Written Answers Nos. 158-169
158. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for pay-by-weight bin charges for those who have to dispose of incontinent or household medical waste; if progress has been made since the last parliamentary question (details supplied) tabled on this issue; and if this will be resolved before 1 July 2016. [11923/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has met with groups who represent persons with special needs and has been in contact with the HSE and the waste management industry to discuss the issue and to try to find a workable and fair solution to this important matter.
Notwithstanding the complexity of the issues involved, I am satisfied that a number of possible solutions are being explored as a matter of urgency. In that respect, a further meeting is being arranged between my Department, members of the waste industry and representatives of people with special needs early in June with a view to deciding on the most appropriate course of action.
159. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the suitability and effectiveness of installing water meters for apartments in apartment blocks, given the difficulties involved in identifying which apartment actually uses the water. [11933/16]
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. This includes the domestic water metering programme.
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 by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
160. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of derelict and long-term vacant buildings there are here; the square footage that is long-term vacant and derelict; if there is any register of long-term vacant and derelict buildings; and his plans to require the owners of long-term vacant and derelict buildings to register their buildings with local authorities. [11936/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Derelict Sites Act 1990 requires local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. To this end, local authorities have been given substantial powers under the Act in relation to any such sites, including powers to require specified measures to be taken in relation to a derelict site, to impose a levy on sites which are included in the local authority’s derelict sites register, or to compulsorily acquire any derelict site. It is a matter for local authorities to determine the most appropriate use of the legislation within their respective functional areas. Under section 8(5) of the Act, a copy of the derelict sites register for any local authority can be inspected at the offices of that authority during office hours. This positions members of the public to engage with their local authority in relation to the authority’s proposals for dealing with individual derelict sites.
My Department updates, on an annual and county-by-county basis, a Schedule of Urban Areas designated by local authorities as areas in which the derelict site levy can be applied in line with the provisions of the Act. In addition to this designation, local authorities work to remove other sites from the register each year. They liaise with complainants and owners of alleged derelict sites (over and above the official derelict sites) to form resolutions locally, thus avoiding the burden of placing each property in question on the Derelict Sites register for each local authority functional area.
There is no national register of derelict sites, and the information sought by the Deputy is not available in my Department. However, the Programme for a Partnership Government provides for a number of planning reforms - including the establishment of a Derelict Sites Register - and work will commence shortly to collate the data from the local authorities.
In addition, the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, which was enacted in September 2015, introduced a vacant site levy, aimed at incentivising the development of empty and underutilised sites in central urban areas for residential or regeneration development.
Under the provisions of the Act, in January 2017 planning authorities will establish and maintain a register of vacant sites in their functional areas. Commencing in 2019 a levy will then be charged on the registered owners of sites that were vacant in the preceding year at a rate of 3% of the market value of each site, with reduced or zero rates applying in specific circumstances.
The Act also contains an amendment to section 23 of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 to provide for the derelict site levy not being payable in respect of any land where the vacant site levy is payable under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015.
The vacant site levy will facilitate the achievement of the primary objective of the measure which is to bring the sites in question forward for residential or regeneration development.
161. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount his Department spent on local authority housing in 2015, and the number of units it delivered in tabular form. [12019/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra162. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount he has allocated for local authority housing and how many units he will deliver in 2016. [12020/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra163. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding allocated to and drawn down by associated housing bodies and the number of units delivered in 2015 in tabular form. [12021/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra164. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding he has allocated to associated housing bodies and the number of units he will deliver in 2016 in tabular form. [12022/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 161 to 164, inclusive, together.
Overall funding of €761.4m was expended on the delivery of social housing services in 2015. This comprised of €636.3 million exchequer funding and €125.1 million which local authorities self-funded from local property tax receipts. This funding facilitated the delivery of over 13,000 social housing units in 2015, the first full year of implementation of the Social Housing Strategy. This represents an 86% increase in unit delivery above 2014.
A full report on actions delivered under the Strategy in 2015 can be found in the Social Housing Output 2015 report. The Report, published on 26 January 2016 in collaboration with the Housing Agency, is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/social_housing_output_in_2015_0.pdf.
Additional data on the breakdown of output, across all social housing delivery programmes, by local authority in 2015, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1a2-sh-2015-brkdn_1.xlsx.
The targets for 2016 are again ambitious and I expect that over 17,000 social housing units will be provided this year. 1,500 units are targeted for delivery through construction and acquisition by local authorities and approved housing bodies. I also expect local authorities to return approximately 1,500 vacant houses and apartments to productive use. Under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme, 3,000 units will be delivered through the acquisition, leasing or construction of houses and apartments by local authorities and approved housing bodies; 1,000 units will be delivered under the Rental Accommodation Scheme; and 10,000 units under the Housing Assistance Payment scheme.
The combined capital and current housing allocation for 2016 will result in an exchequer investment of almost €821m across a range of housing programmes, being implemented by both local authorities and approved housing bodies. In addition, local authorities will self-fund a range of housing services from local property tax receipts to the value of over €112m, bringing the total social housing provision in 2016 to €933m.
165. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount spent on housing adaptation grants in 2015 in tabular form. [12023/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra166. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding he has allocated for housing adaptation grants in 2016. [12024/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together.
Information on the funding provided and grants paid to each local authority by my Department under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, since the grants were introduced, is available at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
Details of the 2016 allocations for the grants are also available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/housing/grantsfinancial-assistance/ministers-kelly-coffey-announce-eu5625-million-improve-homes.
167. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount his Department spent on Traveller accommodation in 2015. [12025/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 207 and 232 of 24 May 2016 which set out the position in this matter.
168. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount his Department spent on the provision of emergency homeless accommodation in 2015. [12029/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra169. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the funding he has allocated for the provision of emergency homeless accommodation in 2016. [12030/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 169 together.
My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Under Section 10 funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of such services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Section 10 funding arrangements. Therefore, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services are a matter for those authorities.
In 2015 some €64.8 million of Exchequer ‘Section 10’ funding was provided by my Department to housing authorities in respect of all homeless related expenditure. Budget 2016 confirmed funding of €70 million nationally for such purposes this year. While the 2016 allocations are currently being finalised, the funding needs of the various regions will be kept under review on an on-going basis, taking account of known and emerging costs of services, and my Department has provided reassurance to all housing authorities in this regard.
