Written Answers Nos. 244-254
244. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a temporary increase in HAP payments is available to a person (details supplied) to prevent the tenant going into homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11226/24]
View answerA key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned.
Local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that tenancies are sustainable and are advised not to provide HAP support to tenancies where the household would not be in a position to meet the rental costs being sought.
Since July 2022, each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit, and for new tenancies to extend the couple's rate to single persons households.
Discretion can be increased up to 50% above the prescribed maximum rent limits for Homeless HAP tenancies in Dublin. It is a matter for the local authority to determine, on a case by case basis, whether, and to what extent, the application of the flexibility is warranted.
All households in receipt of HAP pay a differential rent based on the rent scheme set by the relevant local authority. The right of local authorities to set and collect rents on their dwellings is set out in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such schemes is an executive function and is subject to broad principles laid down by my Department including that; the rent payable should be related to income and a smaller proportion of income should be required from low income households; and that provision should be included for the acceptance of a lower rent than that required under the terms of the scheme in exceptional cases where payment of the normal rent would give rise to hardship.
Where a person has a change of circumstances, such as a loss or increase of income, they should notify the relevant local authority. The local authority can reassess those tenants and adjust their differential rent accordingly.
The day-to-day operation of the HAP scheme is a matter for the relevant local authority and I am precluded by legislation from becoming involved in individual cases.
245. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the current housing crisis and the prevalence of vacant and derelict properties in our country, if he would consider the introduction of a staged payment system for the Croí Cónaithe scheme to make it more accessible to potential homeowners and contribute significantly to addressing the issue of vacancy and dereliction; and if the matter will be taken into consideration during the review of the current scheme. [11236/24]
View answerPathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. 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.
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.
The grant is paid when works are completed, following a final inspection by the local authority. Payment of the grant at the end of the process is to ensure that the applicant has carried out the works applied for, and approved, and to safeguard that the grant is related to the works which have been completed.
Since the launch of the Grant some 6,850 applications have been received, 3,890 approval decisions made and grants are now being paid out as works are completed.
When the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund was launched, a commitment was given that a comprehensive review and evaluation of the schemes under it, including the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, would be undertaken by mid 2024. That review is currently underway.
On 14 November 2023, Government agreed to the proposal to expand the Local Authority Home Loan to enable the purchase and/or renovation of non-habitable properties. Applicants who are eligible for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant may be able to avail of financing under the Local Authority Home Loan to renovate their property and bring it back into Residential use.
My Department, working closely with local authorities and other stakeholders, is currently finalising the extension of the Local Authority Home Loan which is due to be implemented by Quarter 2 of this year.
These measures are evidence of the Government’s continued focus on bringing vacant and derelict homes back into use, which is a major objective of Housing for All.
246. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 326 of 30 January 2024, if a person can avail of the vacant home refurbishment scheme for works not yet commenced on the property before the local authority carries out an inspection (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11241/24]
View answerPathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. 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.
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.
An applicant who meets all of the eligibility and qualifying criteria can avail of the grant for works not yet commenced on the property. As part of the assessment of the grant application, the local authority carries out a site visit to inspect the works being applied for under the grant. A decision on the application, by the relevant local authority, is made following the site visit.
Works that have already commenced on the property, prior to application and an approval decision, cannot be claimed for as part of the grant, but proposed works not yet started can be included on the grant application.
247. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he will take to review the tenant-in-situ scheme, particularly in Fingal County Council (details supplied). [11259/24]
View answer248. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what oversight the tenant-in-situ scheme has in place; in addition, if the tenant-in-situ scheme overseen by local authorities, under the "delegate sanction", includes an appeals process; and if he will provide a breakdown of which local authorities offer an appeals process. [11260/24]
View answer249. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the "delegate sanction" to local authorities under the tenant-in-situ scheme permits local authorities to purchase properties requiring repairs. [11261/24]
View answer250. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will inquire as to the reasons properties are not being acquired under the tenant-in-situ scheme due to repairs or similar reasons, while they were deemed appropriate for occupancy with council inspections and HAP payments. [11262/24]
View answer251. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if an application by persons (details supplied) will be reconsidered. [11263/24]
View answer252. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the consideration of mental health impacts on children and families in the tenant-in-situ scheme, including assessing the potential impacts of homelessness and emergency accommodation on mental health; the effects of uprooting children from their lives, schools and friends to enter precarious living conditions, when they consider "value for money"; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11264/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 247, 248, 249, 250, 251 and 252 together.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
Social Housing is delivered through a range of local authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) delivery programmes across the build acquisition and lease delivery streams.
For 2023, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department provided funding local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions have primarily focused on properties where a tenant is in receipt of social housing supports and has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord's intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter in March 2023, setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2023.
For 2024, Government has again agreed to an increased provision to acquire 1,500 social homes with the primary focus on properties where a tenant is in receipt of social housing supports and has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord's intention to sell the property.
Local authorities have delegated sanction in relation to these acquisitions, subject to those acquisitions being within Acquisition Cost Guidelines (ACGs) issued by the Department. Local authorities regularly acquire properties that require repairs, however the cost of acquiring the property and relevant refurbishment costs must fall with in the ACGs. An independent valuation must also be obtained for each acquisition, in line with established practice for local authorities for social housing acquisitions. The current Acquisition Cost Guidelines were updated and issued to local authorities in April 2023. These guidelines are reviewed and updated as appropriate by my Department usually on an periodic basis.
Local authorities will work with all social housing supported tenants who receive a Notice of Termination and offer the available supports, which may include a tenant in situ acquisition or support to obtain an alternative tenancy, including a HAP-supported tenancy or an allocation to local authority stock.
It is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy. The time required to complete a social housing acquisition can vary, depending on the circumstances involved. Individual property purchases can be delayed for various reasons such as the owner not having full legal title, various planning issues, outstanding property taxes, general contractual conditions of sale not in place etc. The process is also reliant on timely progress from the vendor's legal and sales agents, so timeframes vary from purchase to purchase. My Department does not hold data on the number of social housing acquisitions applications that have been withdrawn or rejected, nor does it hold data on the timelines for such acquisitions. This information, and the details for requesting a review on decisions made, may be available from individual local authorities.
Local authorities take appropriate steps to ensure that their first response will be to support households to try to prevent homelessness in cases where tenants have been served with a notice of termination by their landlord. It is important to acknowledge that the Tenant in Situ scheme has been a key measure in preventing homelessness and as such has mitigated such impacts for many households in 2023.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority, including completed acquisitions. From 2023, this data includes a breakdown of acquisitions completed by each local authority where a Notice of Termination issued to a tenant and is available, for all local authorities, to the end of Quarter 3 2023 on the statistics page of my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
253. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the contradictory stances between local authorities such as SDCC and the guidance from his Department and the Ombudsman (details supplied), if he will clarify the intended use and eligibility criteria of the housing adaptation grant for people with disabilities, especially regarding structural modifications like sensory rooms. [11272/24]
View answer254. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to ensure that local authorities are aligned with the national and his Department's guidelines and interpretations of the housing adaptation grant to prevent discrepancies and confusion among applicants without referring this matter back as a decision for local authorities. [11279/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 253 and 254 together.
My Department provides funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or overcrowded situations. Extensions to provide for ground floor bathrooms and bedrooms can also be supported.
This programme also provides capital funding to Local Authorities for Improvement Works in Lieu of local authority housing (IWILs) to enable them to repair, improve or extend privately owned houses that are occupied or will be occupied by approved housing applicants as an alternative to the provision of local authority housing. The scheme may also be used to improve private houses intended for occupation by a person surrendering a local authority house.
The Disabled Persons Grant funding may be considered for the provision of infrastructural and safety related adaptations to create appropriate space for applicants with specific sensory needs. Applications of this nature should be supported by a multidisciplinary assessment of the applicant by specialist healthcare professionals. This should outline who will be responsible for therapy services and/or the provision and upkeep of sensory related equipment. My Department does not fund the provision of sensory equipment.
The detailed administration of this scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation of applications is the responsibility of Local Authorities.
