Written Answers Nos. 235-47
235. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department and-or the Higher Education Authority have any plans to facilitate the expansion of student accommodation for students attending higher education institutions, prior to the academic term 2016, in view of the significant rental increases that have taken place in the private rental market in the recent period. [25499/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HEA are currently working on a draft report on student accommodation which will give us an up to date picture of the situation.
As I have already stated, some institutions provide a range of accommodation, and all colleges have an obligation to work with students' unions and other groups, to provide students with details on accommodation options.
Initiatives such as USI's 'Homes for Study' are of help to students and list suitable accommodation available to rent across Ireland.
I will continue to work with stakeholders to explore ways to increase availability of accommodation where needed.
In the longer term, the Government is committed to addressing the housing shortage through the Construction 2020 strategy. This will not resolve all of our problems immediately, but I am confident that the implementation of Construction 2020 will create the conditions necessary to ensure the delivery of social and economic infrastructure that will allow people, including students to live and work in a built environment that is user friendly, safe, secure and sustainable.
236. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of an additional 500 places on the MOMENTUM programme. [25532/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been informed by SOLAS, that manages the MOMENTUM Programme, that based on the average contract value of places in the last round of the programme, the contract value for 500 places would be approximately €1.5 million. MOMENTUM is a performance based contract where contractors have to achieve a series of milestones to release payments. In view of this, the full contract value is generally not realised and the expected spend on 500 places would be closer to €1 million.
It should be noted that the cost of places would vary due to a range of factors, including the subject area covered.
237. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a primary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25537/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe major school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning. The Design Team and Boards of Management were authorised in April 2015 to proceed to complete Stage 2B - Detailed Design Stage, which includes the application for statutory approvals (including Planning Permission) and the preparation of tender documents.
Until Planning Permission and the other statutory approvals have been secured it will not be possible to give a definitive date for the commencement of the construction stage.
This project is included on the current five year construction programme to proceed to Tender and Construction and will be progressed as quickly as possible to that stage by the Design Team.
238. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she plans to carry out a review of the Caranua scheme; the format of that review; the likely timeframe for its completion, in view of the large number of survivors who have raised their concerns regarding their wish to have their children included as beneficiaries of the scheme. [25569/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraEligibility for assistance from Caranua is confined to those who received awards from the Redress Board or equivalent Court awards or settlements. This approach was taken having regard to the maximum funds available of €110 million and a potential pool of some 15,000 applicants. I intend to consider the question of a review of the arrangements relating to eligibility later this year by which time a clearer picture should have emerged regarding the uptake of the funding available.
239. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the apprenticeship of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny was terminated; if she will investigate the fact that the person was informed that the results of the examination could have been altered to allow them to complete the apprenticeship; if she will now conduct a review of this case, and offer the person a direct meeting with SOLAS to resolve matters, as arising from the termination the person lost a placement with an employer; and if she will expedite a positive response. [25590/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is an operational matter for SOLAS who manage the Apprenticeship System.
I understand from SOLAS that apprentices who do not successfully complete modular assessments on their first attempt are entitled to two repeat assessments. A modular assessment may therefore be taken up to three times.
Apprentices who fail a modular assessment for a third time will be deemed to have their apprenticeship automatically terminated in accordance with the 1997 Apprenticeship Rules, made under the Labour Services Act 1987.
Apprentices are afforded the opportunity to appeal for a fourth and final attempt. I understand that the individual in question made an application in October 2014 to the Apprenticeship Appeals Committee seeking approval to sit a fourth and final attempt. The Apprenticeship Appeals Committee granted him approval to sit a fourth and final attempt.
He sat the assessment in Carlow IT on the 10th December 2014. Unfortunately, he did not pass the assessment and Carlow IT is satisfied that the assessment was conducted in accordance with the Carlow IT assessment regulations and quality assurance requirements.
I am informed that he subsequently made an application in March 2015 to the Apprenticeship Appeals Committee appealing the fourth attempt assessment result. The Apprenticeship Appeals Committee rejected this most recent appeal.
240. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for the allocation of a site for the building of a school (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25591/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials from my Department are currently working closely with officials from Galway County Council in relation to the acquisition of suitable sites to facilitate the provision of a number of school building projects in the area referred to by the Deputy. This acquisition process continues to be progressed. The provision of permanent school accommodation for the schools referred to by the Deputy will be progressed into the architectural planning process once the site issues are resolved.
241. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a matter regarding the development of a weather station (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25464/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe siting and operation of weather stations is guided by meteorological and climatological requirements. It should be noted that there are already 41 climatological stations located in Co. Kerry. Of these, 36 are rainfall stations, 3 of which are located close to Dingle at Ventry, Ballydavid and Cloghane. The remaining 5 stations in Kerry also record temperature. In addition, a key Met Éireann scientific site, Valentia Observatory, is also located in Kerry, near Caherciveen. As the current network of climatological stations fulfils Met Éireann's scientific requirements, there is currently no operational need for the development of a weather station at Dingle Harbour.
242. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the Fairways estate in Ballygawley, County Sligo, will receive funding under the unfinished development special resolution fund. [25446/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 2014 contained a special provision, in the form of a targeted €10m Special Resolution Fund (SRF), to assist further in addressing the legacy of unfinished housing developments. The SRF is designed to encourage the resolution of the remaining tranche of unfinished developments identified in the National Housing Development Survey 2013 and, particularly, those developments not likely to be resolved in the normal way through solely developer/owner/funder action because of the presence of specific financial barriers. It is envisaged that the SRF should be particularly targeted to address the remaining unfinished developments with residents living in them and, in particular, any developments that local authorities identified, for the purposes of the Local Property Tax waiver, as in a seriously problematic condition. In December 2013, my Department wrote to local authorities seeking proposals for funding support under the SRF and the deadline for receipt of applications was 28 February 2014. All submissions were evaluated by my Department in accordance with the criteria circulated to the local authorities. On 2 May 2014, allocations from the Special Resolution Fund were announced and 86 developments were approved for funding. The following link contains a list of all developments approved for SRF funding:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,37940,en.htm
I can confirm that Sligo County Council submitted an application for funding from the SRF in respect of The Fairways, Ballygawley, which was not successful as there were no residents in occupancy and therefore did not meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme.
Each local authority has appointed an Unfinished Housing Development Co-ordinator; contact details can be found on the Housing Agency’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.ie/Our-Services/Unfinished-Housing-Developments/Local-Authority-Contacts.
243. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of units that were renovated for social housing use in 2014 and to date in 2015; the planned figure for 2015; the number of units that are planned for renovation in 2016; and if these properties are owned by a local authority. [25485/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department funded a special programme in 2014, where 2,333 vacant social houses were returned to productive use. Funding allocations for a further 1,119 vacant social houses to be returned to productive use were made in May 2015. It is anticipated that the planned figure for 2016 will be 700 units. This programme is separate from any other renovation works that local authorities may undertake from their own resources.
244. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline to Irish Water, the concerns of the residents of Balbriggan in County Dublin, in regard to the quality of the potable water in the town; the plans Irish Water has to reduce the level of limescale in the water. [25490/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014 Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels for public water services including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
245. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the rationale regarding local authority members' consent on the disposal of assets within their jurisdiction but not the acquisition of property and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25497/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraInsofar as the Local Government Acts are concerned, section 11(7)(a) of the Local Government Act 2001 states that a local authority has power, inter alia, to acquire and dispose of land.
As regards the acquisition of land, section 149(4) of the 2001 Act states that every function of a local authority which is not a reserved function is, for the purposes of the Act, an executive function of an authority. In relation to the disposal of land, elected members are required to be notified, under section 183 (1) of the 2001 Act, of any proposal to dispose of land held by a local authority (not being by demise for a term not exceeding one year). Such notification shall include particulars of the land, the names of the persons from whom the land was acquired and to whom it is to be disposed of, and the consideration proposed in respect of the disposal. It is a matter for the local authority elected members, by resolution, to decide to amend the terms of the disposal or resolve that the disposal not be carried out. Should a local authority not pass such a resolution, then it is open to the local authority to carry out the disposal.
I consider these provisions to be reasonable and have no proposals for amendment in this regard.
246. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if funding will be made available for the urgent repair of the weir on the Vartry river in Ashford, County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25546/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Weir on the Vartry River in Ashford is the responsibility of Wicklow County Council and one for which I have no responsibility.
247. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the details of what is contained in the Government's first fix free policy in regard to water services, in view of the fact that any work required is never a charge on the consumer when it is outside the consumer's boundary; if it was ever intended to have a first fix free policy to include pipework, which is the responsibility of the consumer; if not, the reason it is called a first fix free arrangement, when the word "free" does not apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25562/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014 Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. I have no responsibility for, or role in relation to, the management, operation or maintenance of water services infrastructure. The implementation and roll out of the first fix free scheme is a matter for Irish Water. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 578 578.
