Written Answers Nos. 372-387
373. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address concerns that there are insufficient financial incentives for persons to apply for options such as home improvement grants when compared with options provided by other EU member state governments (details supplied) and that the application criteria are too restrictive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30919/23]
View answerThe matter of retrofit of private homes is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment.
My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People . A means test applies to each grant scheme.
In addition, my Department also provides funding for energy upgrades on local authority owned properties under the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. It is a matter for each local authority to select the appropriate dwelling based on their target number of units and available budget.
374. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the new architectural departments being set up across local authorities will be concluded; if he has a timeframe for the recruitment process to staff these new departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30926/23]
View answerHousing 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 and 54,000 affordable 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.
Housing for All includes a commitment to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to initiate, design, plan, develop and manage housing projects. Extensive work was undertaken in 2021 to identify the additional staff resources required by local authorities to deliver the social housing targets set out in Housing for All. In December 2021, I approved funding for 250 housing posts in local authorities nationally to support in social housing delivery.
In October 2022, I also approved funding for an initial tranche of 69 affordable housing staff posts for local authorities with an affordability constraint. My Department and the Housing Delivery Coordination Office in the Local Government Management Agency will be monitoring this programme further to a review of any additional supports being examined in 2023.
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/she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of 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 staff allocated to specific work areas within local authorities is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from the local authorities concerned.
375. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update and indicative timeline on the legal action the Government intends to take against manufacturers of defective concrete blocks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30929/23]
View answer376. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he expects applications for defective concrete block redress will go live; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30930/23]
View answer377. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware insurance companies are refusing to offer certain levels of insurance cover to homes with confirmed and suspected pyrite and mica defects and that this is causing many house sales to fall through; how he proposes to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30931/23]
View answer378. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has sanctioned a facilitator role in Clare County Council to oversee the roll-out of the expected defective concrete block redress scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30932/23]
View answer379. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the new facilitator roles he has approved to oversee the roll-out of defective concrete block redress at county level are being funded from the overall purse the Government has ring-fenced for redress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30937/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 375 to 379, inclusive, together.
Following 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.
Priority was given in the Government Decision to developing the necessary Regulations to implement the DCB Scheme. However, as part of the decision the Government also approved the appointment of a Senior Counsel to review the defective concrete blocks issue and make recommendations on the matter. Terms of Reference are being developed in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General to progress the appointment of a Senior Counsel to review the role of the industry and regulation.
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.
I commenced the 2022 Act on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and aim to adopt the related Regulations, providing details for the enhanced scheme not included in the 2022 Act such as square metre grant rates and the definition of damage very shortly, upon which the enhanced grant scheme will open to applications. Comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme will be made available online for all existing and potential applicants once I adopt the Regulations.
With regard to the insurance aspects of underwriting houses that have been subject to certified remediation works under the current or enhanced grant schemes, I wrote to Insurance Ireland earlier this year and on 30 March 2023 received a letter from its CEO confirming that in general terms, once remediation is complete, supporting documentation would be required by an insurer to establish the condition of the property. On the basis the property is structurally sound, is certified as such, and does not pose a higher risk than a standard construction house, Insurance Ireland members would generally consider the provision of standard household cover at standard terms.
My Department has been supportive of facilitator posts to assist homeowners through the enhanced grant scheme process and has sanctioned such posts in Donegal and Mayo. Clare County Council recently made contact with my Department in relation to seeking sanction for a similar post. I understand that Clare County Council will revert with a formal submission in due course and my Department will review and reply to the Council as a matter of priority.
380. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of the number of properties each local authority has targeted for purchase through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30941/23]
View answerDetails regarding a third round of funding under the URDF programme were announced in January of this year. Supporting key objectives of Housing for All and Town Centre First, this round of URDF support has been specifically designed to addresses long term vacancy and dereliction across URDF eligible cities and town.
A revolving fund of up to €150m of URDF support is being made available for local authorities to acquire long term vacant or derelict properties (residential and/or commercial) and if necessary carry out works required to de-risk or improve the properties to make them more attractive for re-use or sale. The intention is that the fund would be replenished from the proceeds received from the end use/user thereby allowing the local authority to put in place a rolling programme to tackle long term vacancy and dereliction without recourse to borrowing and the associated financial risk for local authorities.
On Tuesday June 20th, Government approved provision of 100% grant funding for local authorities under Call 3 of the URDF programme and automatic admission to the programme, following publication of the 2022 Census results, for towns that reach the population threshold of 10,000 or minimum 2,500 jobs for URDF eligibility.
Following engagement with the local authority sector, the administrative arrangements are currently being finalised, with approved programmes and allocations due to be issued to Local Authorities in the
coming weeks. Until such time as this work has been completed, a breakdown of the number of properties each local authority has targeted for purchase and the expected residential output will not be
available.
381. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the National Parks and Wildlife Services has ever, or will, make an application to designate lands (details supplied) as either a special area of conservation or special protection area, otherwise known collectively as Natura 2000 sites and-or a natural heritage area. [31019/23]
View answerThe selection procedure for Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) follows the guidance provided by the EU Commission for the implementation of the EU Habitats Directive. An initial suite of candidate sites was put forward for consideration between 1995 and c.2010, with other sites added in subsequent years. All these sites, and the habitats and species for which they were selected, were assessed according to the criteria outlined in Annex III of the Habitats Directive. While further designations are currently being implemented in the marine environment for the Annex I habitat Reefs, no further terrestrial SACs are being considered at this time.
According to the Birds Directive, member states are required to classify the most suitable territories as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the conservation of those species listed in Annex I of the Directive and for regularly occurring migratory species. At this point in time, Ireland has been deemed to have classified sufficient SPAs to meet the requirements of the Birds Directive, apart from further designations required for marine birds. As such, no further terrestrial SPAs are being considered at this time.
A Natural Heritage Area (NHA) is a national designation covering areas of conservation value for ecological and/or geological/geomorphological heritage. NHAs are designated under the Wildlife Acts. To date, 148 sites have been legally designated as NHAs, all of which are peatland sites (blanket and raised bogs). There are currently no timelines for the designation of new NHAs. The National Parks and Wildlife Service holds information from woodland surveys undertaken in Castletown Demesne in 1999 and 2008. This survey work will be reviewed should designations of woodlands as NHAs be considered in the future.
382. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the National Parks and Wildlife Service's attention has been drawn to the spraying and-or poisoning of lands at a location in Celbridge, County Kildare (details supplied). [31020/23]
View answerI understand that NPWS has recently received several reports pertaining to the erection of fencing and that of signage including wording stating that poison was laid on lands at a location in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. These reports are currently the subject of an investigation by NPWS and it will liaise with other relevant authorities in the course of its investigation as required. As this matter is on-going, I cannot provide any further information at this time.
I would note that publicly owned and managed lands in this area have won several awards for its biodiversity care.
383. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the progress to retain and strengthen climate action policy objectives in the implementation and forthcoming review of the national planning framework, as outlined in the climate action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31062/23]
View answerFrom a national planning policy perspective, the National Planning Framework (NPF) provides a means to implement and integrate climate change objectives at national, regional and local levels and to support the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient society. The NPF states clearly that "in addition to legally binding targets agreed at EU level, it is a national objective for Ireland to transition to be a competitive low carbon, economy by the year 2050".
The NPF strategy is at an early stage in its implementation. The associated Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) were adopted in 2019 and 2020, which each contain a number of ambitious policy objectives to ensure emissions can be reduced and targets met. The review of city and county development plans to align with the NPF is nearing completion.
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act was enacted in 2021 with a commitment to a binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% and increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources by up to 80% over the decade (2021 – 2030), and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The Climate Action Plan 2023 was published on 21 December 2022 with the supplementary Annex of Actions published in March 2023. The plan implements the carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings identifying actions have to ensure that Ireland achieves a reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and also to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.
Planning legislation (Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended)) recognises the importance of the NPF in establishing a broad national framework for strategic planning and sustainable development of urban and rural areas to secure balanced regional development and co-ordination of plans at regional and local level. The Act requires the Government to either revise, replace or state why the Government has decided not to revise, every 6 years after the publication of the NPF.
The Government approved the commencement of the process to revise the National Planning Framework (NPF) and publish the Roadmap for this First Revision on 20 June 2023. The Roadmap outlines the process and timeline for the revision, details can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/deef6-a-road-map-for-the-first-revision-of-the-national-planning-framework/
The roadmap identifies climate action as one of the key drivers for consideration as part of the revision process, having regard to policy and legislative changes since 2018. The Department will be engaging with officials from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications as part of the revision process to consider what changes to the NPF are required in this regard, and with other key stakeholders as part of the Planning Advisory Forum engagement. Full public consultation on the draft NPF revision strategy will take place later in 2023 and will include consideration of climate action policy objectives.
384. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost of acquiring one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, per unit, in Dublin under the buy-and-renew scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31064/23]
View answer385. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average cost of acquiring one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, per unit, outside Dublin under the buy-and-renew scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31065/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 385 together.
Local 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 table below outlines the average cost in that time of 1/2/3/4 bed units delivered under the Buy and Renew Scheme in Dublin and outside Dublin.
|
- |
The 4 Dublin LA Areas |
Outside Dublin |
|
One Bed |
€189,298 |
€115,537 |
|
Two Bed |
€291,774 |
€161,603 |
|
Three Bed |
€311,566 |
€208,843 |
|
Four Bed |
€316,022 |
€242,449 |
386. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 760 of 26 July 2022, if he will provide the number of houses bought by each council for the amounts listed in the table; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31066/23]
View answerMy 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/
The figures referred to in Parliamentary Question No. 760 of 26 July 2022, relate to expenditure on acquisitions in each local authority in 2021. This information is based on the financial information available to the Department and it should be noted that delivery does not necessarily occur in the year of approval or spend.
387. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to introduce legislation in response to the Supreme Court ruling in a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31077/23]
View answerThe Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act 1937 sets out the current legislative provisions governing the election of university senators to Seanad Éireann. In a recent judgment the Supreme Court determined that sections 6 and 7 of that Act which provide for the election of members of the Seanad by certain university graduates are unconstitutional because they are not consistent with Article 18.4.2 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has suspended its declaration of invalidity until 31 July 2023 in the first instance.
In order to respond fully to the Supreme Court judgment, my Department, along with the Office of the Attorney General, is currently considering the judgment with a view to preparing options for consideration by the Government. This work is being progressed as a matter of priority in my Department.
