Thursday, 14 Jul 2016

Written Answers Nos. 103-111

Local Authority Housing

Ceisteanna (103)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

103. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total number of housing units purchased by the various local authorities throughout counties Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath, in the past two years; the numbers purchased or built by the various local authorities in counties Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath, in the past two years; the numbers allocated to tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21864/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

Information on social housing units constructed and acquired in respect of all local authorities including Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath and funded by direct capital investment by my Department, is published on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Data in respect of quarter 1 of 2016 is currently being collated and will be published shortly. Information on the numbers of housing units allocated to tenants is a matter for each individual local authority and is not available in my Department.

Waste Disposal Charges

Ceisteanna (104)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

104. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 129 of 7 July 2016, if the customers of a company (details supplied) can retain their current arrangements without having to notify the company. [21897/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

My Department met with representatives of the waste industry earlier last week and are continuing to liaise with operators as necessary with regard to the consistent implementation of the agreement to maintain prices at current rates. My understanding is that the company in question has contacted all of its customers and requested customers to indicate by phone, email, through using a form on their website or using a return form by post, as to whether they wish to retain their current price plan arrangements. While I have signalled that this approach is out of step with the arrangements made by other collectors in the industry, I am informed that a large number of customers have already been in contact with the company to indicate that they wish to retain their current price plan arrangements.

Planning Issues

Ceisteanna (105)

Niall Collins

Ceist:

105. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will seek to amend the planning Act to allow for the extension of the duration of planning permissions as per the schedule (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21908/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

In accordance with sections 40 and 41 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, planning permissions normally expire after 5 years, unless a longer period is specified in the permission. Section 42 of the Act provides that, on application in that behalf, a planning authority shall, once and once only and provided specified conditions are met, extend the duration of a planning permission for a specified period not exceeding 5 years. These enactments provide considerable flexibility to accommodate the changed circumstances of individual developments. Nevertheless, I will keep under review whether provision might appropriately be made to allow for a second extension of the duration of planning permissions, which would enable dormant permissions to be activated more than 10 years after they were originally granted, having regard to the need to also take account of changes in national or local planning policies that may have taken place in the intervening period.

School Meals Programme

Ceisteanna (106)

Mattie McGrath

Ceist:

106. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of school breakfast clubs currently being supported by his Department; the number of children availing of the service; the costs associated with same, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21761/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them.

In recent years priority for new applications for funding has been given to schools which are part of the Department of Education and Skills initiative for disadvantaged schools “Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools” (DEIS) in line with the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, Better Outcomes Brighter Futures. There has been a particular focus on the promotion of breakfast clubs within the programme, which provide very positive outcomes for vulnerable children in terms of their school attendance, punctuality and energy levels.

There has been a marked increase in the funding provided for breakfast clubs in the programme, with an increase of over 50% in the level of funding in respect of claims for the 2015/2016 school year compared to the previous year. Funding was provided for approximately 700 breakfast clubs benefitting 78,000 children at a total cost of some €7 million for the school year 2015/2016. The total spend on breakfast club by county is provided in the following table.

Expenditure on breakfast clubs – academic year 2015/2016

County	Total
Co Carlow	€151,006
Co Cavan	€162,403
Co Clare	€51,975
Co Cork	€535,496
Co Donegal	€562,117
Co Dublin	€2,429,819
Co Galway	€303,620
Co Kerry	€219,655
Co Kildare	€59,217
Co Kilkenny	€64,323
Co Laois	€78,732
Co Leitrim	€18,615
Co Limerick	€121,642
Co Longford	€152,169
Co Louth	€251,191
Co Mayo	€310,421
Co Meath	€158,421
Co Monaghan	€58,014
Co Offaly	€146,421
Co Roscommon	€97,987
Co Sligo	€65,676
Co Tipperary	€231,080
Co Waterford	€57,457
Co Westmeath	€212,959
Co Wexford	€344,147
Co Wicklow	€118,782
Total	€6,963,345

Question No. 107 withdrawn.

Social Welfare Appeals Status

Ceisteanna (108)

Kevin O'Keeffe

Ceist:

108. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Protection if an appeal by a person (details supplied) has been received. [21687/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Free Travel Scheme Eligibility

Ceisteanna (109)

Alan Farrell

Ceist:

109. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will extend the free travel scheme for persons who are eligible to cover travel on Nitelink bus services in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21706/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The free travel scheme is available to people aged over 66 years, to carers and to people in receipt of certain disability type payments. There are currently some 850,000 customers who benefit from the scheme, which has an annual allocation of €80 million. The scheme permits travel for free on most CIE public transport services, Luas and some 80 private operators.

The free travel scheme was introduced to promote social inclusion and prevent the isolation of elderly and disabled people by allowing them use public transport services at no charge to themselves, with the service providers receiving payments from my Department instead. The scheme was never intended to cover the cost of premium services such as the Nitelink and Airlink. Expanding it to those services would require an increase in the payments made to participating providers.

Therefore any decision to extend the scheme to allow people to use their free travel pass on special services such as the Nitelink would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Disability Allowance Appeals

Ceisteanna (110)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

110. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) under the disability allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21718/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 07th July 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral appeal hearing.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Disability Allowance Appeals

Ceisteanna (111)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceist:

111. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) who has been awarded a disability allowance on appeal, can have the award backdated to March 2015 rather than January 2016 as has been decided by the appeals office. [21746/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

I confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 18 January 2016. The claim was disallowed on medical grounds and the person concerned appealed the decision. The appeal was allowed by the social welfare appeals office, therefore the person in question was deemed to be eligible for disability allowance from the date of receipt of the application. If the person concerned wishes to make an application for backdating he may do so, in writing, clearly stating the grounds for not having made the application at the earlier date or prior to January 2016 and the matter will be considered by a deciding officer.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.