Written Answers Nos. 389-402
389. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people on local authority housing lists who are wheelchair users or persons with disabilities requiring UD+ or UD++ accommodation; if he will provide data as to the percentage of social housing builds per each local authority which are being, or are due to be built, to UD+ standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29687/23]
View answerDetails on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area, and their housing requirements, are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
A new housing option 'Wheelchair liveable' was added to the social housing support application form in 2021, to allow applicants indicate their need for wheelchair accessible accommodation. This addition is intended to help local authorities to identify and prepare dwellings for social housing applicants who require housing specifically catered to their needs. The SSHA was also updated to reflect the new housing option. There were no households with this particular requirement recorded in the 2022 SSHA return. It is, however, likely to take time for this new more detailed categorisation of need to become apparent as the new and revised applications are completed by social housing support applicants. I am hopeful that the 2023 SSHA will provide further data in this regard.
The 2022 SSHA return recorded 3,842 households as having an accommodation requirement due to a physical, sensory, mental health, or intellectual disability.
A copy of the summary report for 2022, which includes breakdowns by each local authority, across a range of categories, can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-assessments/
In relation to the delivery of UD+ and UD++ housing, the policy document National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 published December 2021, sets a requirement for local authorities in the delivery of social housing, to ensure that 50% of the new builds being reserved for disabled people in each local authority area being wheelchair liveable, i.e. meeting Centre for Excellence in Universal Design 'UD Home' recommendations.
My Department continues to fully support and provide funding for the provision by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies of specialised housing for persons with specific disabilities and long-term illnesses, such that the dwelling needs to be designed with the specific end user requirements in mind, as well as taking on board their family and carers' needs.
390. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of his Department's underspend for Q1 of 2023, including the capital carry over from 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29699/23]
View answerThe Total Gross Provision for Vote 34 - Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for 2023 as set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023 published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) and available at www.per.gov.ie/en/rev/ is €6,322m. This is made up of €2,797m Current and €3,525m Capital and will also be supplemented by €340m Capital Carryover from 2022.
The allocation to the Vote Group also includes the provision to Votes 16, Tailte Éireann, and 23, the Electoral Commission. Inclusive of these votes, the Gross Provision to the Vote Group amounts to €6,414m excluding capital carryover.
In addition to the Voted Provision for 2023, as set out Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023, my Department's housing programmes will also benefit this year from non-exchequer funding of some €167.7m that is being made available from the proceeds of Local Property Tax (LPT).
As set out in the March 2023 Fiscal Monitor, net current expenditure in the Vote Group for Q1 2023 amounted to €436m, which was €106m behind published profile of €541m. This variance is mostly due to subhead C.3 Local Government Fund experiencing a slight delay in drawdown which was rectified the following month to bring the subhead back in line with profile.
Net capital expenditure in the Vote Group for Q1 2023 was €232m against a profiled spend of €325m, a variance of €94m or nearly 29% behind profile. However, this figure does not take account of Capital carryover expenditure which was impacted by the early signing of the Deferred Surrender Order and subsequent use of some of these funds in March 2023 despite the drawdown of Capital carryover being profiled from April onwards only. Accordingly, taking account of the REV provision plus capital carryover, the variance of combined capital expenditure below profile for the Vote Group was €83m to end Q1 2023.
This variance of expenditure against profile at the end of March arises mainly from lower than anticipated expenditure across a small number of specific expenditure lines in the Housing Programme as a result of a combination of factors including: continued challenges in relation to price inflation, supply chain disruption, certain developments initially projected for completion being delayed until later this year and an element of expenditure being offset by Local Authorities against their Local Property Tax (LPT) receipts and the expenditure of capital carryover following the earlier than anticipated signing of the Deferred Surrender Order.
My Department will continue to engage proactively on a range of measures to manage and expedite expenditure where possible throughout the remainder of this year with a view to keeping within projected investment levels.
392. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on plans to amend Part M of the Building regulations to include UD++ Wheelchair liveable accommodation; if he will provide a timeline for the same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29717/23]
View answerThe Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, which came into effect on 1 January 2012, sets out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access and use.
In response to the policy raised in the Deputy's questions, the ‘Programme for Government Our Shared Future’ commits to ensuring that there is an appropriate mix of housing design types provided, including universally designed units, and accommodation for older people and people with disabilities.
In respect of wheelchair liveable housing, a joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 was launched on 14 January 2022, available at gov.ie - National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 (www.gov.ie). This Strategy sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, state agencies and others in delivering housing and the related supports for disabled people. This Strategy will operate within the framework of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland.
I, along with my colleagues, Minister Darragh O'Brien and Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, jointly launched the Implementation Plan, in conjunction with the launch of an awareness campaign, on 22 June 2023. This plan will set out the actions to be taken in order to support the advancement of Universal Design principles in new housing. The Implementation Plan is available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/d356f-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027-implementation-plan/
Finally, I am advised that the National Standards Authority of Ireland, Ireland’s official standards body under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have recently commenced work on a new national standard for Universal Design housing, which will be developed in collaboration with interested parties (See: www.nsai.ie/about/news/call-for-experts-in-the-development-of-a-standard-on-universal-design-dwellings-requirements-and-recommendations/ ) The new standard will include specific requirements and recommendations for new dwellings through a Universal Design approach.
395. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the waiver for new Irish Water connections for new builds is also being extended to cover the charges for new builds connecting to group water schemes, which are not linked to Irish Water; if he would consider doing so to alleviate the cost of building on those affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29741/23]
View answerOn 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under Housing for All 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 wastewater standard connection charges.
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. However, Group Water Scheme charges do not fall within the scope of the measures recently approved by Government. The water connection charge refund scheme will only apply to water and wastewater connection charges payable to Uisce Éireann.
396. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he expects the new Electoral Commission to be fully functional and in a position to perform all of its functions prescribed by the Electoral Reform Act 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29753/23]
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. Section 30 of the 2022 Act sets out the functions of An Coimisiún and under section 30(3), An Coimisiún shall be independent in the performance of its functions.
Following its establishment, it has continued to build its expertise and capacity and is currently focused on its review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies. All of An Coimisiún's functions under the Electoral Reform Act 2022 have been commenced other than those under Parts 4 and 5 of the Act.
The provisions of both Parts 4 and 5 of the then Electoral Reform Bill 2022 were notified separately to the European Commission in accordance with requirements of Directive (EU) 2015/1535 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and of rules on Information Society services.
This notification procedure (known as Technical Regulation Information System or TRIS) aims to prevent the creation of barriers in the internal market before they materialise. Under the procedure, there is a 90-day standstill period following notification of a draft instrument to allow for the consideration of any relevant observations / comments received from the European Commission and from other affected stakeholders.
During the concluding Dáil debate on the then Electoral Reform Bill, I highlighted that both Parts 4 and 5 would be subject to the outcomes of the consultation period under the TRIS notification procedure, with consideration given to these outcomes before commencement of either Part takes place. In addition, I stressed that any comments or observations that might arise from the European Commission from this formal consultative process would be considered in advance of the commencement of Parts 4 and 5, both of which are subject to the making of commencement orders.
Since the standstill periods of the notifications elapsed, my Department has engaged with, and is continuing to engage with, the European Commission in response to the issues it has raised in respect of Parts 4 and 5. It is not proposed to commence Parts 4 and 5 of the Act until all issues raised by the European Commission under the TRIS notifications have been satisfactorily addressed.
397. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the penalties, if any, that apply to individuals or families on local authority housing lists who are offered social housing but who turned down that offer; if he believes that any changes should be made to legislation governing these schemes to encourage acceptance of such offers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29754/23]
View answerThe Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, as amended, set out the penalties for refusing offers of dwellings made under a local authority's allocation scheme.
Under Regulation 12, a household that refuses two reasonable offers of social housing in any twelve-month period, other than an offer made under the Choice Based Letting (CBL) procedure, will not receive any further offers from any local authority for a period of one year from the date of the second refusal. An offer is deemed to be reasonable where the dwelling concerned would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the housing needs of the household and, except in an emergency, is located in an area of choice specified by the household.
CBL is a method whereby available social housing stock is let to qualified persons on the social housing waiting list by way of open advertisement. Qualified applicants register an interest in advertised homes, with the property then offered to a CBL applicant taking into account the priority and need of the household in line with the local authority's allocation scheme. This approach offers more choice and involvement for applicant households in selecting a home, thereby reducing the likelihood of a refusal, and helping to build sustainable tenancies and stable communities.
The penalties for refusing an offer under CBL are set out in Regulation 10 and provide where a household refuses a reasonable offer of a dwelling they expressed an interest in, that household may not apply for another dwelling under the CBL system for one year from the date of refusal.
There are no plans at this time to change the penalties outlined above.
However, given the benefits offered by CBL, including fewer refusals and greater choice for qualified households, my Department continues to liaise with the local authorities to support as wide a roll-out of CBL as possible across the country.
398. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant and derelict homes brought back into use for each year from 2020 to 2023, in tabular form, under the following schemes with a breakdown by local authority - buy and renew, repair and lease, ready to build, refurbishment grant, CPO activation, UDF €150 million fund and over-shop/pub planning exemptions. [29795/23]
View answer399. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the targets for vacant and derelict homes to be brought back into use for each year from 2023 to 2026, in tabular form, under the following schemes with a breakdown by local authority - buy and renew, repair and lease, ready to build, refurbishment grant, CPO activation, UDF €150 million fund and over-shop/pub planning exemptions. [29796/23]
View answer401. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the targets, per local authority, for each of the Housing For All initiatives targeting vacancy and dereliction. [29832/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 398, 399 and 401 together.
Tackling vacancy is a key priority for this Government and a suite of measures has been introduced to address vacancy and increase the pace at which properties are brought back into use.
The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I launched in January, outlines the significant progress that has been made in addressing vacancy, along with the actions that are being pursued to return as many vacant properties back into use as possible.
My Department recently launched a new CPO Activation Programme, which provides for a planned, proactive and systematic approach by local authorities to bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. Targets have been set for each local authority for vacant and derelict properties to be activated, with targets also set for the compulsory acquisition of properties where owners fail to engage in bringing their property in to use. This Programme includes guidance and supports for local authorities to actively use their legislative powers to compulsorily acquire vacant and derelict properties, where engagement with owners has been unsuccessful.
My Department will be collating data in relation to the number of properties entering the programme, activity being undertaken and outcomes in relation to these properties. This will include data on the scheme or support used e.g. the Repair and Leasing Scheme, Buy and Renew, Ready to Build, Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, Compulsory Purchase, to bring the property back into use. Once compiled, this data will be published.
Details in respect of proposed targets under the various schemes along with information on the number of properties brought back into use are detailed in the table attached.
|
Vacancy Initiative |
Overall Targets |
Targets by Local Authority |
Units Delivered |
|
CPO Activation Programme |
4,000 properties to enter the Programme in 2023. Of these, a target of 400 to enter the compulsory acquisition process. |
The Department has published targets for each local authority which can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/5a725-compulsory-purchase-orders-cpo-activation-programme/ |
N/a |
|
Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund |
2,000 homes to be delivered by 2025 under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and Ready to Build Scheme. |
N/a |
The Department publishes data on number of applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed at the following link: gov.ie - Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics (www.gov.ie) |
|
Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) Call 3 |
Following consultation with the local authority sector, the administrative arrangements for this round of funding are currently being finalised, with approved programmes and allocations due to be notified to local authorities in the coming weeks. |
N/a |
N/a |
|
Repair and Leasing |
There is an overall target of 660 units to be provided under the scheme up to 2026. |
N/a |
Delivery under the Repair and Leasing Scheme in respect of all local authorities to end 2022 is published on the Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls. |
|
Buy and Renew |
There are no specific targets issued to local authorities in respect of the Buy and Renew Scheme. |
N/a |
To date, in excess of 800 Units have been delivered through Buy and Renew since 2016. |
|
Planning Exemption Notifications |
There are no specific targets issued to local authorities in respect of the Planning Exemption Notifications. |
N/a |
Since 2018, almost 900 notifications have been received in relation to properties where it was intended to provide such conversions, resulting in over 2,000 new homes being provided under the planning exemption. The Department, in conjunction with the local authorities, is undertaking a survey of the notified properties to confirm that development has proceeded and homes provided. |
400. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details on how many void properties have been brought back into use to date in 2023, broken down by local authority; and the average turnaround times for vacant council properties per council. [29831/23]
View answerThe 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 obligation on local authorities, since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. 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. This programme is in addition to the funding provided through the local authorities own resources.
An annualised breakdown by local authority, of the funding provided and the number of properties remediated under the Voids programme for the years 2014 up to and including 2022 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 will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. Funding allocations under the Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme 2023 have issued to all local authorities which will see a minimum of 2,300 dwellings remediated and returned to productive use this year.
Work in relation to the 2023 Programme is ongoing, however, it will be later this year before significant recoupment claims are lodged with my Department. Full details in relation to 2023 Programme will be published on my Department’s website early in 2024.
Statistics in relation to the social housing stock are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their Annual Reports on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including vacancy and the average time taken to re-tenant a dwelling. The most recent report, relating to 2021 as published in November 2022, is available on the NOAC website at the following link:
noac.ie/noac_publications/report-50-noac-performance-indicator-report-2021/
402. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the supports for prospective homeowners who do not qualify for a mortgage based on this year’s income, but do not qualify for the local authority home loan because the process is based on income in 2022 rather than income in 2023. [29833/23]
View answerThe Local Authority Home Loan was launched in January 2022. It is a Government backed mortgage for those who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It is available to first-time buyers and "fresh start" applicants to purchase a new or second-hand property, or to self-build.
In accordance with scheme's rules, the Local Authority Home Loan has an upper gross income limit for scheme eligibility, which takes into account all relevant household income. I recently announced significant changes to the income limits with effect from 1 March 2023. The income limit nationally for a single applicant increased from €65,000 to €70,000 gross per annum and for joint applicants from €75,000 to €85,000 gross per annum. Annual gross income as reported for the previous tax year is used to determine income eligibility of the applicant(s) for the Local Authority Home Loan scheme. Further details can be found on localauthorityhomeloan.ie/information/
A number of schemes are in place to provide affordable housing, such as the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the First Home Scheme, which reduce the effective purchase price of relevant properties. The Local Authority Home Loan can be used to purchase a Local Affordable Purchase Scheme property.
Homes made available under the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme are sold in accordance with the Affordable Housing Act 2021, and its associated Regulations. As such, differential home prices apply according to the means and mortgage capabilities of applicants, subject to a minimum price to ensure scheme viability.
Homes purchased utilising the First Home Scheme require the applicant to obtain the maximum mortgage available to them from a participating lender, up to 4 times salary, as per the macro-prudential rules of the Central Bank. The First Home Scheme eligibility calculator is available on the dedicated First Home Scheme website at the following link: www.firsthomescheme.ie/eligibility-calculator/.
