Written Answers Nos. 196-217
196. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the new regulations will come into place which will allow local authorities and approved housing bodies to enter into negotiations with builders for the building of new apartment complexes which will qualify for the incentives under the cost rental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22217/23]
View answerHousing for All targets the delivery of a total of 18,000 Cost Rental homes over the period to 2030 and significant funding is made available to support provision by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), local authorities and by the Land Development Agency (LDA).
Local authorities have been encouraged to deliver Cost Rental homes directly by taking advantage of increased grant funding now available under the Affordable Housing Fund to fund the delivery of homes in key urban areas, with subvention of up to €150,000 per unit.
Similarly, with regard to AHBs, the Government improved the original terms and conditions for CREL funding in September 2022. The funding ceilings were increased, with the 30% flat rate being replaced and applications being assessed on a sliding scale basis, up to a ceiling of 45% of the total capital costs of delivering the homes. This will facilitate further direct delivery of Cost Rental homes by AHBs, and thereby support the development of a long-term AHB delivery pipeline. I can confirm that the criteria of the CREL scheme remains under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose in targeting support at those who cannot affordably access homes for rental on the private market.
The Government recently approved the development of a new Cost Rental Subvention scheme with the objective of further improving the viability and increasing the supply of Cost Rental homes at scale, targeting rents which are at least 25% below prevailing market rates. In this regard, the Government has agreed to commit, subject to further discussion with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, between €500 million and €750 million as part of this initiative to complete 4,000 to 6,000 additional apartments under the Cost Rental system. My Department is currently working on the design of the scheme and further details will be available when that work concludes.
197. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if grants are available to refurbish an old shed at the back of a house, not for use for agricultural purposes but for ancillary domestic purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22221/23]
View answerPathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. The Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund is a key initiative which underpins the policy objectives set out in Pathway Four of Housing for All.
In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched as part of the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund. The grant benefited those who wished to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. The grant, which was initially launched in respect of vacant properties in towns and villages, was expanded to include eligible vacant properties in both cities and rural areas from 15 November, 2022.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is being expanded from 1 May to build on the success of the scheme to date and further increase the support being provided to bring vacant and derelict properties brought back into use. Details of the expansion are as follows:
The inclusion of one property which will be made available for rent, by the owner, in addition to one grant for a property which will be a principal private residence of the applicant i.e. a maximum of two applications for a grant will be available;
Changing the eligibility date, which is currently 1993 for the build date, to include vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007; and
Increase of the current maximum grant rates from €30,000 to €50,000 for vacant properties and from €50,000 to €70,000 for derelict properties
From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential heretofore, subject to appropriate planning permission being in place.
Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict (i.e. structurally unsound and dangerous) or if the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
In order to be eligible, properties must be built up to and including 2007 and the property must be vacant for two years or more at the time of grant approval. As part of the scheme, properties considered for inclusion must be for residential occupation as a principal private residence or made available for rent.
Individuals with interest in making an application for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant should make contact with the dedicated Vacant Homes Officer in their local authority who will be able to provide further information on grant eligibility and advice concerning the application process.
198. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to ensure that voting rights for Irish emigrants are aligned with the criteria used in other European countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22228/23]
View answerUnder electoral law, in order to be able to vote at elections in Ireland, a person's name must be entered in the register of electors for a constituency in the State in which the person ordinarily resides. With some exceptions (mainly postal and special voters) all persons must attend in person to vote at their local polling station.
Subject to a limited number of exceptions, Irish citizens resident outside the State do not have the right to vote at elections or at referendums held in the State. The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future - commits to holding a referendum on extending the franchise at presidential elections to Irish citizens resident outside of the State. My Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been working closely on this issue and, on 16 September 2019, the Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Presidential Elections) Bill 2019 was initiated in Dáil Éireann by the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to facilitate the holding of a referendum on this issue.
While the Bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil Éireann, in support of the Government commitment, the Bill has been restored to the Dáil Order Paper. If the Bill is passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, section 10 of the Referendum Act 1994 requires that I, as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, make an order appointing the day upon which the poll for the proposed referendum will take place. The Act provides that the polling day shall be not less than thirty days and not more than ninety days after the date of the order.
While electoral law is kept under ongoing review, proposals for the extension of voting rights to Irish citizens resident outside the State at other elections or at referendums are not currently under consideration.
199. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are any safeguards or protections in place to ensure that when residential properties with very serious fire safety defects are sold, the prospective buyers are made aware of these defects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22251/23]
View answerObtaining appropriate professional and legal advice continues to form part of the due diligence that a person should undertake when considering the purchase of a property.
Separate to this, work is underway in my Department to draft legislation to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. Since receipt of Government approval in January of this year, I have been working to progress the various programmes of work that are required to place the remediation scheme on a statutory footing. A key aspect of this work is developing a Code of Practice in the context of the Fire Services Acts, to provide guidance to relevant professionals, including guidance on interim safety measures.
The scheme will provide for a form of certification, based on a Code of Practice, in relation to the works carried out to remediate defects in an apartment/duplex building. This is important for a range of stakeholders and processes, for example, insurance bodies, financial institutions, and conveyancing.
200. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Dáil Éireann and European Parliament Constituency Review Report will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22255/23]
View answerThe Electoral Commission - An Coimisiún Toghcháin - was established on 9 February 2023 by way of the Electoral Reform Act 2022 (Establishment Day) Order 2023 and is now operational. In this regard, section 30(3) of Electoral Reform Act provides that an Coimisiún shall be independent in the performance of its functions, which include, among other matters, the review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies.
I understand that An Coimisiún is currently undertaking a review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies in line with its functions under Chapter 7 of Part 2 of the Electoral Reform Act 2022. I also understand that An Coimisiún has announced a public consultation inviting written submissions in relation to its review of constituencies.
The Electoral Reform Act 2022 provides that the Report of An Coimisiún Toghcháin in respect of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies will be completed and published within three months of the publication of final Census results. With the final Census results expected by the end of May, I expect that the report from An Coimisiún will be available by the end of August 2023.
201. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he has taken to promote the single rural dwellings scheme in County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22258/23]
View answer203. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has been made aware of local authorities that have completely ceased to fund and promote single rural dwelling as a form of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22260/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 203 together.
While I have made a wide range of funding and development options available to local authorities, it is they who are responsible for the identification of the social housing need in their areas and for the development of appropriate responses to the need identified.
The approach to providing social housing by the local authorities is dependent on the precise circumstances and location and they are best positioned to assess this, in line with guidance provided by my Department through the publication 'Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities', which is available at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad%2C1979%2Cen.pdf.
Local authorities now have substantial pipelines of new social housing projects, ranging from larger scale developments to single rural dwellings. Details can be seen in the quarterly Social Housing Construction Status Reports published by my Department. The most recently available report sets out the position at end Quarter 4 of 2022 and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/14f82-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q4-2022/.
My Department does not record the precise circumstances of all social housing projects involving one single unit but further information on such projects should be available from the local authorities themselves.
I am pleased to see the progress being made on projects, building on what has already been delivered, but I am keen that all local authorities further accelerate their programmes and I have assured them that the necessary funding is available to support their work in this regard.
202. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons housed by way of homes built on that person's own site in Waterford in the past two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22259/23]
View answerMy Department does not hold the details requested by the Deputy. The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical office, compiles and makes available detailed data on a number of housing related issues including housing completions.
Data in relation to new dwelling completions, including data on single dwellings, broken down by Local Electoral Area, Local Authority, dwelling type and other criteria is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis.
This data is available to Quarter 1 2023 and can be accessed via the following link: www.cso.ie/en/statistics/buildingandconstruction/newdwellingcompletions/
204. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the recommendations regarding paternity and parental leave, and family friendly working hours for councillors proposed by the cross-party all-female councillor sub-group in 2021 will be implemented. [22261/23]
View answerThe cross party group referenced, which comprised a representative group of women councillors from across Ireland, was convened in March 2021 to examine issues associated with maternity leave and related supports for local authority elected members. The group met a number of times in 2021 and their deliberations provided greater understanding of the needs of women councillors and were instrumental in the development of a policy approach in relation, in particular, to maternity leave and supports for female councillors.
The Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for members of Local Authorities) Act 2022 was subsequently approved by the Oireachtas and came into force in December 2022. The legislation provides that elected members of local authorities can, for the first time, avail of maternity leave. They may also seek to appoint an individual as a temporary substitute should they wish to avail of a period of maternity-related absence or if they are absent due to illness.
The urgent priority in 2022 was to address the maternity leave issue, which was considered a significant obstacle to the participation of women in local government. While this legislation was going through the Oireachtas in late 2022, the then Minister recognised that other family related leave remained outstanding and undertook to try to address them at a later stage. In the meantime, it is the case that councillors can be absent for up to 6 months under Section 18 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended).
Separately, and to ensure a family focused package of supports, my Department is currently finalising regulations which will provide that elected members will be able to avail of an allowance for administrative assistance if they avail of or are entitled to maternity leave.
In relation to working hours, the timing of Council meetings is a matter for elected Councils under standing orders. However, the Department has put in place arrangements to facilitate the holding of remote meetings and voting, should Councils wish to avail of them, which is a supportive measure for councillors with caring responsibilities. My Department also continues to offer funding support to local authorities in their efforts to make local government more accessible to all.
My Department has also funded, through our partners, research into the area of family friendly politics. For example, in September 2022, the National Women’s Council published their “Toolkit for Local Authorities on Supporting Family-Friendly Local Government”, which offers recommendations geared towards assisting both officials and councillors in making the role of local authority members more manageable and sustainable.
205. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if any concessions will be made for builders of one-off homes who submitted their commencement notices during Covid but have been unable to commence works until this year (details supplied). [22268/23]
View answer217. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider extending the time limit on the waiver announced for development contributions to include houses which commenced earlier in 2023; to assist a greater number of people who have commenced building despite very high costs; if an exception could be considered on a case-by-case basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22288/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 205 and 217 together.
On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges.
These temporary time-limited arrangements apply for 1 year to all permitted residential development –
• that commences on site between 25 April 2023 and 24 April 2024, and
• is completed not later than 31 December 2025.
My Department is currently working on the detailed arrangements in relation to the operation and administration of the development contribution waiver scheme and the Uisce Éireann connection charge refund scheme.
These temporary arrangements are being applied irrespective of the date of planning permission for the residential development. In line with the Government decision, the arrangements cannot be applied retrospectively in respect of housing development that had already commenced prior to 25 April 2023.
206. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his targets for the number of homes to be delivered in 2024 funded by the first home scheme, the affordable housing fund scheme, the cost rental equity loan scheme and the LDA project tosaigh. [22269/23]
View answerHousing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing to the required 33,000 homes, on average, per year over the next decade. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks. Under Housing for All, 2024 has a delivery target of 6,400 affordable homes for affordable purchase and cost rental across the various delivery streams.
In implementing the key objectives under Housing for All, each local authority has prepared and published a Housing Delivery Action Plan in respect of local authority supported or overseen delivery from 2022 to 2026. 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need were set affordable housing delivery targets and asked to include their planned affordable housing delivery in their Housing Delivery Action Plans. These plans were published on the local authorities’ respective websites in July 2022.
2022 represented the first year of a very ambitious programme of delivery of affordable housing. It is anticipated that the momentum created by this initial delivery will be maintained in 2023, and continue to ramp up in 2024. A pipeline of housing delivery is in place and is under continuous development by both the local authorities, AHB's and the LDA.
207. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost to the Exchequer in 2022, per unit of accommodation, for housing schemes (details supplied), in tabular form. [22270/23]
View answerMy Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity. This includes data on Part V delivery per local authority, which is available on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
Cost information on the delivery of social homes through the various construction streams, is collated by my Department at development/project level rather than at individual housing unit level. The cost of constructing new homes is dependent on a range of variables, such as the location, the scale of the development and the size and type of the homes involved.
The table below sets out the average cost to the exchequer to end of 2022 of social housing and cost rental delivery across a range of programmes.
|
Funding |
2022 Average Cost |
|
Cost Rental Equity Loan |
€108,362 |
|
CALF Construction |
€64,519 |
|
CALF Turnkey |
€79,524 |
|
CALF Part V |
€49,359 |
|
CAS Construction |
€245,517 |
|
CAS Turnkey |
€321,558 |
|
CAS Part V |
€262,794 |
|
SHIP Construction |
€303,818 |
|
SHIP Turnkey |
€283,173 |
|
SHIP Part V |
€233,347 |
Note 1: The information provided above is based on the financial information available to the Department. Delivery does not necessarily occur in the year of approval or spend.
Note 2: The CALF figures are based on application details and may be subject to change as the project progresses. The CALF Capital Outlay represents the average amount of CALF funding provided by the exchequer. (A maximum of 30%)
Note 3: Agreement on Part V arrangements is a matter for the local authorities. In some cases the Part V average cost is affected by delivery of homes that were subject to agreements prior to the current Part V arrangements. Complete details of Part V arrangements are available from the local authorities. It should be noted that with some Part V units, while recorded as delivered in 2022, have not had costs claimed or recouped as yet and so are excluded from the average costs shown.
Note 4: The average cost of CREL units represents the average loan cost and not a cost to the Exchequer.
208. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost to the Exchequer of buy-and-renew social homes delivered in 2022 and to date in 2023. [22271/23]
View answerLocal authorities are encouraged to acquire vacant/derelict properties to be upgraded as new, value-for-money social homes via the Buy & Renew Scheme. Since it was introduced in 2016, in excess of 800 properties have been delivered under this arrangement.
The average cost of a Buy and Renew Social Home in 2022 was €242,203.
The average cost of a Buy and Renew Social Home to date in 2023 is €212,566.
209. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost to the Exchequer of the affordable homes delivered with the Affordable Housing Fund in 2022. [22272/23]
View answerWith 2022 representing the first full year of delivery under the affordable housing schemes introduced in the Affordable Housing Act 2021, local authorities have begun to submit data returns and information on delivery of affordable homes in their area to my Department, in the same manner as is done for social housing.
Delivery of affordable units by local authorities with assistance under the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) during 2022 is set out in the statistical data based on local authority returns as published last month on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery
A total of 373 homes were delivered by local authorities with AHF assistance during 2022 as affordable homes for purchase or for cost rental by eligible applicants.
Cost information on the delivery of affordable homes through the various construction streams, is collated at development/project level rather than at individual housing unit level.
The cost of delivering new homes is dependent on a range of variables, such as the location, the scale of the development and the size and type of the homes involved.
In addition, the level of subvention provided under the AHF towards the capital cost of an affordable housing scheme varies having regard to factors such as density of affordable units per hectare achieved and the location of the development.
Subventions ranging from €50,000 to €150,000 are provided for under the AHF, with the Exchequer cost representing 95% of the subvention and the remaining 5% coming from a Local Authority contribution. Housing delivery being supported by funding approved originally under the earlier Serviced Sites Fund is also progressing with funding comprised of 89% Exchequer contribution matched by an 11% Local Authority contribution.
For the 373 units delivered in 2022, the average Exchequer cost commitment per unit is €64,919.
210. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people over 55 years currently in emergency homeless accommodation funded by his Department, with a breakdown by singles, couples and households with children. [22274/23]
View answerMy Department currently publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and the dependants of these families who accessed emergency accommodation during the relevant count week of the month in question. The reports are collated on a regional basis and are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/ and are also published to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform's open data portal https://data.gov.ie/.
The specific data sought in the Question is not available in my Department.
211. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of staff employed by An Bord Pleanála; the number of staff full-time equivalents employed at each grade in the Bord; the average cost per grade and the total current expenditure on staff at the Bord. [22275/23]
View answer212. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of additional posts sanctioned by his Department at An Bord Pleanála since January 2022; the grades approved; the number recruited; the annual cost of the staff recruited; and the full number sanctioned. [22276/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 211 and 212 together.
An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts.
Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Bord Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.
The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
|
Board Member Grade ABP |
FTE |
PPC rate |
Non-PPC rate |
|
Chairperson |
1 |
€227,369 |
€216,000 |
|
Deputy Chairperson |
1 |
€155, 384 |
€147,614 |
|
Board Member |
13 |
€135,478 |
€128,706 |
|
Estimated Current Total Salary (Board Membership @ PPC Rate) |
15 |
€2,143,967 |
|
|
Staffing Grade ABP |
FTE |
Average Cost Per Grade |
Grade Category |
|
Chief Officer |
1 |
€111,256 (non-PPC) |
Principal Officer Higher |
|
Director of Corporate Affairs |
1 |
€103,605 (non-PPC) |
Principal Officer |
|
Director of Planning |
2 |
€108,593 |
Senior Advisor |
|
Assistant Director of Planning |
4 |
€87,375 |
Engineer Grade I plus allowance |
|
Senior Planning Inspector |
40 |
€87,375 |
Engineer Grade I |
|
Ecologist |
1 |
€87,375 |
Engineer Grade I |
|
Planning Inspector |
24 |
€74,700 |
Engineer Grade II |
|
Senior Administrative Officer |
10 |
€83,625 |
Assistant Principal |
|
Senior Executive Officer |
19 |
€59,888 |
Higher Executive Officer |
|
Executive Officer |
54 |
€44,500 |
Executive Officer |
|
Administrative Assistant |
48 |
€35,458 |
Clerical Officer |
|
Total |
204 |
€12,235,828 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cumulative total of Table 1 and Table 2 |
219 |
€14,379,795 |
|
|
Grades sanctioned Since January 2022 |
Number of Each Grade Sanctioned |
Number of each grade filled |
|
Assistant Director of Planning |
1 |
|
|
Senior Planning Inspector |
25 |
6 |
|
Planning Inspector |
12 |
|
|
Senior Administrative Officer |
1 |
|
|
Senior Executive Officer Specialist |
2 |
|
|
Senior Executive Officer |
5 |
1 |
|
Executive Officer |
20 |
|
|
Administrative Assistant |
21 |
2 |
|
Director of Marine Planning |
1 |
1 |
|
Director of Legal Affairs |
1 |
1 *Offer accepted and position due to be filled in June 2023. |
|
Ethics Officer |
1 |
|
|
Director of Transformation |
1 |
|
|
Marine Specialists |
2 |
|
213. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of staff employed in local authority housing departments, the number of staff full-time equivalents employed at each grade; the average cost per grade and the total expenditure on housing department staff estimated for 2023. [22277/23]
View answerUnder 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/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of overall local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis.
However, granular data, in terms of the detailed breakdown of the numbers and grades of the overall number of staff allocated to specific work areas within local authorities and the associated salary costs is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from each local authority.
214. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the defective block remediation scheme; the number of applicants in each of the qualifying counties; the number progressed to stage one; the number progressed to stage two; the funding approved at stage two; the funding drawn down to date; the number of applicants in each county who have received funding; and the number in each county who have drawn down their full grant to date. [22278/23]
View answerFollowing on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President on the 23 July, 2022.
The purpose of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ('the 2022 Act'), as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021, is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the current grant scheme.
The 2022 Act which contains the enhanced grant scheme will be commenced as soon as related Regulations are completed. The Regulations will provide details for the enhanced scheme not included in the 2022 Act such as application forms and templates, per square metre grant rates and the definition of damage. Draft Regulations have been prepared, which are the subject of ongoing consultation with key stakeholders, including with homeowners’ action groups. The consultation must be concluded before the Regulations will be finalised and adopted. I extended the consultation period on the draft Regulations, which commenced in February 2023, by an additional two weeks, to 14 March 2023, following receipt of requests for time extensions from Donegal County Council and Mayo County Council. The submissions received have been reviewed and following engagement with homeowners' action groups I expect to finalise the Regulations this month.
The table below sets out the details on applications and the drawdown amounts under the current Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme since June 2020.
Total Drawdown by Local Authorities for current DCB Grant Scheme Since June 2020
|
08/05/2023 |
08/05/2023 |
||
|
Stage 1 |
Donegal |
Mayo |
Total |
|
Applications Received |
1242 |
310 |
1552 |
|
Applications Approved |
688 |
290 |
978 |
|
Stage 2 |
|||
|
Applications Received |
143 |
85 |
228 |
|
Applications Approved |
93 |
69 |
162 |
|
Value of Stage 2 Approvals |
€16,398,951 |
€17,106,654 |
€33,505,605 |
|
Final Payment Received |
37 |
6 |
43 |
|
Number of applicants who received funding: |
1,045 |
276 |
1,321 |
|
Funding Drawdown |
€13,186,021 |
€5,850,296 |
€19,036,317 |
215. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes for the over-55s list and for rightsizing funded by his Department in 2020, 2021 and 2022; and the number due to be delivered in 2023. [22279/23]
View answerThe initiation, design, planning, development and management of housing projects is a matter for local authorities in exercise of their statutory functions. As such, it is a matter for the local authorities to decide on the number and type of dwellings it will provide for any specific group within their overall planning for housing delivery.
In addition, an Approved Housing Body (AHB) seeking funding from my Department to provide housing must, in the first instance, apply to the local authority in their area. Funding provided to AHBs to support social housing is made available, as appropriate, by my Department through local authorities who, as the statutory housing authorities, are the decision makers in relation to the suitability of a proposed social housing project.
Social housing is delivered across a range of funding models for housing through my Department including SHCIP, CAS, and CALF and age specific housing is provided within these schemes.
However, disaggregated data is not available on the numbers provided to any specific group. The information sought is not available in my Department and may be available from the respective local authorities
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 commits to increasing the housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence, including the development of a national policy on rightsizing.
My Department is advancing work on the development of this national policy and exploration of the options to support and incentivise rightsizing on a voluntary basis with the objective of optimising the potential for more efficient use of under occupied existing private and social housing stock. The development of a national rightsizing policy is having regard to a focused stakeholder consultation undertaken in the latter part of 2022 and existing local authority approaches to rightsizing for social housing. My Department is working on bringing forward a draft national policy in the coming months.
216. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost in a full year of the 541 full-time equivalents staff in local authority planning departments, as set out in the Business Case for Resources for the Planning Function of Local Authorities completed in Q2 2022. [22280/23]
View answerThe Business Case for Resources for the Planning Function of Local Authorities, as referred to, was completed by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) in 2022 and identified a shortfall of 541 staff in the local authority planning service at that time. The report estimated that across the 31 local authorities, the cost (including an overhead for office accommodation and related costs etc.) of employing the additional staff identified would be of the order of €40 million per annum. This is based on the salaries as calculated at the mid-point of the respective pay scales for the grades concerned.
It is worth noting that the funding system for local authorities is complex, with authorities deriving their income from a variety of sources including local sources such as commercial rates, charges for goods and services and funding from Central Government.
Financial decision-making and the accountability of local authorities is a matter for the elected members of a local authority who have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget. Section 103 of the Local Government Act, 2001, as amended, provides for the local authority budgetary process. It should be noted that it is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
Further to the submission of the LGMA report, my Department is working with the LGMA on a programme of support for building planning capacity and capability in order that planning authorities will have the requisite level of staffing resources and expertise to efficiently and effectively perform their planning functions.
