Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:267. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will comment on a recent report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3627/24]
View answerDefective Building Materials
Questions (267)
Written answers
My Department has received a copy of the draft report referred to. I will give consideration to the recommendations contained in the final report when it is received.
Defective Building Materials
Questions (268)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:268. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for delay with granting the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant to homeowners in Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3628/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act), which contains the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme commenced on 22 June 2023 and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.
The Enhanced Grant Scheme provided for the extension of the scheme to include dwellings damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks in its construction, in the administrative areas of Clare County Council and Limerick City and County Council.
The 2022 Act sets out the roles of both local authorities and the Housing Agency.
Local authorities have responsibility for the administration of the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme. This includes the initial validation of applications, notifying homeowners of the Housing Agency's determinations on damage threshold, the appropriate remediation option and grant amount, determination of the grant payable for alternative accommodation and storage costs and immediate repair works and the subsequent payment of grants to successful applicants.
The Housing Agency act as technical agents on behalf of the local authorities under the Enhanced Grant Scheme. Applications received by a local authority are referred to the Housing Agency to review the 'Building Condition Assessment Report' and determine if the home has met the 'damage threshold' for entry to the scheme. Once a home has met the damage threshold for entry to the scheme, the Housing Agency engage its Framework Chartered Engineers to undertake the assessment, survey, sampling, testing and categorisation of the dwelling thereafter on a priority basis in accordance with the national standard I.S. 465:2018 and thereafter determine the appropriate remediation option and grant amount.
In order to comply with the 2022 Act certain steps and procedures must be adhered to and I am assured that both Clare County Council and the Housing Agency are progressing applications to the scheme efficiently. If there are any specific cases queries should be addressed in the first instance to Clare County Council as administrators of the scheme.
Defective Building Materials
Questions (269, 270)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:269. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the additional resources he has provided to the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, if any, to assist Clare homeowners affected by pyrite; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3629/24]
View answerViolet-Anne Wynne
Question:270. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full complement of staff and percentage of staff vacancies at the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3630/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 270 together.
The design and construction of buildings is regulated under the Building Control Acts 1990-2020. The Acts provide for the making of Building Regulations, Building Control Regulations and designates local authorities as building control authorities. The 31 local building control authorities have extensive powers of inspection and enforcement under the Building Control Acts and are independent in the use of their statutory powers.
The National Building Control & Market Surveillance Office (NBCMSO) provides centralised oversight, support and direction for the development, standardisation and implementation of Building Control, across the 31 local authorities, as an effective shared service through the five pillars of training, inspections, compliance support, IT enabler - Building Control Management System (BCMS) and Market Surveillance.
The NBCMSO is under the remit of Dublin City Council (DCC) as the Lead Authority, and its staff are direct employees of DCC. 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 they are responsible.
My Department works closely the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and Dublin City Council to ensure that the NBCMSO is properly positioned and supported to provide an optimal shared service to the local authorities. In this context, a new governance structure has been established within County and City Management Association (CCMA) to provide a formal mechanism for reviewing the delivery of Building Control and Market Surveillance functions in local authorities. This includes the establishment of a National Steering Group, which met for the first time this month. The National Steering Group, of which my Department is a member, will be responsible for the agreement of the work programme, ensuring the availability of adequate resources and funding, and monitoring/reporting on progress and budgets etc.
Separately, the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant Scheme, as legislated for by the Oireachtas, is now up and running and will see significant investment by the State in addressing defects in houses in affected counties.
Question No. 270 answered with Question No. 269.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (271)
Catherine Murphy
Question:271. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is any social protection support that provides for a door-to-door taxi service in respect of hospital appointments for persons that cannot use other forms of public transport due to ill health (details supplied). [3426/24]
View answerWritten answers
Supports from my Department are not intended to cover circumstances where another Government Department or Agency has the primary responsibility. The responsibility for the provision of assistance to those who require transport to hospital appointments rests with the Health Service Executive (HSE). If the person concerned has exhausted all other options and can provide evidence from the HSE that they are unable to provide assistance with transportation and that there is no financial assistance available from another source, including a Government Department or Agency, they can apply for assistance under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. Under the SWA scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANPs) to help meet expenses that an eligible person cannot pay from their weekly income. An ANP is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional and Urgent needs payments, and certain Supplements available to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary. Payments are made at the discretion of the Designated Persons administering the scheme considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (272)
Denise Mitchell
Question:272. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection if any consideration has been given to increasing the income threshold for means testing qualified adult payment applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3429/24]
View answerWritten answers
Means test rules in my Department are kept under regular review and I have introduced a number of significant changes in recent years including:
• Providing for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, their income from work to the level of the income disregard, is not assessed in the means test.
• Expanding the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, and as part of Budget 2023 I increased this disregard.
• The introduction of a Rent a Room disregard for all Social Protection schemes in 2022. This enables recipients to support those arriving from Ukraine, and others, in a tight housing market. Last year, I extended that provision for a further two years.
• In 2023, I introduced significant changes to eligibility rules for Fuel Allowance, including a new means threshold for people aged 70 years and over - €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. These changes resulted in over 35,000 additional households joining the scheme so far.
• I significantly increased the income and capital disregards for Carer's Allowance. This enables more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for the scheme and allows carers and their families to earn more from employment while retaining their carer’s payment. As part of Budget 2024, I further increased the Carer's Allowance disregard to €450 for a single person, and €900 for carers with a spouse/partner from June.
I have committed to a carrying out a broad review of means testing which will include consideration of means test provisions including thresholds for for entitlement to a qualified adult payment for Social Insurance schemes.
This review is ongoing and I hope to complete it by the end of Quarter 1 this year.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (273)
Colm Burke
Question:273. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); when a decision is likely to be received, as this has been pending for some time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3436/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned was notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision on 19th January 2024.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (274)
Colm Burke
Question:274. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); when a decision is likely to be received, as this has been pending for some time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3437/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on the 4th October 2023. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought.
These papers were received on 24th October 2023 and the case was assigned to an Appeals Officer on 2nd November 2023, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral appeal hearing.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.