Written Answers Nos. 192-201
194. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can confirm that a large percentage of houses in the Belcamp housing development were purchased by an overseas investor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2115/24]
View answerMy Department doesn't track the purchase of houses by individual or institutional purchasers, whether domestic or from overseas.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) captures and publishes data on house purchases by household and non-household buyers, including by institutional investors.
The data can be accessed via tables HPA02 and HPA12 on the CSO website data.cso.ie/
195. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant property refurbishment grant applications that were made nationwide in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2117/24]
View answer196. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant property refurbishment grant applications that were made to Fingal County Council in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2118/24]
View answer197. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant property refurbishment grant applications that were successful nationwide in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2119/24]
View answer198. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant property refurbishment grant applications made to Fingal County Council that were successful in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2120/24]
View answer212. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant and derelict home refurbishment grants drawn in 2023 and the average value of the grants drawn down. [2227/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 195, 196, 197, 198 and 212 together.
Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.
In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use.
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 or where 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.
The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.
My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed at the following link: Vacancy grant statistics
199. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of commencement notices that have been accepted by Fingal County Council in quarter 4 of 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2121/24]
View answerData on the commencement of residential dwellings, at local authority level, are published monthly on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts/
The data show 686 commencement notices for new homes were received in Fingal County Council in October and November 2023, the second highest for this period since records began in 2014.
Commencement data for December are due to be published in the coming days.
200. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applicants on Fingal County Council's social housing list who were housed in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2122/24]
View answerThe information requested is not held by my Department. The data may be sought from the local authority directly.
The oversight and practical management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is solely a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations.
201. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the outcome of discussions between Meath Fire Service and Dublin Fire Brigade to address how fire cover and the provision of emergency services can be improved for boarder communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2124/24]
View answerThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding support for equipment and priority infrastructural projects.
The prioritisation of work and effective management of all resources is, in the first instance, a matter for the management in each of the fire services, based on their assessment of local needs and requirements. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act, 2001 it is the responsibility of each Chief Executive to employ such staff and to make such staffing, funding, recruitment and organisational arrangements as may be deemed necessary for the purposes of carrying out the functions of their local authority.
The provision of fire services by local authorities is based on a statutory risk management approach which involves an analysis of the nature of the fire hazards and the incidence and extent of fires which occur, as well as the fire protection measures in place. Fire Service resources are deployed based on Pre-Determined Attendance (PDA). Those are the instructions of a Chief Fire Officer to the relevant Regional Communications Centre (RCC) for an initial fire service response to an emergency call for assistance.
Fire authorities cooperate with each other as and when required, and on a regular basis, on a number of matters. For example, they are enabled by the Fire Services Act, 1981 and 2003 to assist each other and provide support on a ‘mutual-assistance’ basis, and this is the expected norm for Fire Services.
Any decisions in relation to operational matters within fire services, including any agreements on changes or improvement of working arrangements with other agencies or authorities are determined by the Fire Service management of the relevant fire authorities.
