Written Answers Nos. 751-770
751. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications under the domestic lead remediation grant scheme since its introduction in 2016, per local authority, in tabular form. [27950/23]
View answerThe Domestic Lead Remediation Grant Scheme is a demand-led grant scheme to assist households with the cost of replacing lead piping or related fittings located within the internal drinking water distribution system of the house.
The table below sets out the number of applications (households benefiting) and the amounts paid by my Department to local authorities under the scheme by year from 2016 to the end of May 2023.
|
Year |
Local authority |
Number of applications (households benefiting) |
Amount paid(€) |
|
2016 |
Galway City |
2 |
6,480 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
1,200 |
|
|
Total |
3 |
7,680 |
|
|
2017 |
Cork |
3 |
6,421 |
|
Cork City |
1 |
681 |
|
|
Dublin City |
12 |
17,139 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
1 |
864 |
|
|
Galway City |
7 |
12,809 |
|
|
Kerry |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
3,087 |
|
|
Laois |
2 |
4,630 |
|
|
Limerick |
16 |
60,710 |
|
|
Louth |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Tipperary |
3 |
6,783 |
|
|
Waterford |
4 |
10,524 |
|
|
Total |
52 |
131,648 |
|
|
2018 |
Galway |
4 |
7,886 |
|
Kerry |
1 |
1,532 |
|
|
Limerick |
6 |
23,563 |
|
|
Mayo |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Meath |
1 |
3,200 |
|
|
Offaly |
2 |
5,560 |
|
|
Wexford |
1 |
1,376 |
|
|
Total |
16 |
47,116 |
|
|
2019 |
Carlow |
1 |
3,715 |
|
Cork City |
4 |
10,690 |
|
|
Dublin City |
11 |
16,416 |
|
|
Galway City |
1 |
2,906 |
|
|
Kerry |
2 |
3,858 |
|
|
Laois |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Limerick |
6 |
18,753 |
|
|
Louth |
1 |
2,977 |
|
|
Roscommon |
1 |
1,616 |
|
|
Sligo |
1 |
323 |
|
|
South Dublin |
1 |
1,646 |
|
|
Tipperary |
2 |
7,950 |
|
|
Total |
32 |
74,849 |
|
|
2020 |
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
1 |
1,725 |
|
Galway |
1 |
2,770 |
|
|
Kerry |
1 |
1,200 |
|
|
Laois |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Limerick |
1 |
1,275 |
|
|
Louth |
1 |
1,896 |
|
|
Total |
6 |
12,866 |
|
|
2021 |
Cork City |
3 |
8,450 |
|
Dublin City |
20 |
37,472 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Galway City |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
600 |
|
|
Limerick |
3 |
11,900 |
|
|
Tipperary |
1 |
4,000 |
|
|
Waterford |
3 |
3,953 |
|
|
Total |
33 |
74,374 |
|
|
2022 |
Cork City |
1 |
2,157 |
|
Dublin City |
7 |
9,457 |
|
|
Limerick |
2 |
6,418 |
|
|
Mayo |
1 |
1,861 |
|
|
Offaly |
1 |
3,496 |
|
|
Total |
12 |
23,390 |
|
|
2023 (up to 31 May) |
Dublin City |
6 |
22,902 |
|
Total |
6 |
22,902 |
752. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total spend on consulting services and on ‘business-as-usual’ outsourcing, as differentiated under the Code of ‘Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016’ for each non-commercial public body under the aegis of his Department for the year 2022. [27966/23]
View answerThese bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail, by members of the Oireachtas, as set out in the attached table.
The information would be available from the state bodies themselves, and the dedicated e-mail addresses for members of the Oireachtas in respect of each such body are as set out in tabular form below.
|
State Body |
Contact E-mail Address |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum) |
info@nationalwaterforum.ie |
|
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority |
oireachtasqueries@ahbregulator.ie |
|
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum |
infodocklands@dublincity.ie |
|
Ervia |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Heritage Council |
oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie |
|
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Land Development Agency |
oireachtas@lda.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie |
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
info@noac.ie |
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
ntacc@housing.gov.ie |
|
Office of the Planning Regulator |
oireachtas@opr.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Tailte Éireann |
reps@tailte.ie |
|
Uisce Éireann |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Valuation Tribunal |
info@valuationtribunal.ie |
|
Waterways Ireland |
ceoffice@waterwaysireland.org |
753. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if officials from his Department will be meeting with homeowners and representatives prior to an updated report on the regulation of defective blocks being published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27993/23]
View answerThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022, which provides for the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, will be commenced as soon as Regulations are completed. The Homeowner liaison Officer, Mr. John O’Connor, is tasked with leading engagement with homeowners groups, including on the draft Regulations. I met with the Chairs of the Homeowner Action Groups on 10 May 2023 and set out a number of amendments, proposed by stakeholders through the consultation process that I have agreed to include in the draft Regulations.
I aim to commence the 2022 Act and adopt the Regulations in the coming weeks. This will allow the significant enhancements contained in the enhanced scheme, including the increased grant rates and the ancillary grants relating to alternative accommodation are made available to homeowners who have not yet applied under the previous grant scheme. These enhancements will also retrospectively be made available to existing applicants to the previous grant scheme as soon as possible.
754. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that a company (details supplied) has responded positively to appeals and banned cruel animal snares from its website; if he agrees that Ireland should follow the example of Wales, which is poised to ban them; if he will take actions to ensure that this happens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28002/23]
View answerThe National Parks and Wildlife Service of my department has commenced a project to review and update wildlife legislation. This is an extensive review and is a multi-year project. It will examine closely the effectiveness of our legislation in protecting wildlife and regulating activities that adversely impact on wildlife and biodiversity.
The review includes the Wildlife Act, which, in part, regulates the use of snares in Ireland. The matter raised in the Question will be considered as part of that review.
755. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the cost of establishing the working group to examine defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage report Safe as Houses, and to assist owners of latent defect properties by identifying options for those impacted by defects, to access low-cost, long-term finance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28029/23]
View answerI established the Working Group to examine defects in housing in February 2021 under the chairmanship of Mr Seamus Neely, former Chief Executive of Donegal County Council. The Working Group met as a plenary on 17 occasions and sub-groups met on approximately 50 occasions. The report of the Working Group was published in July 2022 and the Chair was paid a total of €19,152 for this work. There were no other costs associated with the operation of this Working Group.
756. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full cost, current cost and capital cost to establish the registration and inspection scheme 2012 for the domestic wastewater treatment system; and the full cost, current cost and capital cost in 2022, in tabular form. [28031/23]
View answerI understand that the question is referring to my Department’s Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems Financial Assistance Grants. These are grants available to householders to replace, repair or upgrade their domestic waste water treatment systems, commonly called septic tanks.
The establishment of the registration and inspection systems involved a number of organisations including the Environmental Protection Agency, the local authorities and my Department. My Department does not have the total establishment costs.
The grant schemes are administered by the local authorities on behalf of my Department and further details on the grants can be found at the link below, or from each local authority.
www.gov.ie/en/publication/6cc1e-domestic-waste-water-treatment-systems-septic-tanks/
The table below sets out, by year, the capital amounts paid to local authorities by my Department for householders availing of these grants since the schemes were launched in 2012.
|
Year |
Amount Paid(€) |
|
2014 |
98,575 |
|
2015 |
256,558 |
|
2016 |
211,999 |
|
2017 |
199,321 |
|
2018 |
289,498 |
|
2019 |
497,719 |
|
2020 |
388,982 |
|
2021 |
752,766 |
|
2022 |
981,108 |
No payments were made in 2012 or 2013.
758. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total spend on consulting services and on business-as-usual outsourcing at the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority as differentiated under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016 under the aegis of his Department, broken down by contract and purpose of contract in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28067/23]
View answerA dedicated business unit is in place within my Department leading the critical work to establish the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).
My Department entered into a contract on 16 March 2023 with Ernst & Young to provide services to MARA in respect of the financial assessment framework for the Maritime Area Consent (MAC) process. This contract will transfer to MARA on establishment day (17 July 2023). No payments have been made under this contract to date.
760. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total spend on consulting services and on business-as-usual outsourcing at An Bord Pleanála as differentiated under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016 under the aegis of his Department, broken down by contract and purpose of contract in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28069/23]
View answerAn 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.
My department does not hold the specific information requested by the Deputy. 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.
761. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a series of matters (details supplied) will be clarified in relation to the tenant in situ purchase scheme in cases in which a local authority is interested in purchasing a house that is for sale with tenants on social housing supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28105/23]
View answerUnder Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
For 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter to all local authorities in March, setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional target for social housing acquisitions in 2023. Feedback from the local authorities indicates that these targets may be exceeded in many areas, due to the significant level of activity under way.
Local authorities have delegated sanction to deliver the 1,300 additional acquisitions, subject to those acquisitions being within Acquisition Cost Guidelines issued by my Department. Revised Cost Guidelines were issued to local authorities in April this year.
My Department will consider acquisitions proposed by local authorities that exceed the cost guidelines, on a case-by-case basis. In proceeding with an acquisition, a local authority will obtain a valuation to ensure that the acquisition represents value for money. There is no basis or provision for the local authority to consider an appeal of a valuation from the vendor of a property.
762. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline the supports in place to assist older renters who, because of age, are unable to get approved for a mortgage and where the household income is over the limits set under the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28108/23]
View answer763. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in circumstances where adult children are living in a rental accommodation with their parents for the time being, if any income earned by these children can be disregarded when calculating the household income under the cost rental tenant in situ scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28112/23]
View answer764. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the payments, if any, that can be disregarded when calculating the net annual income of a household in relation to the cost rental tenant in situ scheme; if carer’s allowance, for example, can be disregarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28113/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 762 to 764, inclusive, together.
The Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) Scheme was introduced, initially on an administrative basis, to address the immediate circumstances of the ending of the 'Winter Emergency Period' on 31 March 2023. This scheme is available where a tenant faces the termination of a tenancy due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. The scheme is available if the tenant household:
• is not able to or intending to purchase the property from the landlord,
• does not own other residential property,
• is assessed by the Local Authority to be at risk of homelessness,
• is not in receipt of social housing supports (i.e. the Housing Assistance Payment or the Residential Accommodation Scheme), and
• has an annual net household income of no more than €53,000.
Local Authority Housing Officers have responsibility for assessing the risk of homelessness to tenants who have received a valid notification of termination due to an intended sale of a property, and so it is the Local Authority that tenants should first approach.
If the Local Authority is satisfied that the applicant tenant household is eligible for CRTiS they will pass the details of the tenant and the property to The Housing Agency for consideration for potential acquisition. The Housing Agency will then engage with the tenant and the landlord with a view to acquiring the property.
It is the longer-term intention to transition these tenancies and homes to the standard framework for Cost Rental, where rents are set at a level to meet the costs of acquiring, managing, and maintaining the home. It is for this reason that the net household income limit of €53,000 (gross income less income tax, PRSI, USC and superannuation contributions) aligns with the standard income limit for Cost Rental.
If adult children are living in rental accommodation with parents, income earned by these adults will count towards overall household income with regard to eligibility for the Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ Scheme. With regard to the carers allowance, this is disregarded by The Housing Agency when assessing household income.
If household incomes are above the limit to be eligible for the Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ Scheme, tenants can contact their local authority who will be in a position to advise them of other measures which may be appropriate for their specific situation.
765. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the Government is not ensuring the installation of solar panels on local authority homes that are undergoing retrofit works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28134/23]
View answerMy Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013, over 77,500 local authority social housing dwellings have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €251 million.
In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the programme, designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes, with grant funding provided by my Department for those local authority housing retrofits.
The 2023 EERP budget provides an increase in funding support from €85 million allocated in 2022 to €87 million in 2023 which will allow approximately 2,400 local authority owned social homes to be upgraded to a B2 or cost optimal equivalent (BER). With regard to the local authority properties which are selected to be retrofitted through funding available from the EERP, the selection of properties is a matter for each individual local authority.
Works eligible under my Department's revised EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. The funded measures achieve the B2 or cost optimal equivalent (BER) as identified by the 2018 Cost Optimal calculations carried out under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. In certain circumstances, my Department supports the installation of 1kWp solar PV for small social housing with a floor area less than 55 m2, with a maximum HLI of 2.6 on a pilot basis. In such cases local authorities are required to cooperate with SEAI as part of research monitoring the performance of heat pumps in these dwellings.
The cost optimal level is currently being reviewed with a view to being published later in 2023. It is intended that the Building Regulations will be further updated to adopt the 2023 cost optimal calculations no later than Q1 2025.
Furthermore, under the Microgeneration Support Scheme led by Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Solar PV is available for all domestic premises.
766. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will meet with the organisers of a campaign (details supplied) before the summer recess; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28144/23]
View answerSince the receipt of Government approval in January to draft legislation to establish supports for the remediation of apartment defects, I have been working to progress the various programmes of work that are required to place the remediation scheme on a statutory footing.
As this work progresses, I am committed to continuing to liaise with key stakeholders. I have already met with two representatives from the group referred to by but, due to other diary commitments, I am not in a position to confirm that I will meet with them again before the summer recess.
In addition, to ensure that I continue to hear from as broad a range of affected homeowners as possible, I have, to date, hosted two webinars to facilitate an exchange of views.
767. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff seconded to his Department from a company (details supplied) in the past ten years to date; the title and/or role they filled; and the duration of same. [28181/23]
View answerNo staff from the company referred to have been seconded to my Department during this period.
768. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of instances in which his Department availed of services and or consultancy and or advices from a company (details supplied) in the past ten years to date; the costs of same; the number of contracts between the company and his Department; and the duration and costs of same. [28200/23]
View answerThe number of instances in which my Department availed of services, consultancies or advice from the company referred to over the past ten years, including the costs and contract duration, are set out in the attached table.
|
Contract Award Date |
Contract Duration |
Contract Value (ex VAT) |
Contract Spend (ex VAT) |
Description or purpose of contract |
|
21/11/2019 |
6 months |
€396,358 |
€396,358 |
Business requirements definition and Request for Tender development for Project Díon |
|
01/04/2021 |
3 months |
€16,940 |
€16,940 |
To conduct a review of 30 social housing business processes and determine a set of standardised processes in accordance with the requirements of Project Díon |
769. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will extend the temporary time-limited waiver in respect of development contribution fees for self-build homes in circumstances where commencement of construction has already been under way outside of the period between 25 April 2023 and 24 April 2024 and not yet completed, and where the same increase in housing materials and labour costs are still incurred and being exacerbated by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis for self-build developers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28210/23]
View answerOn 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. It is not proposed to extend the timeframe in relation to the operation of the measure beyond that which has been approved by the Government in its Decision of 25 April last.
770. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has determined the number of houses in the ownership of Mayo County Council that have tested for pyrite; if these homes will be demolished and rebuilt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28238/23]
View answerI understand the question refers to the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme.
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 ("the 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.
Section 36 of the Act provides that the Government may make a further DCB scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an approved housing body to remedy damage caused to dwellings by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction. The grant rates for this local authority and approved housing body DCB scheme shall be the same as the enhanced DCB grant scheme.
In order to assist with the necessary administrative and governance arrangements to be put in place prior to the roll out of this local authority and approved housing body scheme, my Department is working to develop a pilot scheme with Donegal County Council on local authority homes which are impacted. While my Department has no specific information on the numbers of local authority houses affected in Mayo this pilot scheme will inform the approach to be taken in that local authority functional area.
I aim to commence the 2022 Act and adopt the Regulations in the coming weeks.
