Written Answers Nos. 143-151
143. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will consider the establishment of a national property advisory council as proposed by the IPAV in its 2017 pre-budget submission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27616/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn considering the establishment of a National Property Advisory Council, it should be noted that certain regulatory elements of the property sector, such as property registrations, conveyancing and the regulation of property services, are a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality.
With regard to the supply of housing, in publishing Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government has set out a practical and readily implementable set of actions to create a functioning and sustainable housing system. The plan is available to view at http://rebuildingireland.ie/Rebuilding%20Ireland_Action%20Plan.pdf.
As outlined in Rebuilding Ireland, continued collaborative engagement and co-ordinated implementation and delivery will be essential to ensure that the ambition of the plan is fully realised, and that delivery of each of the 84 actions is driven and prioritised.
A dedicated Cabinet Committee on Housing, chaired by the Taoiseach, has been established to oversee both the development and implementation of the plan. Monthly updates on housing activity will be published and progress reports on implementation of Rebuilding Ireland will be published on a quarterly basis.
Governance structures to manage and co-ordinate the delivery of the various actions under Rebuilding Ireland have been put in place in my Department.
A high-level Housing Delivery Office has also been established within my Department to support local authorities, approved housing bodies and all stakeholders involved in the delivery of housing projects and to drive delivery of some of the key ambitious private and social housing elements of the plan.
I will also establish and chair a specific forum for stakeholder engagement for the implementation phase. This Stakeholder Forum on Housing and Homelessness will act as a vehicle for continuous feedback on the practical experience of implementation of the various actions, and will include wide representation from the full range of stakeholder groups, including experts from different fields across the sector.
144. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government whether it is the policy of his Department that in the case of single-parent families subject to homelessness and the requirement for emergency accommodation, parents and children would be accommodated together and not separated. [27631/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy 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. In accordance with section 37(2) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services, including accommodation, rests with individual housing authorities.
The matter raised in the Question is an operational issue in the day-to-day delivery of services and is therefore a matter for individual housing authorities.
145. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to set down in tabular form the number of housing units that have been offered to each local authority in each year since 2010; the numbers that have been accepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27644/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo end Quarter 2 2016, the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) had identified 6,765 units, associated with the security for loans that NAMA has acquired, that could be made available for social housing. Many of these units were in unfinished housing developments or developments that required significant remediation work. All of the units identified by NAMA, regardless of their condition, location or circumstance were offered to LAs in the first instance.
To date, demand has been confirmed by the local authorities for 2,644 of the properties that NAMA has identified as potentially available. Another 73 properties are currently being evaluated bringing the potential total that may be deemed suitable to 2,717. Local authorities have confirmed that 2,402 of the properties are considered unsuitable by reference to sustainable planning and housing policy or are located in areas with no social housing demand. A further 1,646 properties have been sold or privately let by the owners or receivers since the initial offer was made to the local authority.
General information in relation to NAMA delivery for social housing is available on the website of the Housing Agency at the following link: https://www.housingagency.ie/Our-Services/Housing-Supply-Services/NAMA-(1).aspx.
Information on the number of properties offered to local authorities on an annual basis is not available. This is because in many instances, properties that may have been offered and declined by a local authority, have often been re-offered to the local authority at a later date if the unit remains available and unsold by the receiver or NAMA.
146. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to outline his plans to publish guidance to residential developers for the revised social provision Part V process. [27660/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department recently issued for consultation a draft of “Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000: Further Guidelines” which deals with specific issues arising from the amendments made to Part V by the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015. The consultation period ended on 16 September 2016 and my Department is currently examining a number of submissions received from local authorities and relevant stakeholders, including the construction industry.
The Draft Guidelines are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/draft-guidelines-part-v-planning-and-development-act-2000.
I expect to issue the final guidelines shortly. They will be statutory guidelines issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, so all planning authorities will be required to have regard to them in carrying out their functions under the Act. The Guidelines should also be of assistance to developers.
The Deputy may also wish to note that previous guidance has also issued from my Department in relation to the revised Part V provisions, in particular Circular Housing 33/2015, Circular Housing 36/2015/PL10/2015 and Circular Housing 20/2016/PL4/2016 which attached statutory guidelines in relation to certain transitional issues. These Circulars are available on my Department’s website at the following links:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/planning/guidelines/part-v-planning-and-development-act/circular-pl-102015-and-housing-circular.
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/part-v-planning-and-development-act/circular-housing-33-2015-urha-2015.http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/guidelines/part-v-planning-and-development-act/circular-housing-20-2016-and-planning-4-2016.
147. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to set down the number of staff working in An Bord Pleanála and the operating budget for the body in each year from 2008 to date in 2016. [27661/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe following table sets out the number of staff employed by An Bord Pleanála (the Board) on 31 December for the years 2008 to 2015, in addition to the operating budget for the Board over the same period. The 2016 grant aid figure represents the amount provided in the 2016 Revised Estimates for Public Services.
|
Years |
Staffing |
Grant aid |
Miscellaneous Income (including income from fees) |
Total Operating Budget |
|
|
|
€ m |
€ m |
€ m |
|
2008 |
166 |
15.098 |
10.244 |
25.342 |
|
2009 |
165 |
15.331 |
8.240 |
23.571 |
|
2010 |
167 |
13.565 |
7.445 |
21.010 |
|
2011 |
162 |
13.724 |
6.793 |
20.517 |
|
2012 |
161 |
12.897 |
5.898 |
18.795 |
|
2013 |
162 |
11.793 |
6.424 |
18.217 |
|
2014 |
143 |
12.138 |
6.070 |
18.208 |
|
2015 |
138 |
14.886 * |
6.184 |
21.070 |
|
2016 |
145 * * |
14.533 |
4.992 * |
19.525 |
*Includes an additional €1.84m provided in respect of unforeseen legal fees.
**estimated to the end of 2016
While the grant aid funding outlined above provides for the majority of the Board’s annual income, the Board also generates income from fees charged. Section 144 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the determination of fees payable to the Board, subject to the approval of the Minister. In the main, these fees are payable to the Board by parties in respect of Strategic Infrastructure Development applications, appeals, referrals, oral hearing requests and certain other matters which are submitted for determination under the Planning and Development, Water Pollution, Air Pollution and Building Control Acts.
148. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide evidence for the statement made to Westmeath County Council by the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Damien English (details supplied). [27662/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is estimated that from the aggregation of factors arising from measures taken to reduce housing input costs, including the package of interim measures on housing supply, entitled Stabilising Rents – Boosting Supply which was approved by the Government in November 2015, a decrease in the cost of building new residential units by between €20,000 and €40,000 can be achieved, depending on whether apartments or houses are being constructed. The main contributing factors involved are: the implementation of new apartment guidelines, The Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments - Guidelines for Planning Authorities published in December 2015; reforms to the Part V process; reductions in development contributions and a targeted development contribution rebate scheme in Dublin and Cork to encourage large-scale developments at affordable prices, and the new Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund.
149. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to outline the reason funding was not provided for a group water scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27682/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraRusheen No. 3 Group Water Scheme was included by Kerry County Council in its bid under Measure 3 of the Rural Water Multi-Annual Programme 2016 – 2018 for funding those group water schemes in areas where a public scheme and private wells are not a viable option. However, following examination of all local authorities' proposals under this measure by the Expert Panel convened for this purpose, the Rusheen Group Water Scheme was not recommended for funding under the programme. A copy of the Expert Panel's report and consideration of all proposals under the Programme is available on my Department’s website at:http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/rural-water-programme/group-water-schemes-and-rural-water-issues.
150. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the report being prepared into a fire (details supplied); when it will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27710/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraPart B of the Building Regulations sets out the statutory standards of fire safety that apply when a new building is constructed in order to ensure the safety of persons in and about the building. Compliance with the building regulations is first and foremost the responsibility of the owners, designers and builders of the building concerned.
Nevertheless, in the interests of supporting owners and residents living in developments where concerns regarding non-compliance with fire safety requirements arise, my Department announced, in September, 2015, that a review was to be undertaken by an independent fire safety expert to develop a framework for general application in such situations. The independent fire safety expert has now completed this task and a report on the matter has been received in my Department. The report remains under consideration pending clarification on a number of issues at which point it is intended that the arrangements necessary for publication will be made.
151. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to outline the circumstances under which affordable housing can be sold in exceptional circumstance before the expiration of the 20-year clawback rule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27761/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Affordable Housing Schemes helped qualifying applicants, who would not have otherwise been in a position to purchase a home, to become home owners through purchase of designated affordable units. Houses sold to first time buyers under the various affordable housing schemes were priced at a significant discount from their market value. Buyers were free to sell their properties at anytime. However, in order to prevent short-term profit-taking on the resale of the house to the detriment of the objectives of the schemes, the schemes contained a clawback provision.
Under the clawback provisions, as set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002, as amended, where the purchaser proposes to sell the unit within 20 years of the date of purchase, he/she must refund to the local authority a percentage of the proceeds of the sale of the unit. The percentage of the proceeds to be repaid will be related to the proportion of discount from the market value originally received from the local authority. A full refund must be paid if the unit is sold within the first 10 years of occupancy. A reduction of 10% per annum is given for each full year of occupancy between 10 and 20 years and after 20 years of full occupancy no refund would be due to the local authority.
However, where a person is selling an affordable home and the clawback amount payable would reduce the proceeds of resale below the initial price actually paid, the legislation provides for the amount of the clawback payable to be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid that result.
There is no provision for exceptions from the clawback provision. I have no plans to amend these provisions.
