Use) to ensure higher wheelchair accessibility standards in new houses and apartments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12083/22]
View answerThe Building Regulations apply to the design and construction of all new buildings (including dwellings) and to certain works to existing buildings. They are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure that due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological progress and innovation.
The Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access and use.
The accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), sets out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access. The TGDs are available on my Department’s website at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/78e67-technical-guidance-document-m-access-and-use/#current-edition.
The requirements of Part M aim to ensure that regardless of age, size or disability:
- new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable;
- extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable;
- material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable;
- certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and
- new dwellings are visitable.
Part M aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.
Since 2011 housing for disabled people has been addressed in a dedicated joint Strategy between the Department and the Department of Health. A new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 was launched on 14 January 2022. (See Press release available at https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/1c6c5-new-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027-launched.
The new Strategy sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, state agencies and others in delivering housing and the related supports for disabled people over the next five years. This new Strategy will operate within the framework of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland which is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including those with disabilities and older people. Preparation of an Implementation Plan for the Strategy will begin in the first quarter of 2022 with a target for completion by the second quarter.
Separately, Action 97 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 states – “We will prepare policy advice on ways of achieving universal design solutions for new housing so that new homes can be accessed and used by all persons, irrespective of size, age, ability or disability. We will advise on any implications of same for stakeholders including designers, builders, homeowners and tenants.” I understand that the National Disability Authority (NDA), which falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, is working on this policy advice. The NDA are an independent statutory body that provides information and advice to the Government on policy and practice relevant to the lives of persons with disabilities.
The NDA also provides comprehensive guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily accessed and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability. 'Building for Everyone, A Universal Design Approach', a NDA publication, may be accessed at www.nda.ie.
The ‘Programme for Government Our Shared Future’ commits to ensuring that there is an appropriate mix of housing design types provided, including universally designed units, and accommodation for older people and people with disabilities.
The joint policy statement Housing Options for Our Ageing Population, launched by my Department and the Department of Health in 2019, includes an Action on universal design to “In partnership with industry, introduce measures to ensure that over a five year period delivery is increased to ensure that 30% of all new dwellings are built to incorporate universal design principles to accommodate our ageing population.” Appropriate analysis to identify delivery approaches to address this commitment is currently being undertaken by the NDA.
134. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of his plans in relation to maternity leave for councillors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12053/22]
View answer198. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the work to ensure that councillors can access maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11832/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 198 together.
Councillors, like members of the Oireachtas, are office holders rather than employees. As such, they are not covered by the statutory framework for employees in relation to maternity leave.
I recognise that this is an obstacle to the participation of women in local government, which I am determined to address urgently and comprehensively. The role of the councillor must be one that is accessible, manageable and sustainable for all, thus helping to ensure that councillors are more fully representative of the constituents they serve.
As matters currently stand, it is only under the provisions of Section 18 of the Local Government Act 2001 that councillors may be absent from the role for maternity purposes. Under Section 18, a councillor shall be deemed to have automatically resigned from membership of a local authority if he or she is absent from meetings for a continuous period of 6 consecutive months. Where the absence is due to illness or “in good faith for another reason”, then the period of absence may be extended first to 12 months and then to up to 18 months by resolution of the Council.
It should be acknowledged that a councillor who is absent for 6 months for maternity related reasons will continue to receive the full amount of her Representational Payment. Thereafter this payment is reduced by 50% for absences of 6 to 12 months duration. A councillor who is absent for more than 12 months will not receive any further payments regardless of the reason for the absence.
With effect from January 2017, the Social Welfare Acts were amended so that councillors gained access to the same benefits as self-employed contributors. Accordingly, councillors are now reckonable for the purposes of accessing Class S benefits, including Maternity Benefit.
On 29 March 2021, I hosted the first meeting of a working group of women councillors established to examine all maternity-related matters, including wider supports other than maternity leave. This group, which is a representative and cross political party group of women councillors, met a number of times in 2021. Their extensive deliberations have given my officials and I greater understanding of the needs of women councillors and have been important in the development of a policy approach.
My Department has since engaged extensively with the Office of the Attorney General on legal questions arising. My officials are also engaging very constructively with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth with a view to bringing councillors under the maternity protection legislative framework.
Following this work, it is my intention to bring forward a package of maternity-related supports and measures for councillors, including progressive proposals for legislative change, which is currently being finalised by my Department.
135. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans of his Department to provide social and affordable housing in an area (details supplied). [12136/22]
View answerHousing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Social housing build and lease targets for the period 2022 - 2026 issued to local authorities in September 2021.
The social housing build and lease targets for Cork City Council and Cork County Council are set out below.
|
- |
2022 Lease |
2022 Build |
2023 Lease |
2023 Build |
2024 Lease |
2024 Build |
2025 Build |
2026 Build |
|
Cork City |
81 |
515 |
71 |
536 |
50 |
548 |
589 |
601 |
|
Cork County |
0 |
560 |
0 |
622 |
0 |
636 |
683 |
697 |
My Department publishes a detailed Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) each quarter, which provides scheme level detail on new build activity. The most recent publication covers the period up to the end of Quarter 3 2021 and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/feea9-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q3-2021/. The CSR provides details of the individual projects that make up the social housing new build programme for each local authority. An excel version of this file can be downloaded at the following link: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q3-2021?package_type=dataset.
The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, (3) a First Home shared equity scheme and (4) expanding Part V planning requirements to increase the 10% contribution requirement to 20% and to apply it to cost rental as well as social and affordable housing.
At a national level, 2,550 Affordable Purchase homes and 1,580 Cost Rental homes are targeted for delivery for 2022. Annual targets will increase incrementally in subsequent years. These homes will be delivered by the local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency.
Delivery of affordable housing will be underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority submitted a Plan to me in December 2021, and my Department has been engaging with local authorities on the Plans. The Housing Delivery Action Plans will be published in Quarter 2 and will set out details of affordable delivery in each local authority.
The first Affordable Purchase homes delivered through the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme will be made available in Boherboy, Cork City later this month. Cork City Council indicated the prices to be €218,000 and €243,000 for a 3-bedroom dwelling. Two separate Cost Rental schemes, managed by Clúid and Respond, will be provided in Cork City and will be available in the second half of this year.
The First Home shared equity scheme will be available nationally on a demand-led basis. This scheme will primarily support first-time buyers purchasing new homes through the private market. I expect that a significant proportion of First Home supported home purchases will be located in Cork, in proportion to the market for newly constructed homes.
136. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the plans of his Department to deliver social housing in County Tipperary between 2022 and 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11862/22]
View answerHousing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of an average of 10,000 new social homes and 6,000 affordable homes each year. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn in funding through the Housing Finance Agency, over a five year period.
Social housing build and lease targets for the period 2022 - 2026 issued to local authorities in September 2021. The social housing new build targets for Tipperary are set out in the table below.
|
Target 2022 Build |
Target 2023 Build |
Target 2024 Build |
Target 2025 Build |
Target 2026 Build |
|
230 |
155 |
158 |
170 |
174 |
Under Housing for All, each local authority, including Tipperary County Council were required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan, setting out details of social and affordable housing delivery in the period 2022-2026. I received a plan from Tipperary County Council in December 2021 and my Department is working with the Housing Delivery Coordination Office to review the plan, having regard to Housing for All targets and policy objectives. The Housing Delivery Action Plans will be published in Quarter 2.
137. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of any analysis carried out or commissioned by his Department into the impact of the lifting of the Covid-19 moratorium on evictions both nationwide and in Galway city and county; the analysis his Department has carried out or commissioned into the rise in homelessness figures in Galway city and county in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11945/22]
View answerThe Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 was enacted on 27 March 2020. Part 2 of the 2020 Act provided for the operation of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 during the Covid-19 emergency period up to 1 August 2020, to better protect tenants by prohibiting rent increases in all cases, and tenancy terminations in all but limited and exceptional cases having regard to:
- the threat to public health presented by Covid-19,
- the highly contagious nature of that disease, and
- the need to restrict the movement of persons in order to prevent the spread of the disease among the population.
From 1 August 2020, the blanket ban on rent increases inside or outside of a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) was lifted for all, apart from the most vulnerable tenants, with regard to the prevailing threat to public health at that time. The Residential Tenancies Act 2020 was enacted and came into operation on 24 October 2020. This Act provides for a moratorium on evictions taking place in the event of peoples’ movements being restricted on public health grounds to within 5km of their home under Section 31A Health Regulations made by the Minister for Health. These tenancy protections also apply during the 10 days directly following the period specified by the Minister for Health in the aforementioned Regulations.
The Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 (RTVA) and subsequently, the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020 (PDRTA) provided that rent increases were not permitted to take effect during, or in respect of any part of, the period from 1 August 2020 until 12 July 2021, for tenants with rent arrears due to Covid-19 and at risk of losing their tenancy who make the necessary declaration. The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021, which was signed into law on 9 July 2021, provided for an extension of the enhanced protections under the PDRTA until 12 January 2022.
During the 18 months from August 2020 to January 2022, 579 tenants out of almost 300,000 tenancies, sent a self-declaration to the RTB indicating they were unable to pay their rent as a result of the impact of Covid-19.
The RTVA also provides that permanent protections apply, through new procedures requiring landlords to serve both the RTB and the tenant with both the 28-day warning notice seeking payment of rent arrears and also any related notice of termination. Upon receipt of the warning notice, the RTB acknowledges receipt to the landlord and the tenant and provides information to the tenant to enable him or her to get advice from the Money and Budgeting Advice Service (MABS) and offers assistance to the tenant in obtaining this advice. Any notice of termination grounded on rent arrears must be copied to the RTB and will be invalid if it is not so copied. A notice of termination grounded on rent arrears can only be served by a landlord on the condition that a written rent arrears warning was given to both the tenant and the RTB and that the arrears were not paid within 28 days following receipt of the warning by the tenant or by the RTB, whichever occurs later. The aim is to ensure that early action is taken to address rent arrears, to the benefit of both the tenant and the landlord.
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 a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.
While responsibility for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis, with nine administrative regions in place. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. It is a matter for the management group of the consultative forum, in the first instance, to determine the services and the funding required to address homelessness in each region.
My Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the preparation of Homelessness Action Plans, with particular focus on the incorporation of Housing for All actions into these plans. This guidance advised that the Plans should contain measures to address relevant actions in Housing for All, particularly those that have been identified as to be led by local authorities. Additionally, all measures to be included in these Plans must be accompanied by details on how they will be progressed and monitored.
138. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of his Department’s efforts to regulate short-term rental properties in the context of the shortage of long-term properties for rent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12093/22]
View answerLegislative reforms to regulate the short-term letting sector through the planning code, in areas designated as “rent pressure zones” (RPZs), were introduced under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 which came into effect on 1 July 2019.
Notwithstanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, significant work on the implementation and enforcement of the Regulations has been undertaken by planning authorities since they came into effect.
The Government's housing plan, Housing for All, contains a specific action (Action 20.4), to “develop new regulatory controls requiring short-term and holiday lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with a view to ensuring that houses are used to best effect in areas of housing need”. Minister O’Brien has engaged with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media to progress this action, and a number of meetings have been held between officials of the two Departments and with Fáilte Ireland, and further engagement is expected to take place in the near future.
Funding was allocated in Budget 2022 to Fáilte Ireland which has been tasked with the design and implementation of a new short term lettings registration system. The agency is currently recruiting staff to work on this project. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is also presently scoping out the legislative provisions that will be required to underpin the new registration system with a view to these provisions being enacted in 2022.
139. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the vetting procedures in place for approving properties for the purposes of HAP tenancies. [11267/22]
View answerA key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector, which best suits their needs, in their area of choice.
The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these Regulations. Responsibility for enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority.
The HAP scheme is underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. Under section 41 of the 2014 Act, local authorities are required to commence the inspection process within 8 months of HAP support being provided in relation to a particular dwelling, if the dwelling was not already inspected within the previous 12 months. Local authorities carry out HAP inspections as part of their overall private rented inspections programme.
Given the need for inspectors to enter tenants’ homes, Covid-19 pandemic restrictions did impact on the inspection of all rented dwellings. The City and County Management Association’s (CCMA) Local Authority Services Frameworks for Future Covid-19 Pandemic Response did not permit on-site rental inspections from January 2021 until mid-July 2021. This was in order to protect tenants, landlords and inspectors. A revised Framework which issued on 13 July 2021 permitted the resumption of on-site rental inspections from 14 July 2021.
It is anticipated that €9 million could be spent on rental inspections in 2022. This compares to just under €2.8 million last year.
140. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the outcome of the review on income eligibility for social housing under the Housing for All plan will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12100/22]
View answer160. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to publish and act upon the review completed in November 2021 into the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities regarding housing supports. [11294/22]
View answer169. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address the urgent need to reassess the income limits for social housing support on the grounds of persons being unable to qualify for the housing assistance payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10095/22]
View answer170. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a decision will be made to increase the income limits for eligibility for local authority housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11779/22]
View answer185. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the review into income thresholds for social housing eligibility will be published. [11273/22]
View answer187. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for increasing the social housing income eligibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11576/22]
View answer192. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the review of the eligibility thresholds for social housing. [12048/22]
View answer195. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will improve without further delay the income eligibility limits for social housing for areas such as counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12062/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 140, 160, 169, 170, 185, 187, 192 and 195 together.
Applications 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).
If a household meets the eligibility and need criteria, it qualifies for the suite of social housing supports, including Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), and is placed on the housing list to be considered for the allocation of suitable tenancies in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme.
The Regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands according to the area concerned, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy.
Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland was published in September 2021 and, as part of a broad suite of social housing reforms, committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing.
The review, which examined inter alia the efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, was completed in Q4 2021. I am currently considering its findings and expect to decide on proposed changes and recommendations shortly.
I will publish the review thereafter.
