Written Answers Nos. 676-690
677. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding that was provided to Wicklow County Council for relets for the years 2017 to 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40394/22]
View answer678. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if an application has been submitted by Wicklow County Council for additional funding from his Department for relets pre-letting works for social housing for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40395/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 677 and 678 together.
The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.
Notwithstanding the legal obligations on local authorities to manage and maintain their housing stock, my Department does provide annual funding to local authorities to support their work in this area through the Voids Programme. This funding was initially introduced to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted at ensuring minimal turnaround and re-let times for local authority vacant stock.
From 2014 to 2021, expenditure of some €261 million was recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme which funded the return to productive use of 18,527 properties nationwide.
An annualised breakdown of the funding provided and the number of properties remediated under the Voids programme for each local authority, including Wicklow County Council, for the years 2014-2021 is available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme
My Department continues to support local authorities in their work in this area. For 2022, €25 million of funding is being provided under the Voids Programme to support the return of 2,273 vacant local authority homes. Of this, €935,000 has been allocated to Wicklow County Council to remediate 85 vacant properties. My Department has not received claims against the local authority’s allocation to date however full details in relation to the vacant properties remediated under the 2022 programme will be available in early 2023.
679. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide details on the Public Private Partnership schemes that are being considered by his Department for County Wicklow; if he will provide details of the PPP schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40396/22]
View answerSocial Housing Public Private Partnership (PPP) represents an additional strand of delivery in order to increase the supply of social housing.
In terms of progress to date, construction was completed on two PPP bundles (Bundles 1 and 2) in 2021 and these new homes are now fully tenanted. Bundle 1 delivered 534 houses and apartments across six sites in Dublin, Kildare, Louth and Wicklow in 2020 and 2021. Bundle 2 delivered 465 homes in 2021 across eight sites in Cork, Clare, Galway, Kildare, Roscommon and Waterford.
All bundles are being delivered through the ‘availability’-based PPP model, in which a private sector company designs, builds, finances and maintains the social housing developments in return for a monthly unitary payment from the State for 25 years.
The next PPP bundle to be procured (Bundle 3), will deliver approximately 480 new social houses and apartments across six sites in Dublin, Kildare, Sligo and Wicklow. Planning permissions have been obtained for a number of these sites, including for the Wicklow site which is located at Blessington and which will deliver 106 social houses.
I recently launched Bundles 4 and 5 of the Programme, which will deliver a further 1,530 units over 20 sites in Dublin, Kildare Louth and Wicklow. Following a detailed assessment by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office (HDCO) and my Department, the sites selected for inclusion in Bundle 5 include sites in Greystones and Bray. These sites will deliver a total of 200 social units with affordable housing being provided on other parts of both sites . Details of all the PPP schemes in Wicklow are outlined in the following table:
|
Scheme location |
Bundle |
No. of Units |
Status |
|
Convent Lands, Wicklow Town |
1 |
51 |
Delivered in 2020 |
|
Burgage More, Blessington |
3 |
106 |
Planning permission granted. |
|
Burnaby, Greystones |
5 |
80 |
Design, development and planning processes to be commenced. Unit numbers subject to these processes |
|
Rehills, Bray |
5 |
120 |
As above |
|
Total Units |
357* |
*The total number of units is subject to the design, development and planning processes at the Burnaby, Greystones and Rehills, Bray sites.
In accordance with the commitment under Housing for All, my Department will increase the use of PPPs to deliver social housing. My Department is actively working with relevant stakeholders including the NDFA, the HDCO, and relevant local authorities on the development of further bundles, and it is open to Wicklow County Council to submit further sites for consideration as part of future bundles.
680. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has received recommendations following a review of the social housing income limits, and if so, when he intends to act on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40397/22]
View answer719. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has completed his review of the means test for social housing and the rent ceiling for HAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41000/22]
View answer769. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to change the income threshold for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41562/22]
View answer782. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the review on social housing income assessments [41612/22]
View answer797. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the review of the social housing income eligibility thresholds. [41632/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 680, 719, 769, 782 and 797 together.
I refer to the reply to Question No. 6 of 23 June 2022 which sets out the position in the matter in relation to income thresholds for social housing supports.
The Government recently approved an increase in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) discretion rate from 20% to 35% and extended the couple’s rate to single person households for new tenancies. Both measures came into effect from 11 July 2022.
The measures were taken on foot of research by the Housing Agency, on behalf of my Department, and considered the level of discretion required by Local Authorities under HAP to maintain adequate levels of support. They will secure more tenancies and prevent new entries to homelessness.
682. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports that are available to families who are facing homelessness following notice to quit received from their landlord and are above the threshold for social housing and unable to find another rented property within their budget and local area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40399/22]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants.
Section 34 of the Acts provides that a landlord must state a reason for the termination in any tenancy termination notice (NoT) served, and the termination will not be valid unless that reason relates to one of the following:
- the tenant has failed to comply with the obligations (other than the obligation to pay rent) of the tenancy;
- the tenant has failed to comply with the obligation to pay rent under the tenancy;
- the dwelling is no longer suited to the needs of the occupying household;
- the landlord intends to sell the dwelling within the next 9 months;
- the landlord requires the dwelling for own or family member occupation;
- vacant possession is required for substantial refurbishment of the dwelling; and/or
- the landlord intends to change the use of the dwelling.
From 6 July 2022, Part 11 of the Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 amends the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 to:
- Extend notice periods, by approximately two months, to be given to tenants when serving a notice of termination (where there has been no breach of tenant obligations) in tenancies of less than three years duration;
- Improve procedures where a landlord is required to make an offer of re-let;
- Require landlords to copy the RTB when serving a notice of termination; and
- Increase from 28 days to 90 days, the period from the date of receipt of a ‘no fault’ NoT for a tenant to submit a dispute as to the NoT’s validity to the RTB for resolution.
The revised notice periods for NoTs are as follows :
|
Duration of Tenancy |
Notice Periods for Notice of Terminations served from 06 July 2022 |
|
Less than 6 months |
90 days |
|
Not less than 6 months but less than one year |
152 days |
|
Not less than one year but less than 3 years |
180 days |
|
Not less than 3 years but less than 7 years |
180 days |
|
Not less than 7 years but less than 8 years |
196 days |
|
Not less than 8 years |
224 days |
Further information can be found at: www.rtb.ie
In addition, all NoTs must be copied to the RTB at the same time as being served to the tenant 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 (doubled from 14 days) following receipt of the warning by the tenant or by the RTB, whichever occurs later. The RTB acknowledge receipt of the warning notice to the landlord and tenant and provide the tenant with written information to enable them to get advice from the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and on the income and other supports available.
Further information on rent arrears notice of termination can be found here: www.rtb.ie/during-a-tenancy/rent-arrears
The national housing charity, Threshold, operates the Tenancy Protection Service (TPS) which is a national service supported by Government, providing advice and support to households living in private rented accommodation who are experiencing tenancy problems, including where a tenancy is at risk of termination. The TPS seeks to protect existing tenancies and keep tenants in their homes. The Tenancy Protection Service (TPS) helpline on free-phone 1800 454 454 – available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm. Further information is also available at www.threshold.ie
The number of people accessing emergency accommodation throughout the country is of serious concern. The Government, local authorities and others are making every effort to reduce homelessness. Key to this is the delivery of new social housing and boosting overall housing supply.
The Government is investing significantly in social and affordable housing, with record funding allocated for current and capital investment in housing this year and for the duration of Housing for All until 2030. This year, funding is in place to deliver 11,800 social homes including 9,000 new build homes; this builds on 2021 delivery of 9,183 new social homes (which was a 17% increase on 2020 delivery).
The Government has acknowledged that many families are currently facing housing affordability issues in Ireland. To address this problem and as part of its Housing for All strategy, the Government has committed to the delivery of 18,000 Cost Rental homes by 2030, or an average of 2,000 homes per year, which will make a real difference for families experiencing affordability issues in Ireland.
The intention is to initially target Cost Rental at more urban areas of Ireland, where the affordability issues are most acute and where the most significant reductions on market rents can be achieved. Not only does Cost Rental provide security of tenure, it also targets rents at a discount of 25% below market rents for the same unit types in the same areas.
As the model continues to be rolled out, it will provide long-term rental accommodation, with secure tenures, for thousands of renters. Cost Rental will also add certainty to the rental market and provide more options for people. It is also expected that the development of the Cost Rental sector will have an impact on the wider rental market, reducing rents over the longer term, as people within the target cohort will have more options available to them.
683. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will introduce measures to encourage persons to keep green spaces in their gardens and discourage paving them over in order to protect local eco-systems and combat climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40422/22]
View answerThe making or varying of a county or city development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of a local authority in their capacity as a planning authority under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act). Statutory requirements governing the content and process for review of a development plan are set out in Sections 10-12 of the Act. In making a development plan, the elected members of a planning authority are restricted to considering the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, the statutory obligations of any local authority in the area and any relevant policies or objectives for the time being of the Government or any Minister of the Government. Such policies and objectives include the national planning policies and objectives of the National Planning Framework, the regional planning policies of the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy, together with associated regulations and statutory planning guidelines issued by the Minister.
In addition to section 10(2) of the Act, the First Schedule of the Act lists the purposes for which objectives may be indicated in a Development Plan including:
1. location and pattern of development,
2. control of areas and structures,
3. community facilities,
4. environment and amenities, and
5. infrastructure and transport.
Pursuant to the First Schedule, the most appropriate and proportionate means to address the any requirement for private gardens is through the development standards of each city and county development plan, which set out the requirements and standards that apply for different types of development.
684. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount that has been spent by the State on long-term leasing of social homes in each of the past five years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40482/22]
View answer685. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total per annum cost of existing long-term leases of social houses for the next 25 years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40483/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 684 and 685 together.
The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments. Long term lease arrangements can be entered into by either local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) for periods of between 10 and 25 years.
Table 1 below shows the SHCEP spend attributable to long term leasing from 2020 to the end of Q2 2022. The breakdown of spend pre 2020 is only available on a cumulative basis and, as such, it is not possible to give a breakdown of the cost of long term leasing before that date.
Table 1: Long Term Leasing* Spend under SHCEP
|
Year |
Spend |
|
2020 |
€37,162,874 |
|
2021 |
€55,378,323 |
|
2022 (to end Q2) |
€36,624,939 |
*Data in this table includes Local Authority Long-term Leasing, Approved Housing Body Leasing and Enhanced Leasing.
The future cost of long term leasing is dependent on the length of time left on a specific lease and whether and when a rent review will take place. Funding for long-term leasing for future years will be agreed as part of the overall SHCEP budget on an annual basis as part of the normal Estimates process. The SHCEP budget, which includes long term leasing, is €344.65m for 2022.
686. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps that can be taken in cases in which a person has been deemed ineligible for social housing support based on the Social Housing Support Means Policy 2021 but their financial circumstances change dramatically; if they can be reassessed for social housing support; if so, the timeframe within which they can be reassessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40485/22]
View answerApplications for housing support can be submitted to a local authority for assessment at any time. Similarly, a person previously deemed not to qualify for support may reapply at any time. A local authority may also review an assessment, at its discretion, if it becomes aware of a change in the applicant’s household circumstances.
Any assessment, or review of a previous assessment, is based on the applicant's net average income for the 12 months prior to application or the review. An applicant whose household income is below the relevant income threshold may qualify for support. The underpinning legislation affords local authorities no discretion to exceed the thresholds for their areas.
The income eligibility requirements reflect the long-term nature of social housing support. Reviewing income over 12 months provides a truer picture of long-term need. It is an objectively fairer approach than assessing such need against more recent changes in circumstances. It also helps ensure limited resources can be provided to those who need them most.
While an applicant, previously deemed not to qualify for support, may reapply at any stage, dramatically changed circumstances in the short-term does not guarantee they will qualify when reassessed. Such changes may be too recent to bring their income below the income threshold.
That said, an applicant may be able to show long-term need if the dramatically changed circumstances persist, and qualify for support should their net average income for the previous 12 months fall below the relevant income eligibility threshold.
Rent Supplement may be available for persons in the private rented sector who have experienced recent changes in household circumstances and require shorter-term rent support.
687. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of increasing the current and capital funding for Heritage Ireland by 20%, 23%, and 25%. [40502/22]
View answerIn February, I launched Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan. Since then, officials in my Department have been preparing for the plan’s implementation and establishing the structures which will deliver the plan’s 150+ actions.
Heritage Ireland 2030 is a framework for the protection, conservation, promotion and management of Ireland’s built, cultural and natural heritage. As such, it draws together all actions across the Heritage Division in my Department. The 2022 budget allocation for the Heritage Division is €175m. The cost of increasing that allocation by 20%, 23% and 25% is tabulated below:
|
Percentage increase on 2022 allocation of €175m |
Total expenditure |
Cost of increase from €175m |
|
20% |
€210m |
€35m |
|
23% |
€215.25m |
€40.24m |
|
25% |
€218.75m |
€43.75m |
It should be noted that some of the actions in Heritage Ireland involve other Departments and Agencies. These are resourced separately and would require separate budget increases in order to make up the overall increases proposed.
688. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated capital cost of purchasing the remaining properties on the historic Moore Street Terrace not already in State ownership. [40511/22]
View answerFrom time to time my Department acquires properties that are deemed of strategic value to the State's heritage estate. This was the case with the 2015 acquisition of the National Monument buildings at No's. 14 - 17 Moore Street. In all cases my Department examines the potential acquisition carefully, taking into account the heritage added value, the conservation needs of the property and Value for Money principles.
My Department has no plans to acquire further properties on Moore Street and so has not carried out any valuation on the properties. Nor indeed is it aware that any of the predominantly 20th century buildings remaining on Moore Street are for sale.
689. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40534/22]
View answerAs detailed in the Housing for All strategy, a number of measures are being introduced to support affordability constrained buyers purchase a home, as well as increasing the supply of newly built homes (with an ambitious target of 300,000 new homes up to 2031).
Specifically in relation to affordable homes for those with incomes too high to qualify for social housing, the Housing for All strategy commits to delivering 36,000 Affordable Purchase homes and 18,000 Cost Rental homes by 2030.
Under pathway 1 of this strategy, “Pathways to Home Ownership and Increasing Affordability”, two new Affordable Purchase schemes have been established (the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the First Home shared equity scheme), as well as a new Cost Rental tenancy and an improved Local Authority Home Loan scheme.
While most affordable housing measures are primarily targeted at first-time buyers, the Housing for All strategy explicitly provides for the Fresh Start principle. The Fresh Start principle extends the supports available to applicants who are divorced, legally separated, or where the relationship has ended and where an individual/ household retains no beneficial interest in a home.
Applicants looking to avail of affordable housing supports must also meet additional criteria as set out in the scheme-specific eligibility criteria, such as income thresholds and an ability to afford rent/mortgage repayments. Full details of the recently launched First Home Scheme can be found on the following website: www.firsthomescheme.ie/.
An improved Local Authority Home Loan was also announced as part of Housing For All, as a successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for people on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is available for first-time buyers and Fresh Start applicants. The Local Authority Home Loan can also be used for the purchase of homes through the local authority led affordable purchase scheme.
Further details can be found at localauthorityhomeloan.ie/
For those with incomes too low to be eligible for affordable housing supports, social housing supports are available. In order to qualify for social housing support the household must be deemed (i) eligible for and (ii) in need of support before being placed on a housing waiting list.
There are three main criteria for eligibility for social housing support which are; Income, Previous Rent Arrears and Availability of Alternative Accommodation and an applicant must meet them all to be deemed in need of social housing support. Where a household is deemed to meet the eligibility criteria, only then is its housing need assessed under the criteria in Regulation 23 of the 2011 Regulations, having regard to its current accommodation.
If a household meets the eligibility and need criteria, it qualifies for the suite of social housing supports, including 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.
690. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review a scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40544/22]
View answerThe Tenant Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. Applicants must meet certain criteria, including minimum reckonable income and minimum time in receipt of social housing supports, to be eligible.
The minimum income requirement has a dual purpose. It ensures the scheme is sustainable, and the tenant purchasing the house has the financial means to maintain and insure the property for the duration of the charged period. For these reasons, certain social welfare payments, including Widows, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner Pension is not currently considered when determining an applicant's reckonable income.
Changes to the Tenant Purchase Scheme are currently being examined as part of the work on the broader social housing reform agenda.
