Written Answers Nos. 394-411
394. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the framework for the Multi-annual Rural Water Programme will be issued to Galway County Council; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54667/23]
View answerThe Multi-annual Rural Water Programme (MARWP) is the main funding stream providing capital funding to address the challenges facing the Rural Water Sector and in particular by Group Water Schemes.
Under the programme, funding is available to address infrastructure deficits that are having an impact on the provision of safe and secure drinking water supplies. My Department undertook and has recently completed extensive engagement with key stakeholders in the Rural Water Sector which has informed improvements to the new cycle of the MARWP.
I can confirm that I have approved the specific funding measures in MARWP 2024-2026 and that I intend to launch it soon.
Local authorities, including Galway County Council, will then be invited to submit applications for funding for priority projects in their areas.
395. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the capital works projects that were carried out in each of the National Parks under the remit of his Department during 2023; and the capital works projects that are scheduled to commence in 2024 in each of the National Parks, in tabular form. [54764/23]
View answerDetails of relevant capital projects carried out in each of our six National Parks in 2023 and planned for 2024 are set out in the attached table. The list of proposed works for the Parks in 2024 will be refined and additions made following the completion of the business planning process for 2024.
396. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key policy achievements realised and new initiatives taken by his Department during 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54790/23]
View answerI refer to the reply to Dáil Question no. 220 on 7 December which sets out the information requested.
397. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of mortgage-to-rent approvals in 2023, by provider, in tabular form. [54815/23]
View answerThe Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of commercial lending institutions and is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), who agree to the voluntary surrender of their home and who have very limited options, if any, to meet their long-term housing needs themselves. In addition, the household must be deemed eligible for social housing support. The concept of the scheme is that a household with an unsustainable mortgage goes from being a homeowner to being a social housing tenant.
Under the MTR scheme, the borrower surrenders their property to their lender and it will be then sold to an MTR provider who can be either an Approved Housing Body (AHB) or since 2018, a private company. The AHB or local authority (in the case where the property is sold to a private company) becomes the landlord and the borrower remains in the property as a tenant paying a differential rent to the landlord based on his or her income.
To the end of September 2023, a total of 2,258 households with unsustainable private mortgages have completed the MTR process and 521 cases are being actively progressed. A total of 6,452 individuals are benefitting from the scheme, which comprises of 3,573 adults and 2,879 children. A total of 144 cases were completed between January 2023 and end September 2023. The providers associated with those completed cases are broken down as follows.
|
MTR Provider |
Completed Cases January - September 2023 |
|
Home for Life |
122 |
|
iCare Housing |
18 |
|
Tuath Housing Association |
3 |
|
Respond Housing Association |
1 |
The Housing Agency publishes, on a quarterly basis, detailed statistical information on the operation of the MTR scheme including a breakdown of the number of cases by MTR provider. This information is available on the Housing Agency's website at the following link: www.housingagency.ie/housing-information/mortgage-rent-statistics.
398. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the derelict sites levies levied, collected, owed and cumulatively owed; and the number of sites on their register on 31 December 2022 and at current date, by local authority, for 2021 and 2022, in tabular form. [54848/23]
View answer399. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date for return of collection data for 2022 of the derelict sites levy. [54849/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 398 and 399 together.
Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 (the Act) in their functional areas. My Department issued Circular Letter PL 02/2023 on 15 March 2023 requesting the submission of returns on the operation of the Act in 2022 by 31 March 2023. In addition, my Department issued Circular Letter PL 10/2023 on 20 September 2023 requesting authorities to provide an updated data return in respect of 2022 by 6 October 2023.
The information requested in respect of 2021 and 2022 is provided in the attached tables. The figures for 2023 are not yet available.
400. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the latest data on the amounts levied, collected, owed and cumulatively owed; and the number of sites on each register for the vacant sites levy, by local authority, in tabular form. [54850/23]
View answerUnder the vacant site levy provisions contained in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the Act), planning authorities were empowered to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market valuation of relevant properties which were listed on local authority vacant site registers in 2018, which relevant owners were liable to pay in January 2019. The rate of the levy increased to 7% for sites listed on local authority vacant sites registers from 2019 onwards, which site owners became liable to pay in January of the following year.
My Department issued Circular Letter PL 03/2023 on 4 April 2023 requesting the submission of a progress report on the implementation and collection of the levy by each local authority. This information is provided in the attached Table.
It should be noted that under section 19 of the Act, unpaid levies due remain a charge on the land in question until they are paid. My Department will continue to engage with local authorities to ensure that all vacant site levies due are paid.
401. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable homes sold, by county, to date in 2023. [54851/23]
View answer403. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable homes delivered, by county, in 2023. [54853/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 403 together.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 54,000 affordable homes, including 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes, by 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.
Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked all local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority was asked to assess the level of new housing demand with affordability constraint projected for their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment Tool and plan their provision accordingly. A copy of each Council’s Housing Delivery Action Plan is available on their individual websites.
Local authorities now complete and submit data returns to my Department on delivery of affordable homes in their area in the same manner as is done for social housing. Statistical data on affordable housing delivery by tenure and by local authority area during 2022 and for Quarter 1 and 2 of 2023 is published on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
Individual scheme information has also been published in advertisements on local authority, Approved Housing Body and the LDA websites. Schemes being advertised are now also available in a single location on the Affordable Homes website, www.affordablehomes.ie.
Overall, a range of affordability schemes are now in place under the Affordable Housing Act 2021 that will increasingly provide a growing number of affordable options for eligible prospective homeowners and renters. Delivery is being facilitated and scaled-up nationwide by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency, and via the First Homes scheme.
402. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of cost-rental homes that people have moved into, by county, in 2023. [54852/23]
View answer404. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of cost-rental homes delivered, by county, in 2023. [54854/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 402 and 404 together.
Cost rental is a new form of tenure which was introduced under the Affordable Housing Act 2021, where rents are set only to cover the cost of financing, building, managing and maintaining the homes. Under various schemes, the State may provide a subvention to reduce the initial capital cost and make the starting cost rent more affordable. In return, the homes are designated as cost rental homes for a minimum of at least 40 years under the Act.
The very first Cost Rental homes in Ireland were delivered in late 2021 and since then over 770 new Cost Rental homes have been delivered by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and the Land Development Agency (LDA).
My Department provides financial support for cost rental homes through the Cost Rental Equity Loan for Approved Housing Bodies, the Affordable Housing Fund for Local Authorities and the Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental Investment Scheme for all other potential providers.
Data for affordable housing delivery is published on a quarterly basis, similar to social housing delivery. This data is available up to Quarter 2 2023 and is published available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
Local Authorities are in the process of systematically collating information on delivery of affordable purchase and Cost Rental homes in their administrative areas, including returns for AHBs and the LDA, for Quarter 3 2023. This data is currently being verified. I expect that my Department will be in a position to report confirmed Q3 2023 social, affordable purchase and cost rental housing delivery shortly.
405. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of houses delivered, by local authority and by AHBs respectively, by county, in tabular form. [54855/23]
View answer408. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of HAP properties purchased by local authorities in 2023, in tabular form. [54859/23]
View answer409. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall percentage of social housing delivered in 2023 under universal design principles. [54860/23]
View answer412. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date for publication of Q4 2023 housing delivery statistics. [54863/23]
View answer443. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new/additional social housing units provided, by county, in each of the past ten years; the number of persons accommodated in same, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55223/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 405, 408, 409, 412 and 443 together.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This includes delivery of Acquisitions. This data is available to the end of Q2 2023, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: gov.ie - Overall social and affordable housing provision (www.gov.ie)
My Department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 2 2023. All Construction Status Reports are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/
A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis of completions, locations, approvals stage etc at the link below: gov.ie - Social Housing Construction Projects Status Report Q2 2023 (www.gov.ie)
Data for Q3 2023 is currently being collated and will be published shortly.
Under Housing for All, each local authority was required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan. This Plan sets out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. In preparing the Plans, local authorities were required to include details of land available to deliver housing and details of land acquisition requirements. The Plans also include details of the locations and delivery streams for social housing schemes. The Plans have been published on local authority websites.
The Design Manual for Quality Housing, is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/b3e02-design-manual-for-quality-housing/ .The Manual includes internal layouts which meet the requirements of universal design homes as set out in the Universal Design Guidelines for Homes in Ireland. The policy document, the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022–2027, sets a requirement for local authorities in the delivery of social housing, to ensure that 50% of the new pipeline delivery being reserved for disabled people in each local authority is wheelchair liveable.
406. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the timeline for delivery of the North West Quarter Regeneration in Cork. [54856/23]
View answerThe detailed advancement of housing and other works under the Cork City North West Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) programme is a matter, in the first instance, for Cork City Council.
The CNWQR Masterplan & Implementation Report was published in 2011. The strategy outlined a departure from previous policy, with a proposal to carry out wholesale demolition of the housing stock in Knocknaheeny that has not been the subject of previous refurbishment works.
To date 76 units have been completed in phases 1B (29 units) and 2A (47 units) of this programme in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
A further 103 units are scheduled for completion in 2024, namely; Phase 1C (41 homes), Phase 2B (38 homes) and Phase 2C (24 units)
Phases 4A (43 units) and 3B (62 units) received Part 8 Planning approval in 2022 and are expected to complete in 2025.
Cork City Council have informed my Department that Phase 3 demolition works are substantially complete at Knocknaheeny Avenue and Harbour View Road, and Cork City Council is engaged in an ongoing decant of homeowners and tenants in Phases 3 and 4.
My Department awaits funding submissions and programme dates for the remaining phases.
The CNWQR programme runs until 2027, and it is envisaged that projects will be ongoing until this date.
407. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of successful right-sizing applications in 2023, by local authority, in tabular form. [54858/23]
View answerHousing supports and the oversight and practical management of housing waiting lists, including the application for, and allocation of, tenancies, is solely a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations. Whilst some local authorities operate rightsizing schemes, my Department does not hold information on the number of applicants who have applied to rightsize. The information sought may be available from the 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 sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum.
Housing for All commits to increasing the housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence, including the development of a policy on rightsizing. Work is being advanced in my Department to inform and progress the development of national policy on rightsizing.
410. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expected processing time from application submission to sale of house on affordable houses; or the target he is hoping to achieve. [54861/23]
View answerThe closing of the sale of each affordable home on its completion and delivery is a matter between parties to the transaction, who include the individual purchaser, their mortgage provider, and the relevant local authority, together with their respective legal representatives.
My Department has issued pro forma legal and conveyancing material to all local authorities, following engagement with key stakeholders including the Law Society, all participating banks, local authorities, the Property Registration Authority and others. Standardised arrangements and procedures in place in this way assist the efficient completion of the legal and conveyancing process as the Affordable Homes delivery programme is scaled up in line with the Housing for All commitment to deliver 54,000 affordable homes across a range of measures by 2030.
411. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he will publish figures on the numbers of people on social housing lists longer than seven, eight, nine, ten years, and so on, respectively, by local authority administrative area, based on SSHA figures provided by local authorities. [54862/23]
View answerDetails on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2022, is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-assessments/
Details on the length of time spent on the record of qualified households (waiting lists) can be found at tables 2.8 and A1.8 of the report. It does not provide a breakdown of the number of years beyond the category of more than 7 years.
The SSHA exercise for 2023 is currently under way and the summary is due to be published in 2024.
