Written Answers Nos. 829-851
829. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for a centralised platform or website to advertise all the various cost-rental schemes open for applicants nationally; the reason the Government decided that daft.ie was the appropriate platform to advertise cost-rental schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17715/23]
View answerThe Government’s Housing for All plan targets the delivery of 18,000 Cost Rental homes by 2030, primarily through delivery by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), Local Authorities and the Land Development Agency (LDA). Funding has been allocated to AHBs through the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme, and to local authorities through the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF).
The policy intent of developing a Cost Rental sector in Ireland is to support the housing needs of those on moderate incomes for whom high open market rents are unaffordable and who do not qualify for social housing supports.
All Cost Rental providers are legally obliged to make Cost Rental homes available in line with the provisions of Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021. The process of advertising a tenancy under Cost Rental is set out the Cost Rental Letting and Eligibility Regulations 2021.
Under these regulations, vacancies in all Cost Rental properties must be advertised online for a period of at least 7 days, during which time households can express their interest in leasing the properties in a form designated by the landlord, including through the submission of applications by electronic means. The manner in how these obligations in relation to the advertisement of Cost Rental vacancies are most effectively met is matter for the individual Cost Rental landlords.
The Housing Agency, on behalf of my Department, is managing the delivery of a public facing information website which will provide explanatory information on each of the affordable housing options available and set out in the Affordable Housing Act 2021, including Cost Rental housing. It is anticipated that this will be operational by the end of May 2023.
The Housing Agency, on behalf of my Department, is also managing the delivery of a centralised application web portal for affordable homes. This web portal is intended to cater for applicants for affordable purchase homes and cost rental homes throughout the country and will involve a substantial IT procurement process. A working group consisting of local authorities, the LGMA and my Department with input from the AHB sector has been established to assist in the identification of the requirements for this web platform. It is anticipated that a tender document will be ready to issue in June 2023.
833. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the number and cost of extensions constructed for council tenants for each local authority for the years 2019-2022. [17728/23]
View answerMy Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or overcrowded situations. Extensions to provide for ground floor bathrooms and bedrooms can also be supported. The detailed administration of this scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation of applications is the responsibility of local authorities.
My Department's approach every year, in the first instance, is to allow local authorities complete works up to 65% of the previous year’s allocation in the absence of formal approval to keep this important work going. Following this, later this year, my Department will issue a single full year allocation to each local authority, so they can plan, prioritise and implement the programme to carry out the varying works necessary to meet the needs of their tenants in this year. The programme is 90% funded by my Department with a 10% contribution from the local authority.
Details on the drawdown of funding for each local authority, for the period 2017-2022, which includes Extensions, is available at the following link:
Disabled Persons Grant and Improved Works in Lieu Schemes - Units Funded by the Department 2017-2022
My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. Funding allocations under the 2023 Programme will be announced shortly.
834. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a copy of the most recent unit cost ceilings and averages for social housing new builds and acquisitions by local authorities. [17729/23]
View answer836. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will clarify the status of a report submitted to him by the Planning Regulator/An Bord Pleanála regarding the wind energy policy adopted by Kilkenny County Council; and if he will outline the next steps in the process and an indicative timeframe for a decision. [17762/23]
View answerPursuant to a recommendation received from the Office of the Planning Regulator, on 15 October 2021 the then Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Peter Burke TD, wrote to the Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council giving notice of his intention to issue a Direction in relation to the Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021-2027. A draft of the proposed Direction was contained in the notice in accordance with Section 31(4) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and accordingly those parts of the Development Plan referred to in the notice shall be taken not to have come into effect, been made or amended.
The draft Direction was made available for public inspection by Kilkenny County Council and submissions were invited during a two week period between 29 October 2021 and 12 November 2021. Subsequently, the Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council prepared a report dated 10 December 2021 on submissions received during this period and made a recommendation on how to give effect to the draft Direction. The Office of the Planning Regulator considered this report and on 10 January 2022 issued a notice under Section 31AN(4) of the Act recommending that the Minister issue the Direction with minor amendments, consistent with the recommendation contained in the Chief Executive’s Report.
This recommendation remains under consideration by me in light of recent policy developments in the areas concerned.
837. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Departmental staff currently on sick or stress leave; and the number who took stress or sick leave in each of the past five years and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [17782/23]
View answerEmployees are not obliged to state the nature of their illness on medical certificates or on the NSSO Human Resources Management System (HRMS) when reporting illness and absence.
My Department actively engages with all staff on long term sick. We offer support through advice provided following regular referral to the Chief Medical Officer and through the services of the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service.
The number of staff on sick leave commencing in each of the past five years and to date in 2023 are documented below in tabular form:
|
Year |
Total number of staff in the Department |
No. of staff who availed of sick leave including stress-related sick leave |
|
2018 |
750 |
430 |
|
2019 |
818 |
472 |
|
2020 |
1255 |
348 |
|
2021 |
1409 |
674 |
|
2022 |
1605 |
650 |
|
2023 |
1639 (total @31 March 2023) |
261 |
838. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of allegations of bullying made by departmental staff against departmental staff in each of the past five years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will detail what actions are being taken by his Department to investigate the allegations, or if they are being investigated. [17800/23]
View answerThere have been three such allegations by staff in my Department against other staff members in the past five years as set out in the table below. All such allegations are dealt with in accordance with the 2015 Dignity At Work policy and formal investigations carried out where appropriate.
|
Year |
Number of allegations |
|
2019 |
0 |
|
2020 |
1 |
|
2021 |
0 |
|
2022 |
1 |
|
2023 |
1 |
|
Total |
3 |
839. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Departmental staff dismissed in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [17818/23]
View answerOne member of staff was dismissed from my Department in the period referred to in the Question. That dismissal took place in 2023.
840. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of homes constructed by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies in 2022, by county. [17847/23]
View answer841. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of homes purchased by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies in 2022, by county. [17848/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 840 and 841 together.
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. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes by 2030. 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 funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of 2022, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
844. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide an update on a proposal submitted to his Department relating to an amendment to the nursing home support scheme (details supplied) that would enable fair deal service users to make their vacant home temporarily available to an approved housing body for use as short-term or transitional homeless housing; whether this could provide more targeted relief and suitable accommodation for homeless families than existing measures which allow fair deal service users to rent out their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17884/23]
View answerMy Department has received proposals related to potential amendments to the nursing home support scheme. These proposals are to enable fair deal service users to make their vacant home temporarily available to an approved housing bodies for use as short-term or transitional homeless housing.
My Department has engaged with Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector representatives to discuss a range of potential proposals, including the proposals on reform of the fair deal scheme, as a possible means to develop and enhance the AHB sector.
As you are no doubt aware, AHBs (also called housing associations or voluntary housing associations) are independent, not-for-profit organisations. They provide affordable rented housing for people who cannot afford to pay private sector rents or buy their own homes; or for particular groups, such as older people or homeless people.
The proposals submitted to my Department are complex as they cut across a wide range of social housing and healthcare policy issues and require extensive analysis and collaboration.
Further engagement with the AHB sector and other key stakeholders are expected to take place in the coming weeks to assess the feasibility of proposals and to inform a pathway for dealing with the issues involved.
845. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people employed by the National Building Control Office in each year since it was established, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17934/23]
View answer846. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff at the National Building Control Office dedicated to market surveillance of construction products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17935/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 845 and 846 together.
The National Building Control Management Project (NBCMP) is managed by the National Building Control Office and Market Surveillance Office (NBCMSO) within Dublin City Council (DCC) to provide oversight, support and direction for the development, standardisation and implementation of Building Control as an effective shared service in the 31 Building Control Authorities, through the five pillars of:
1. Training: This includes the coordination, development and management of a training programme to support building control staff in the discharge of their duties.
2. Inspections: This includes the development and implementation of a robust and consistent inspection regime in the 31 Building Control Authorities to facilitate meaningful risk-based targeted inspections of building works.
3. Compliance Support: This includes the provision of oversight and support across the full suite of Building Control Legislation to ensure transparent, professional enforcement of the relevant legislation in accordance with proper public administration.
4. Information System - Building Control Management System (IS-BCMS): This includes the development and management of the information technology-based system hosted by the Local Government Management Agency which facilitates the electronic administration of building control matters by building control authorities as the preferred means of building control administration.
5. Market Surveillance: The Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union(Consequential Provisions) Act 2020 (Construction Products – Market Surveillance) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 682 of 2020) appoints DCC as a competent authority for the carrying out of market surveillance functions for construction products on a national basis, i.e. across all 31 administrative local authority areas.
The National Building Control Management Project (NBCMP) is delivered through a three-tier management structure which includes:
- The National Building Control Advisory Board, which advises on the strategic direction and guidance of the NBCMP.
- The National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office (NBCMSO), which implements the NBCMP and manages the working groups under each of the five pillars.
- Three Regional Building Control Committees (Eastern & Midlands, Northern & Western, and Southern), which provide a network for building control officers to exchange views and share good practice, leading to a uniform high level of enforcement in the discharge of the building control function. The Committees also contribute to and participate in the working groups established under the five pillars.
The NBCMSO is a key element of my Department’s ongoing building control reform agenda, with its many initiatives that already provide a comprehensive roadmap for embedding a culture of real compliance within the construction industry.
Finally, in regard to the number of staff assigned and the division of responsibilities, under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.
The NBCMSO may be contacted by phone at 01 222 7947/7948 or by email to support@nbco.gov.ie
847. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has any plans to establish a single authority overseeing quarries within the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17936/23]
View answerA number of State agencies are currently responsible for regulating different aspects of quarries as set out below. In light of the expertise that currently exists in these agencies and the interaction with other functions in those agencies, there are currently no plans to establish a single authority overseeing quarries within the State
Planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála, as appropriate, may grant planning permission for a development on lands such as a quarry. A person is not entitled solely by reasons of a planning permission to carry out development.
When making a decision on a planning application for a quarry, a planning authority or the Board, as appropriate, is required to have regard to the particular local circumstances of the proposed development and may attach appropriate conditions to the permission on a case by case basis.
My Department issued statutory Guidelines to Planning Authorities on Quarrying and Ancillary Activities in April 2004, to which planning authorities and the Board must have regard when considering a planning application for a quarry. The Guidelines include planning guidance on the attachment of appropriate conditions to quarry-related permissions.
Where blasting is required, the issuing of a permit for the use of explosives in the extractive industry, or for other purposes, is a matter for An Garda Síochána, which falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, whose Department has issued the Guide to Explosives Legislation in Ireland.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, published guidelines in 2006 on Environmental Management in the Extractive Industry, which complement the 2004 Quarrying Guidelines issued by my Department and include advice on the management of environmental issues associated with blasting in quarries, such as pollution, noise and vibration.
Furthermore, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) - which is under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment - is responsible for the enforcement of health and safety in the workplace, including specific requirements in relation to the operation of quarries under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2008, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) (Amendment) Regulations, 2013 and their associated guidance.
Finally, the Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 (CPR) sets out rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU, some quarried products are included in its scope e.g. aggregates, concrete blocks etc. Each of the building control authorities (local authorities) have been designated as the principal market surveillance authorities for construction products that fall within the scope of the CPR, within their administrative areas. In addition, Dublin City Council - National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office has been appointed as a competent authority for the carrying out of market surveillance functions on a nationwide basis.
In October 2021, I requested the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, in partnership with Donegal County Council and Geological Survey Ireland, to carry out an audit of quarries in Donegal to evaluate relevant economic operators’ compliance with the Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 when placing relevant construction products (aggregate concrete blocks and/or aggregates for use in concrete products) on the market. This report was published in December 2022 and its recommendations are currently being implemented.
848. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount of outstanding development contributions and levies owed to Mayo County Council for each year for which data is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17937/23]
View answerDevelopment contribution charges to be applied on developers are set at the planning permission stage but are not collectable by the relevant local authority until after the development work commences. Commencement notices are issued by the developer to the local authority and these generally trigger the raising of the charge. The normal practice is for the developer to issue a commencement notice for all units in the development at the construction start stage which could mean that the full development charges are due immediately. Alternatively, a phased payment plan is agreed between the planning authority and the developer and in other cases, commencement notices are issued for blocks of units on a phased basis.
When a commencement notice is received, contributions collectable within the next 12 months are usually treated as income by the relevant local authority and a short-term debtor is raised. Income from development contributions not due to be paid within the current year is deferred and is not separately disclosed in the Annual Financial Statement (AFS).
The AFS for Mayo County Council for each year is available on Mayo County Council’s website at the following link www.mayo.ie/financial-documents/afs. Short term development levy debtors are included in note 5 of the AFS.
849. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding section 254 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2021, what right of appeal will exist under the Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 in relation to telecom and communication masts, which presently appear to be planning-exempt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17970/23]
View answerSection 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended states that "any person may, in relation to the granting, refusing, withdrawing or continuing of a licence under this section or to the conditions specified by the planning authority for such a licence, appeal to An Bord Pleanála."
The draft Planning and Development Bill 2022, published in January has recently completed pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage I expect to receive their report shortly and will fully consider its recommendations, along with submissions on the draft Bill received from stakeholders, when preparing the final Bill for publication.
Section 10 of the draft Bill will replace Section 254 of Planning and Development Act 2000. The provisions in relation to an appeal of licences granted under Section 10 of the draft Bill are being further examined as part of the preparation of the final Bill.
850. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 541 of 18 January 2023, if he will amend the terms and conditions of the tenant purchase scheme to include income from the rural social scheme when purchasing a rural local authority house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17984/23]
View answerThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme.
The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides that the Minister may set out a minimum reckonable income required to purchase under the scheme. In determining an applicant's reckonable income, local authorities are directed to disregard income that is considered non-permanent, including the Rural Social Scheme.
As set out in the reply to Question No. 541 of 18 January 2023, given the recent removal of the six-year time limit for participants of the Rural Social Scheme, it may be appropriate to consider income from the Rural Social Scheme as a reckonable income under the Tenant Purchase Scheme.
The position remains that changes in relation to income disregards may be considered together with other potential changes to the scheme which are currently being examined by my Department as part of the work on the broader social housing reform agenda.
851. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with respect to the new communications masts that are becoming apparent around Waterford city, what safeguards are being built into the planning Acts to ensure that there are no negative health effects on people located in the areas adjacent to these masts. [17997/23]
View answerIn my role as Minister with responsibility for planning, I have no function in relation to the health and safety of telecommunications masts. The Telecommunications Antennae and Support Structures Guidelines (1996) which were published by my Department, advise that planning authorities should not include monitoring arrangements as part of planning permission conditions nor determine planning applications on health grounds. This was restated through Circular PL7/2012.
This Circular Letter reiterates that planning authorities are primarily concerned with the appropriate location and design of telecommunications structures and do not have competence for health and safety matters in respect of telecommunications infrastructure. These are regulated by other codes under the aegis of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and such matters should not be additionally regulated by the planning process.
The granting of licenses for communication masts on public roads is dealt with in Section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. This will be replaced by Section 10 of the draft Planning and Development Bill, once enacted. The provisions in relation to an appeal of licenses granted under Section 10 of the draft Bill are being further examined as part of the preparation of the final Bill.
