Matt Carthy
Question:82. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of persons and families who are in need of social housing in County Monaghan. [22040/22]
View answerHousing Provision
Questions (82)
Written answers
Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2021, is available at:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/f6119-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2021-key-findings/
Ukraine War
Questions (83)
Neale Richmond
Question:83. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the way local authorities are co-ordinating their refugee supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22140/22]
View answerWritten answers
On 31 March 2022, my colleague, Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, and I wrote to the chief executives of the local authorities welcoming the establishment of Community Response Forums in every local authority area to coordinate the community-led response in the provision of assistance and support to those arriving into our communities having fled the conflict in Ukraine.
The purpose of the Community Response Forums is to ensure effective communication and information sharing in the coordination of public and local community and voluntary actions providing community supports to the new Ukrainian communities. The Forums build on structures and relationships which were highly effective during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and enable all those involved in the response locally to work together, under the stewardship of the local authority.
To assist in the process, a Community Response Forum Framework was developed by our Departments with the local government sector. This is a national template for arrangements in each area to enable all involved at a local level to work together to support the integration of Ukrainian refugees to our communities.
The Community Response Forums are meeting regularly and are doing so in a very positive and collaborative environment.
In recognition of the growing numbers involved and the complexity of managing such a quickly changing situation, on 22nd April, I wrote again to Chief Executives of all local authorities to request that a Director of Service level staff member be assigned full time, supported by a small team, to coordinate the provision of services and supports locally. My Department is engaging with local authorities to ensure that the necessary resources are in place to facilitate this strengthening of the local coordination effort.
Housing Policy
Questions (84)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:84. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the required regulations setting out the criteria of the local authority affordable purchase scheme will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22159/22]
View answerWritten answers
Two sets of Regulations which will underpin the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, made under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Act 2021, were signed by the Minister and came into effect on 13 April 2022. Notice was published in Iris Oifigiúil on 19 March, and the text of the regulations is available on the Irish Statute Book website maintained by the Office of the Attorney General. The two sets of Regulations were circulated to Local Authorities, the Housing Agency, the Housing Finance Agency, the Land Development Agency, and the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office on 20 April 2022.
The Affordable Housing Regulations 2022, made with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, deal with the assessment of income/means as part of eligibility for an Affordable Dwelling Purchase Arrangement. The text of these Regulations is available online at:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/183/made/en/print
The Affordable Housing (No. 2) Regulations 2022 prescribe, among other things, the notification of affordable dwelling schemes to the public, the use by Local Authorities of schemes of priority, the calculation of home purchase prices and the equity shares to be taken by the Local Authority, and the minimum payment for a homeowner redeeming the Local Authority's equity interest. The text of these Regulations is available online at:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/184/made/en/print
Further guidance and Regulations will be developed over the coming months to underpin the delivery of affordable housing by Local Authorities under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Act 2021.
Rental Sector
Questions (85)
Mick Barry
Question:85. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce emergency measures to lower rents in view of the increases in rents that have been recently announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22167/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021 introduced measures in July 2021 to extend the operation of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) until the end of 2024. The designation of all existing RPZs has also been extended until 31 December 2024. The Act provides that rent reviews outside of RPZs can, until 2025, occur no more frequently than bi-annually. This provides rent certainty for tenants outside of RPZs for a minimum 2 year period at a time.
The Act also introduced measures to better protect tenants with affordability by prohibiting any necessary rent increase in a RPZ from exceeding general inflation, as recorded by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).
To address the rent affordability challenges building on foot of the unexpectedly fast rising inflation rate, as recorded by HICP (CSO data for March 2022 shows HICP inflation of 6.9% p.a.), the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2021 provides, from 11 December 2021, a cap of 2% per annum pro rata on rent increases in RPZs, where the inflation rate is higher. In effect, this will mean that rents in RPZs may only increase by a maximum of 2% per annum pro rata during times of higher inflation.
In all cases, section 19(1) of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2021 prohibits the setting of a rent that exceeds market rent.
Having regard to the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords, legislating for the lowering of existing rents is considered legally questionable and highly vulnerable to legal challenge. The Housing Agency continually monitors the rental market and may recommend further areas with the highest and fastest growing rent to be designated as RPZs.
The solution to dealing with the rental market challenges is to provide for increased supply of homes. Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland does that through a range of interventions and unprecedented investment with in excess of €20 billion in funding over the next five years.
Special Areas of Conservation
Questions (86)
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:86. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has had any engagements with the stakeholders of the Gearagh in County Cork; if there are any plans to upgrade the classification of this site from a special area of conservation to designating it as a UNESCO world heritage site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22165/22]
View answerWritten answers
In January 2019, the National Monuments Service of my Department announced an open call for applications for a new Tentative List of potential World Heritage Sites in Ireland. The UNESCO World Heritage Operational Guidelines advise that the Tentative List is updated at least once every ten years. Sites must first be placed on the Tentative List before they can be submitted for inscription as a World Heritage property. They must also clearly demonstrate potential Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), i.e., be able to show that they are so exceptional that their importance transcends national boundaries.
The following applications were received which are currently being reviewed by an Expert Technical Group:
- The Passage Tomb Landscape of County Sligo;
- Inis Cealtra, County Clare;
- Transatlantic Cable Ensemble: Valentia-Heart’s Content, County Kerry and Newfoundland, Canada;
- The Cultural Landscape of the Burren Uplands, County Clare;
- The Royal Sites of Ireland, (Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Cashel, Rathcroghan Complex, Tara Complex, and Navan Fort) and Glendalough, County Wicklow;
No application was received in relation to the Gearagh Special Area of Conservation and no representations have been made to the World Heritage Unit in the National Monuments Service in relation to this site either by the Local Authority, the local community or by local stakeholders.
I anticipate announcing a new Tentative List for Ireland in June 2022 following completion of the current technical review. In addition I intend to publish a new ten-year Strategy for World Heritage in Ireland later this year. The Strategy will include a commitment to open up the Tentative List process on a more regular basis, giving community organisations and groups an opportunity to submit sites for inclusion on Ireland's Tentative List.
Question No. 87 answered orally.
Heritage Sites
Questions (88)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:88. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the negotiations between his Department and Moore Street market traders for compensation; if he will provide details on any relevant correspondence; and the times and dates of meetings. [22205/22]
View answerWritten answers
The May 2021 report of the Moore Street Advisory Group recommended that an adequate and appropriately structured compensation package should be put in place for the Moore Street traders as soon as possible. My Department was at no time directly engaged in talks with the traders. My Department had engaged in some limited preliminary talks, led by Dublin City Council, regarding compensation for the traders for a range of separate schemes of works to be carried out by different parties in the area, each of which would disrupt the traders’ business.
While the report of the MSAG did not explicitly mention the State participating in any compensation package for traders, the State itself will be carrying out very substantial development works on the National Monument at No’s. 14-17 Moore Street. In that context, and against that background, it is axiomatic that the recommendation of the MSAG report for a compensation scheme for street traders for disruption and disturbance also contemplated the work by the State.
It should be stressed that any compensation that might be provided by the Department would be solely in respect of works at the national monument which fronts fully on to Moore Street and the area where the street traders do their business.
House Prices
Questions (89)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:89. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average percentage by which house prices and rent rates have increased in the State in each of the past five years and to date in 2022; if his attention has been drawn to any such statistics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21988/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is responsible for the Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) and the data is freely available at: www.cso.ie/en/statistics/prices/residentialpropertypriceindex/.
Similarly, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) publishes the quarterly Rent Index report which is based on data from RTB tenancy registration records and is independently analysed by the Economic & Social Research Institute. The RTB Rent Index also provides rental indicators which track movements in rents for new tenancies in the Irish private rental sector. These reports are freely available at: www.rtb.ie/ .
Increasing supply is key to meeting demand and moderating house price inflation. Housing for All establishes ambitious targets and commits unprecedented levels of funding to increase the supply of social, affordable and private homes. The increase in supply envisioned under Housing for All will help meet demand and moderate property price increases, helping those who have ambitions to become homeowners to achieve this goal.
Housing Provision
Questions (90)
Bernard Durkan
Question:90. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which each local authority has achieved progress in relation to the provision of affordable first-time buyers local authority housing in sufficient numbers to accelerate the provision of such housing in order to meet the twin growing demands of the existing population and anticipated refugee requirement; if he will consider a declaration of a housing emergency to address these growing issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22129/22]
View answerWritten answers
Delivery of affordable housing, in accordance with the schemes set out in the Affordable Housing Act, 2021 and the funding being made available, will be underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Local authorities submitted their Plans to me in December 2021. Preparation of the Plans allowed each local authority to assess the level of demand with affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment and plan provision accordingly. The Plans are currently being revised and updated by local authorities in the light of ongoing engagement and clarifications, and I expect that they will be ready for publication by local authorities in the Summer. They will provide a comprehensive overview of projected delivery of affordable housing nationally.
National affordable housing delivery targets were published in Housing for All for 2022 – 2030. Overall targets to 2030 include 54,000 affordable housing units, 36,000 of which will be affordable purchase homes with the remaining 18,000 as cost rental units. From 2022 to 2026, it is anticipated that over 28,000 affordable homes will be delivered.
Affordable housing delivery targets have been allocated to local authority areas where prices are highest and it has been identified that the need for affordable housing is a sufficiently significant proportion of overall housing need. The five year target, from 2022 to 2026 for local authority affordable delivery is 7,550 (this projected figure excludes those affordable dwellings expected to be delivered under the terms of Part V agreements). Local authorities are progressing delivering affordable housing in 2022 and on planning and building a pipeline of affordable housing projects into the future.
In addition to this local authority delivery, affordable purchase and cost rental homes will also be made available by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and the Land Development Agency (LDA) in these local authority areas as part of the overall affordable housing delivery commitment under Housing For All. Targets for affordable delivery by AHBs and the LDA were set nationally in consultation with AHB sector representatives and the LDA, having regard to projected delivery capacity.
The First Home Scheme will be delivered via a strategic partnership between the State and participating mortgage lenders and I can confirm that all parties are working with a view to deploying the scheme by the end of June this year. It will improve access to newly-built homes, below the median price point, by using a shared equity model to bridge the gap between mortgage finance and the cost of new homes. This measure, targeted at first time or fresh start buyers, will allow purchasers to exit the rental market, help to build developer confidence in realisable consumer demand, and contribute to the recovery of our construction sector following the Covid-19 emergency. This Scheme will be available nationwide.
Other measures to allow buyers to affordably access newly-constructed housing such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan (formerly the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan), are also available to eligible purchasers nationally to make home ownership more affordable. Information on these schemes is available at the following links:
www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/index.aspx, and
localauthorityhomeloan.ie/
Ukraine War
Questions (91)
Mark Ward
Question:91. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if families in local authority homes will be allowed to host Ukrainian families and not be in breach of their tenancy agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15029/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is responsible for meeting the immediate and short-term accommodation needs of persons arriving in Ireland from the conflict in Ukraine. As part of a whole-of-government response, DCEDIY, in close cooperation with local government, is securing accommodation for arrivals through:
- hotels, guest houses and B&Bs;
- accommodation pledged by the general public, which is being assessed for suitability;
- State-owned or private properties, which may be suitable for short-term accommodation;
- religious properties; and
- local authority community facilities.
Government is working to ensure local capacity, resources and knowledge are brought to bear on the overall humanitarian response. In this regard, my Department has recently written to local authorities requesting they take the necessary steps to allow social housing tenants, who wish to do so, participate in the Irish Red Cross pledge scheme.
Housing Schemes
Questions (92)
Richard Bruton
Question:92. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress that is being made under project Tosaigh to bring sites with outstanding permissions forward to deliver homes at affordable prices. [22141/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Land Development Agency’s (LDA) Project Tosaigh is a market engagement initiative to unlock land with full planning permission that is not being developed by private sector owners due to financing and other constraints and use it to accelerate the supply of affordable housing.
It allows the LDA to supplement the State lands it is already working on and accelerate the delivery of cost rental and affordable purchase homes by unlocking private land that is ready to be developed but where construction has stalled or not commenced.
The first strand of Project Tosaigh involved an expressions of interest (EOI) process, launched in November 2021, to engage builders and landowners in forward purchase agreements, with the intention of securing stock in certain developments in the shorter term.
This process targeted lot sizes of c. 150 homes and upwards in the Greater Dublin Area (including Dublin City, South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Fingal, Meath, Kildare, Louth and Wicklow), Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford via forward purchasing agreements.
The LDA has advised my Department that their project team has evaluated a significant proportion of the proposals over the past 4 months, focusing on those with potential for delivery in 2022 first, and advanced a number of them to pre-contract stage (i.e., Commercial Heads of Terms exchanged with the counterparties).
In parallel, schemes submitted where delivery would be expected to begin in 2023 and thereafter are being reviewed and engagements with parties in respect of those schemes are now underway.
The target under Project Tosaigh is the delivery of 5,000 new homes by 2026 for affordable cost rental or sale to eligible households under affordable purchase arrangements.
Electoral Commission
Questions (93)
David Stanton
Question:93. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made to date in establishing an electoral commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22097/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Programme for Government - "Our Shared Future" - commits to several electoral reform initiatives, including the establishment of an Electoral Commission. In order to progress this broad reform agenda, my Department prepared a general scheme of an Electoral Reform Bill and this general scheme was published on 8 January 2021 and was forwarded at that time to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for pre-legislative scrutiny. A thorough scrutiny process followed over seven sessions, featuring a broad range of witnesses, including from my Department, academia, social media companies, political parties, the Data Protection Commission and groups representing marginalised communities.
The Bill was recently approved by Government and was published on 30 March 2022. It completed second stage in the Dáil on 7 April 2022.
The Bill provides for
- the establishment of a statutory, independent electoral commission;
- the modernisation of our electoral registration processes;
- the regulation of online political advertising during electoral events; and
- amendments to electoral law to facilitate the holding of electoral events where Covid-19 type restrictions are in place.
The independent Electoral Commission will take on several existing electoral functions, including the registration of political parties and the work of Referendum Commissions, Constituency Commissions and Local Electoral Area Boundary Committees.
It will also have a range of new functions including a research, advisory and voter education role, the oversight of the Electoral Register and responsibility for the regulation of online paid-for political advertising. The Commission will also be empowered to prepare ex-post reports on the administration of electoral events.
A transitional team has been put in place in my Department to progress the administrative elements of the Commission's establishment. Support is being received from a range of public bodies in this regard, and I anticipate the Commission's establishment later this year.
Housing Provision
Questions (94)
Holly Cairns
Question:94. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to provide affordable and social housing for people with disabilities. [22153/22]
View answerWritten answers
Disabled people are entitled to all of the housing supports and have access to all schemes in like manner with other citizens.
Since 2011, housing for disabled people has been addressed in a dedicated joint Strategy between my Department and the Department of Health. A new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 was launched on 14 January 2022.
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 is already underway with a target for completion by the second quarter.
Further information on the Strategy can be found on the following link www.gov.ie/en/press-release/1c6c5-new-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027-launched.
Housing Provision
Questions (95)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:95. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to put in place cost rental and cost purchase housing or affordable housing models. [22209/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Affordable Housing Act 2021 established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures 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 purchase 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.
This Act, supported by the unprecedented levels of funding committed to in the Housing for All strategy, averaging over €4 billion annually, will underpin the delivery of affordable housing targets. Specifically, 54,000 affordable homes will be delivered between now and 2030 by Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
I signed two sets of Regulations which underpin the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, made under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Act 2021, which came into effect on 13 April 2022.
The Affordable Housing Regulations 2022 made with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, deal with the assessment of income/means as part of eligibility for an Affordable Dwelling Purchase Arrangement. The text of these Regulations is available online at:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/183/made/en/print
The Affordable Housing (No. 2) Regulations 2022 prescribe, among other things, the notification of affordable dwelling schemes to the public, the use by Local Authorities of schemes of priority, the calculation of home purchase prices and the equity shares to be taken by the Local Authority, and the minimum payment for a homeowner redeeming the Local Authority's equity interest. The text of these Regulations is available online at:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/184/made/en/print
In relation to Cost Rental, to date I have made three sets of regulations that expand on the policy framework for this new sector as set out in Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Act. On 19 August 2021 I made the Affordable Housing Act 2021 (Cost Rental Designation) Regulations 2021, which came into effect that day. These Regulations govern the process by which the owners of dwellings may obtain the designation of their properties as Cost Rental dwellings. The text of these Regulations is available online at:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/si/425/made/en/print
On 23 December 2021, I made two further sets of regulations concerning Cost Rental, the Affordable Housing Act 2021 (Cost Rental Letting and Eligibility) Regulations 2021 and the Affordable Housing Act 2021 (Cost Rental Rent Setting) Regulations 2021, which both came into effect on 1 January 2022. The text of these Regulations is available online at:
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/si/755/made/en/print
www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/si/756/made/en/print
The Cost Rental Letting and Eligibility Regulations prescribe how landlords of cost rental dwellings should advertise vacancies in such properties and how interested parties can express an interest in leasing these homes. The Regulations also set out the main eligibility condition for leasing a cost rental dwelling, which is that a household’s annual income, less income tax, PRSI, USC and superannuation contributions, must not be greater than €53,000. In cases where the number of applicants exceed the number of available homes, an independently-verifiable lottery will be utilised to select applicants. Landlords should ensure that each property is suitably sized to meet a household’s needs based on the number of occupants and that the tenants selected in the lottery meet the income eligibility criteria.
The Cost Rental Rent Setting Regulations prescribe additional detail and relevant formulae in order to set out how rent reviews under Cost Rental work in practice. Rents can be reviewed annually in line with the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), with formulae set out for how reviews should be undertaken in three specific circumstances: the first rent in any tenancy, the first review of this rent and all subsequent reviews of this rent. All rents calculated are maximum rents, meaning landlords are free to charge the tenant less than this should they so wish.
Under the Government's Housing for All strategy, 10,000 Cost Rental homes will be delivered from 2021 to 2026 by AHBs, Local Authorities and the LDA. AHBs will be supported by Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding and Local Authorities will be able to avail of funding for Cost Rental delivery through the Affordable Housing Fund. The LDA will also deliver Cost Rental on its own portfolio of sites or through acquisitions under Project Tosaigh.
The first 65 CREL-funded Cost Rental homes were tenanted by the Clúid AHB in 2021 at least 40% below comparable open-market prices and range of other Cost Rental developments have been made available and tenanted in the period since then.
The First Home scheme will employ an equity stake model to support the purchase of c. 8,000 new homes on the private market in the years 2022 to 2025. The scheme will be jointly established and governed with participating mortgage lenders (primarily pillar retail banks). The overall anticipated spending for the scheme is €400m, funded on a 50:50 basis by the State and participating mortgage lenders. The current schedule anticipates a launch of the First Home scheme website at the start of June, with a full scheme deployment and acceptance of applications from the end of June.
Project Tosaigh was also announced through the Housing for All strategy. Under this initiative, additional funding of €1bn was committed to the LDA, who will enter into forward purchase arrangements to kick-start stalled private developments and increase the supply of affordable housing. The LDA initiated a call on 12 November 2021 targeting a scale in excess of 150 affordable units per development and is currently in the process of finalising agreements with prospective proposers for the initial tranche of affordable homes delivered through this initiative.