Thursday, 27 Sep 2012

Written Answers Nos. 117-124

Local Authority Staff

Ceisteanna (117)

Joan Collins

Ceist:

117. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, a list of the city and county managers who have retired since 1996 to the end of February 2012; the local authority from which they retired; their age on retirement; the number of added years they received on retirement; the amount of the special severance gratuity payment received on retirement; the lump sum received and annual pension payment. [41039/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The information requested is outlined in the following table. In accordance with the Government decision in respect of Secretaries General, which also applies to city and county managers, my Department has amended the regulations in respect of the superannuation benefits of city and county managers. Newly appointed city and county managers, unless they have already reached pension age, will no longer benefit from immediate payment of pension and lump sum before they reach their preserved pension age; nor will they benefit from notional added years for pension purposes. These are significant changes compared to the exit terms that applied to those previously appointed.

Local Authority Manager for:	Retirement Date	Age on Retirement	Added Years	Annual Pension	Lump Sum Payment	Special Severance Gratuity Payments.
Tipperary South	29/03/1995	65	Nil	£22,787.00 Punts	£63,331.63 Punts	Nil
Waterford City	24/11/1995	65	Nil	£23,406.00 Punts	£64,084.97 Punts	Nil
Dublin City	13/05/1996	65	Nil	£35,109.50 Punts	£97,900.36 Punts	Nil
Limerick Co. Council	06/07/1996	65	Nil	£25,539.50 Punts	£71,293.25 Punts	Nil
Sligo	03/06/1996	61	3.1973 Years	£23,757.00 Punts	£65,180.78 Punts	Nil
Fingal	26/09/1996	64	Nil	£27,321.50 Punts	£75,263.63 Punts	£27,321.50 Punts
Offaly	04/10/1996	63	1.759 Years	£24,113.50 Punts	£66,436.98 Punts	Nil
Kerry	06/02/1997	64	Nil	£26,181.50 Punts	£72,314.04 Punts	£4,014.14 Punts
Cork Co. Council.	13/04/1998	61	Nil	£30,580.50 Punts	£85,186.39 Punts	£30,580.50 Punts
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown	27/09/1998	51	10 Years	£27,840.26 Punts	£77,297.59 Punts	£31,116.00 Punts
Westmeath	30/06/1998	65	Nil	£29,086.50 Punts	£81,148.95 Punts	Nil
Carlow	28/08/1998	64	Nil	£27,057.00 Punts	£75,574.31 Punts	Nil
Tipperary North	05/08/1999	65	Nil	£28,012.50 Punts	£82,691.33 Punts	Nil
Leitrim	02/01/2000	63	Nil	£28,012.50 Punts	£78,998.28 Punts	£28,012.50 Punts
Wicklow	02/02/2000	65	Nil	£30,113.50 Punts	£84,974.52 Punts	Nil
Cork Corporation	01/05/2000	64	Nil	£32,536.00 Punts	£91,967.23 Punts	£32,536.00 Punts
Monaghan	17/10/2000	65	Nil	£31,341.50 Punts	£96,469.55 Punts	Nil
Limerick Co. Council	11/05/2001	57	1.5260 Years	£36,002.00 Punts	£108,211.15 Punts	Nil
South Dublin	01/01/2002	64	Nil	€52,729.68	€161,600.19	€52,729.68
Clare	05/02/2002	59	0.1479 Years	€49,150.93	€143,437.87	€49,150.93
Kilkenny	30/04/2002	64	Nil	€50,074.00	€143,540.93	Nil
Louth	18/05/2003	65	Nil	€52,077.00	€150,375.57	Nil
Cavan	03/05/2003	61	5.663 Years	Nil (Died in Service)	€138,943.13 (Death Gratuity)	Nil
Wexford	31/08/2003	64	Nil	€52,077.00	€150,649.56	€52,077.00
Galway	04/04/2004	62	Nil	€53,639.50	€160,918.50	€53,639.50
Kerry	13/04/2004	55	8.0082 Years	€53,639.50	€152,327.38	€53,639.50
Waterford Co. Council	17/07/2004	62	Nil	€49,575.50	€144,306.84	€49,575.50
Fingal	12/09/2004	65	Nil	€58,856.00	€171,488.61	Nil
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown	27/09/2005	53	5.8822 Years	€63,218.50	€181,660.51	€63,218.50
Longford	04/10/2005	65	Nil	€54,315.00	€171,367.50	Nil
Westmeath	03/01/2006	53	10 Years	€51,069.81	€141,279.53	€59,649.50
Dublin City Council	17/06/2006	60	8.7672 Years	€85,214.50	€255,643.50	€85,214.50
Cork Co. Council	18/12/2006	63	Nil	€76,124.50	€225,274.32	€76,124.50
Kildare	25/12/2006	63	Nil	€65,251.50	€193,123.04	€65,251.50
Offaly	13/01/2007	59	5.3507 Years	€60,307.00	€172,405.29	€60,307.00
Roscommon	14/01/2009	60	3.7698 Years	€68,290.50	€198,874.52	€68,290.50
Clare	01/04/2009	55	9.8862 Years	€73,422.50	€205,770.23	€73,422.50
Mayo	30/11/2009	63	Nil	€73,422.50	€220,267.50	Nil
North Tipperary	30/04/2010	61	Nil	€68,290.50	€204,871.50	€68,290.50
Donegal	07/07/2010	65	Nil	€73,422.50	€220,249.72	Nil
Cork City Council	31/08/2010	63	Nil	€78,983.50	€236,950.50	€78,983.50
Monaghan	30/11/2010	58	1.6658 Years	€68,290.50	€201,735.74	€68,290.50
South Tipperary Co. Council	28/04/2011	65	Nil	€73,422.50	€220,267.50	Nil
Waterford Co. Council	19/09/2011	53	8.3754 Years	€63,335.64	€189,664.16	€66,255.50
Limerick City Council	28/02/2012	58	8.9945 Years	€73,422.50	€202,541.55	€91,222.50

Negative Equity Mortgages Numbers

Ceisteanna (118, 119)

Dessie Ellis

Ceist:

118. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the measures he will implement to help those who are in negative equity on shared ownership mortgages for properties which are no longer suitable to their family needs (details supplied). [41055/12]

Dessie Ellis

Ceist:

119. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his plans to help those who because of the low level of repayment and increasing rent levels want to buy out their shared ownership mortgage to get credit either from local authorities or other bodies or funds. [41056/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 119 together.

Under the Shared Ownership scheme the rent charged on the local authority’s equity in a shared ownership transaction is to cover the funding costs to the Housing Finance Agency which are based on borrowings at the prevailing interest rates. Any difference between the rent and prevailing interest rate is reflected in the capital outstanding on the property, i.e. if the rent charged in any period is greater than the prevailing mortgage interest due on the local authority’s share the purchase price of the outstanding equity will be reduced accordingly. Local authority mortgage holders – including those who purchased under shared ownership – also benefit from extremely keenly priced interest rates which currently stand at around 1.5% below average variable rates available in the market. This is a very substantial differential.

To take account of the current housing market conditions, the Government's housing policy statement, published in June 2011, announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme, in the context of a full review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. That review is now underway and it is expected to conclude later in the year. Any future changes to legislation governing affordable housing schemes, including shared ownership, will be informed by that review.

Septic Tank Registration Scheme

Ceisteanna (120)

Niall Collins

Ceist:

120. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government when receipts will issue to persons who have registered their septic tanks by post; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41070/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

In June 2012 I made regulations setting out the procedures for householders to register details of their septic tanks and other wastewater treatment systems with their local authorities. The Local Government Management Agency has developed, on a shared service basis for the 34 county and city councils, an on-line registration facility and the Agency is also tasked with managing a central bureau to process registration applications and associated fees. There is a backlog of applications submitted by post which the Agency will process over the coming weeks. Certificates of Registration will be issued as each application is processed.

Flood Relief Schemes Applications

Ceisteanna (121)

Jim Daly

Ceist:

121. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the progress made to date with the Department of Finance in relation to the establishment of an emergency fund for businesses (details supplied) that were affected by recent flooding that have no flood insurance cover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41075/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

As lead Government Department for the coordination of the emergency response to the Cork flooding of 28 June 2012, I briefed Government at its meeting of 24 July 2012 on the event, the response and issues arising. The Government noted, inter alia, the requests for a possible compensation scheme for businesses affected by the flooding and agreed that the feasibility and scope of such a scheme would need to be considered fully by the relevant Departments. To assist this, my Department asked the Cork County and City Councils to gather information on the extent of the financial impact on affected businesses. This was completed in August and my Department passed the results of these surveys to the relevant Government Departments . This matter remains under consideration with the Departments concerned.

Local Authority Housing Mortgages

Ceisteanna (122)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

122. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the arrangements in place to cut mortgage rates for persons who purchased their homes with local authority loans; the time frame in which the rate cuts are passed on to the local authorities; the guidance that is given to local authorities regarding the timing for passing on such rate cuts;his plans to change the policy in relation to same in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41085/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Interest rates charged to local authority borrowers are determined by the Board of the Housing Finance Agency (HFA). In determining these rates, the Board of the Agency gives careful consideration to the fluctuating relationship between the rates at which it can borrow and its lending rates. The HFA is required to operate on a break-even basis and continues to provide extremely good value to local authority customers. The rates available to local authority borrowers have traditionally been O.5% lower than the best available rates in the market. However, that differential now stands at approximately 1.5%.

The Board of the HFA decided last week to further reduce rates charged to local authorities by 0.3%. Guidance issued by my Department to local authorities following the Board's decision outlined the details of a new Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process to assist those local authority mortgage holders who are in distress in the same way as is available to those with commercial mortgages that are in a similar position. Funds to provide a financial framework within which the cost of this initiative can be met by local authorities will be generated by the savings accruing to local authorities from the HFA's rate reduction.

Housing Adaptation Grant Applications

Ceisteanna (123)

Joanna Tuffy

Ceist:

123. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the position of local authorities regarding the provision of central heating when none existed previously to assist older persons under the terms of the housing aid for older person's scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41108/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

My Department’s involvement with the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. The grant schemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.

The Grant Schemes provide a range of grants for necessary improvement works or adaptations to houses, including the provision of appropriate heating systems, in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. The schemes are administered by Local Authorities and it is a matter for each local authority to determine the extent of the grant-eligible works and the amount of grant aid to be paid in individual cases.

Local and Community Development Programme Project Funding

Ceisteanna (124)

Brendan Griffin

Ceist:

124. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the measures he is taking to reduce the administrative costs of local development companies; if he will provide the most up to date comparative data available in relation to administrative costs in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41109/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

My Department does not have a role in setting the overall administration costs of Local Development Companies, as these are independent, private limited companies. There are 51 companies nationally contracted through Pobal to deliver the Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP), on behalf of my Department and 35 Companies contracted to deliver the Rural Development Programme (RDP). It should be noted that the administrative arrangements for each of these programmes are different reflecting the fact that one is grant based (RDP) and the other (LCDP) is service based.

There is an onus on all Local Development Companies to strive to improve service delivery and at a significantly reduced cost to the public purse. One step to achieving this is the reduction in the administrative costs charged against the Local and Community Development Programme. There is currently a cap of 33% in Local Development Companies on the level of funding allocated towards the Local and Community Development Programme administration costs.  It is proposed ultimately to cap the level of administration costs at 25% of the overall Local and Community Development Programme allocation.  The cap is being introduced on a phased basis over the period 2012 – 2014.

My Department has asked Local Development Companies to consider reducing the costs associated with the running of outreach offices and main offices. To achieve this, the Department has asked the companies to approach their respective Local Authorities to discuss the possibility of providing some assistance in identifying suitable low cost, or no-cost, facilities which might be used by them as a service delivery base within disadvantaged communities.

In light of, inter alia, the fiscal imperative to reduce programme budgets significantly in 2013 and 2014, my Department has also requested Local Development Companies to consider further options to achieve cost savings, including the non-filling of any management team/non front-line vacancies which occur within the companies for the foreseeable future. My Department has also requested companies not to award any salary increases to staff and to ensure that administration costs, operating costs and overheads are kept to a minimum at all times.

The Local and Community Development Programme budget of Local Development Companies is defined in a manner which clearly differentiates overhead from programme costs and all returns are scrutinised by Pobal to ensure that all savings reported are accurate.

There are 35 Local Development Companies also contracted by my Department to deliver Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP). Since the Programme commenced in 2009 the running cost element has registered expenditure of over €48 million.   The running costs for the delivery of these elements of the RDP are capped at 20% of the total expenditure over the lifetime of the programme.  The table below shows the Administration expenditure per year since the Programme began in 2009 to date.

RDP Administration expenditure

2009 to Date	Administration Expenditure
2009	€12,542,386.22
2010	€13,745,043.36
2011	€12,009,671.00
2012	€10,553,961.60
Total	€48,851,062.18