Thursday, 24 Oct 2013

Written Answers Nos. 177-186

Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists

Ceisteanna (177, 178, 179)

Robert Dowds

Ceist:

177. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of families on the housing list in each of the local authorities (details supplied). [45364/13]

Robert Dowds

Ceist:

178. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of private rented accommodation units that are available in each of the local authorities (details supplied). [45365/13]

Robert Dowds

Ceist:

179. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which private landlords are excluding families on local authority housing lists from consideration for housing in each of the local authorities (details supplied). [45366/13]

Freagraí scríofa

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 to 179, inclusive, together.

My Department does not hold information on the number of households on local authority waiting lists as this figure fluctuates continuously as households on the list are allocated housing and new households apply for housing support.

In May 2013 under Section 21 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, all housing authorities were directed to provide a summary report of social housing assessments carried out in their areas and the data submitted by housing authorities are currently being analysed. A report on the assessment findings will be published by the Housing Agency in the near future. The report will provide an important insight into the level of need for social housing support across the country. As this is the first summary of housing assessments to be carried out under the 2009 Act, the results will not be directly comparable with previous statutory needs assessments.

Although my Department publishes a wide range of housing related statistics, it does not hold information on the number of private rented dwellings that are available to let. Information on registered tenancies by county and by Dublin postcode district is available from the Private Residential Tenancies Board at www.prtb.ie but again this does not address availability.

As regards the extent to which private landlords are excluding families on local authority housing lists from consideration for housing , my Department is not aware of any research or studies that have been conducted in this area.

Local Authority Housing Provision

Ceisteanna (180)

Robert Dowds

Ceist:

180. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on whether there is a growing housing crisis in the greater Dublin area especially for those on council housing lists; the extent of the problem and the way he will emerge from this problem. [45367/13]

Freagraí scríofa

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

I directed all housing authorities to prepare a summary of social housing assessments carried out in their areas as at 7 May 2013. The data submitted by housing authorities are currently being analysed and once verified will be collated and a report published by the Housing Agency. This information will provide an important insight into the level and type of need for social housing support across the country.

The current assessment is the first to be carried out since the commencement of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations on 1 April 2011, which introduced a standardised system for assessing applicants for social housing support, including revised basis of need criteria. The results will not therefore be directly comparable to the results of the last assessment carried out, as at 31 March 2011, which found that there were 98,318 households on local authority waiting lists. The full results of this assessment are available on my Department's website www.environ.ie and the Housing Agency's website www.housing.ie.

The Government's housing policy statement, published in June 2011, clearly identifies that the priority for Government will be to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support. I am determined to ensure that the social housing programme optimises the delivery of social housing and the return for the resources invested. To achieve this, it is essential that we tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing conditions and explore the full range of solutions to address housing needs.

Delivery of social housing continues to be significantly facilitated through more flexible funding models such as the Rental Accommodation Scheme and leasing, and the Government is also committed to developing other funding mechanisms to increase the supply of permanent new social housing. Such mechanisms include options to purchase, build to lease and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies for construction and acquisition. In addition, my Department and the Housing Agency are engaged with NAMA to ensure continued delivery of housing units for social purposes.

In spite of the current challenging circumstances, almost 70% of the budget for the Department will go directly to support housing in 2014 with an investment of over half a billion on a range of programmes. Meeting social housing need within the available resources will necessitate smarter and more innovative approaches in order to maximise output. In 2014, I will continue to focus the available resources towards the most vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors of the community.

Motor Tax Collection

Ceisteanna (181)

Terence Flanagan

Ceist:

181. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to review legislation regarding commercial vehicle tax (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45374/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The operation of the motor tax system is kept under regular review. The position for many years has been that in order to be taxed as a goods vehicle, a vehicle must be constructed or adapted for that purpose and must be used solely in the course of trade or business. Under section 2 of the Finance (Excise Duties) Vehicles Act 1952, if a vehicle is used in a manner that would attract motor tax at a higher rate, tax becomes payable at that rate. Accordingly , if a goods vehicle is used in a private capacity it must, like all other private vehicles, be taxed at the appropriate private rate of motor tax.

Seniors Alert Scheme Issues

Ceisteanna (182)

Brendan Griffin

Ceist:

182. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons with landlines connected to personal panic alarms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45378/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages and assists the community's support for older people by means of a community-based grant scheme to improve the security of people over 65 years of age. The Scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department.

The aim of the Seniors Alert Scheme is to support independent living for those over 65 who live alone or who live with a person who is also over 65 years of age and of limited means. A key element of the Scheme is the provision of funding for a socially monitored alarm which supports this independence. My Department has only approved applications for personal monitored alarms connected to a landline. From 2003 to date, in excess of 80,000 beneficiaries have received grants under the scheme.

Local Authority Funding

Ceisteanna (183)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

183. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown by county of the local government fund general purpose grant allocations and final draw-downs in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. [45400/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

General purpose grants are my Department's contribution towards meeting the cost to local authorities of providing a reasonable level of services to their customers.

The information requested is set out in the tables below which detail the total general purpose grant allocations and final general purpose grant payments from the Local Government Fund for all local authorities in each county. The allocations for 2010 and 2011 reflect income from pension related deductions which was collected and retained by local authorities.

Table 1 - General purpose grant allocations by County from the Local Government Fund 2010 to 2013

County	2010	2011	2012	2013
-	€	€	€	€
Carlow	13,052,513	11,659,271	9,865,448	9,826,750
Cavan	19,057,097	17,268,005	14,854,931	14,745,113
Clare	16,913,007	15,338,891	12,372,506	12,159,289
Cork	80,062,339	71,568,486	56,166,379	53,795,875
Donegal	41,482,713	38,610,158	32,869,501	32,667,843
Dublin	177,483,982	158,221,861	118,005,053	113,290,760
Galway	45,483,346	41,164,039	34,775,191	33,796,527
Kerry	31,155,831	28,201,886	23,073,286	22,238,923
Kildare	27,741,406	25,950,930	21,822,765	22,244,748
Kilkenny	21,101,616	19,087,909	16,379,600	16,309,147
Laois	16,823,589	15,143,352	13,189,788	13,070,064
Leitrim	14,489,435	13,479,217	11,809,261	11,952,743
Limerick	34,319,130	30,994,565	25,651,934	25,933,791
Longford	15,005,245	13,862,073	12,126,650	12,318,890
Louth	21,514,636	19,284,802	15,928,387	15,502,375
Mayo	38,527,684	35,138,739	30,415,727	30,134,270
Meath	28,946,385	26,950,195	22,864,713	22,472,343
Monaghan	17,469,505	16,104,582	14,022,824	13,983,408
Offaly	17,404,185	15,934,486	13,711,364	13,564,713
Roscommon	20,110,463	18,490,254	15,967,965	15,828,208
Sligo	19,283,451	17,894,726	15,659,616	15,584,848
Tipperary	48,545,024	44,157,076	38,229,570	37,971,172
Waterford	30,521,544	28,149,265	23,820,851	24,264,808
Westmeath	21,797,165	20,082,314	17,313,127	17,287,004
Wexford	25,060,333	23,081,588	19,708,352	19,217,103
Wicklow	26,648,377	24,181,327	20,395,212	19,839,289

Table 2 - General purpose grant payments by County from the Local Government Fund 2010 to 2013

County	2010	2011	2012	2013
-	€	€	€	€
Carlow	11,921,250	10,817,411	9,609,458	9,826,750
Cavan	17,655,857	15,988,124	14,450,581	14,745,113
Clare	14,473,283	12,902,124	12,336,865	12,159,289
Cork	66,552,694	61,095,683	54,956,413	53,963,353
Donegal	37,761,835	35,462,317	31,616,582	32,822,572
Dublin	140,534,617	128,137,487	116,233,737	113,375,580
Galway	41,023,771	37,242,344	34,026,884	33,796,527
Kerry	27,337,324	25,037,960	22,755,081	22,238,923
Kildare	24,628,985	23,372,951	21,328,091	22,244,748
Kilkenny	19,343,430	17,432,726	15,990,212	16,309,147
Laois	15,583,946	13,819,010	12,752,890	13,136,013
Leitrim	13,588,994	12,480,094	11,597,455	11,952,743
Limerick	30,352,884	27,240,686	25,098,628	25,933,791
Longford	13,852,495	12,993,934	11,808,277	12,318,890
Louth	19,243,211	17,284,945	15,616,952	15,548,027
Mayo	34,877,551	32,810,065	29,899,530	30,134,270
Meath	26,795,657	24,459,917	22,309,091	22,580,768
Monaghan	15,955,495	15,167,470	13,541,630	13,983,408
Offaly	16,119,274	14,497,447	13,345,006	13,686,361
Roscommon	18,508,006	17,051,277	15,521,073	15,828,208
Sligo	17,653,955	16,186,298	15,403,304	15,584,848
Tipperary	44,800,579	41,098,307	37,415,561	37,971,172
Waterford	27,321,845	25,615,689	23,264,415	24,264,808
Westmeath	20,206,571	18,717,046	16,936,827	17,287,004
Wexford	22,376,390	21,127,486	19,155,737	19,217,103
Wicklow	24,314,451	21,723,093	20,136,035	19,839,289

Local Authority Funding

Ceisteanna (184, 185, 186)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

184. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a county breakdown of the local government fund general purpose grant allocations in 2014. [45401/13]

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

185. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the mechanism that will be used to equalise revenue across local authority areas in 2014 following the full introduction of the property tax. [45402/13]

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

186. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the time frame for the introduction of variable property tax rates in local authorities; and when local authorities will retain 80% of revenue collected. [45403/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 to 186, inclusive, together.

The local government funding model will change considerably in 2014. Under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, commencing in 2014 the Minister for Finance will pay into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax paid into the Central Fund during that year; this revenue will be allocated to local authorities from the Fund. In addition, the establishment of Irish Water and its financial relationship with the local government sector will have a considerable impact on local authority financing.

The Government has indicated an intention to move to 80% retention of all Local Property Tax receipts within the local authority area where the Tax is raised. The establishment of Irish Water presents local government with significant organisational and financial challenges in 2014 and, in this context, it has been necessary to defer defining a certain proportion of the proceeds of the Local Property Tax to be retained in each local authority until 2015. This approach allows maximum flexibility in allocating Local Property Tax in 2014 with the priority to support those local authorities with weaker funding bases. The 2014 Local Government Fund General Purpose Grants will be announced in due course.

Under section 20 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, a local authority may, as a reserved function , resolve to vary the rate of the Local Property Tax within its functional area by a maximum of +/-15%. This power will be available to local authorities effective from 2015, as the relevant sections of the Act will come into operation on 1 July 2014.

Section 20 of the Act requires that, in varying the rate, a local authority must take account of its financial position, its income and expenditure , and of the financial effect of the varied rate on the economy of its functional area, including on those persons who will be liable to pay the Local Property Tax. Section 20 also provides that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government may make regulations, including in respect of public consultation requirements prior to the variation of the rate of the Tax. I will give consideration to the making of such regulations in advance of the coming into operation of section 20 of the 2012 Act.

I expect the Local Property Tax to have multiple benefits, including a more sustainable and resilient system of funding for local authorities and therefore a sounder financial footing for the provision of essential local services; greater local scope for financial decision-making concerning service provision - in particular, the inclusion of the local variation mechanism from 2015 will further increase the autonomy of local authorities; and a strengthening of democracy at local level with a more active relationship between local authorities and local electorates. A stronger democratic relationship and clearer lines of accountability can only have a beneficial impact on service provision from the perspective of the service user.