Thursday, 10 Nov 2016

Written Answers Nos. 170-184

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Ceisteanna (170)

Brendan Griffin

Ceist:

170. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department will consider streamlining the CPO process for lands at dangerous locations along regional and local roads as distinct from large new road projects; his views on whether the current process is completely unfit for purpose for councils to acquire small pieces of ditches, embankments or fields at one-off locations as, in effect, councils depend entirely on the co-operation of the landowner; the possible legislative or other solutions to make this process more timely and affordable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34211/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I have not been made aware by local authorities or An Bord Pleanála of any difficulties or issues regarding the procedures for the compulsory acquisition of land at dangerous locations along regional and local roads for road enhancement purposes, and I have not received any request to amend the relevant procedures in this regard which are set out in the Housing Act 1966, as amended. Accordingly, I have no plans to amend the existing provisions at this point in time.

Planning Issues

Ceisteanna (171, 172, 173, 174)

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

171. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he had interaction with a company (details supplied) or the Irish strategic investment fund related to the zoning of lands at Pace, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34290/16]

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

172. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason he changed his position on the zoning of lands at Pace, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34291/16]

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

173. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he considered an SDZ for the lands at Pace, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34292/16]

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

174. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way in which his concerns regarding the proposed zoning of land at Pace, County Meath, were addressed including the detached and distant development from the existing urban area of Dunboyne, the failure to observe sequential development and the impact on traffic volumes on the M3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34295/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 to 174, inclusive, together.

In making my decision not to issue a Direction to Meath County Council in relation to the zoning issue referred to, I considered all of the relevant information available to me. This included the Council Chief Executive’s report, and recommendations on the submissions received relating to the draft direction. I took into consideration:

The lack of new housing supply coming forward in the Dunboyne area, in particular, development on lands already zoned residential phase 1, despite considerable demand, including as a prerequisite for attracting new FDI;

The objectives of the Economic Development Strategy for County Meath, including the development of Dunboyne as a “live work “ community and one of 5 strategic sites for the County;

The projected demographic patterns for the area as anticipated in the RPGs and need to provide adequate housing and other infrastructure to serve the potential growth;

The proximity of the lands in question to transport infrastructure, including 2 railway stations;

The work undertaken on a transport study (Aecom Transport Consultants) jointly by Meath County Council, Fingal County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to examine the capacity and operation of M3 junctions/interchanges;

The commitment from Meath County Council that the masterplanned “live work” community will be front loaded so that other development (including residential) will be contingent upon initial employment investment (i.e. no speculative residential development is anticipated without underpinning economic development); and

The fact that the variation will not bring Meath County Council beyond Core Strategy numbers for residential development.

With regard to the question of a Strategic Development Zone for this area I have not received any proposals for designation of this area as an SDZ from the local authority. In addition, I am satisfied that the existing planning policy frameworks that have been developed for Dunboyne and Pace by Meath County Council are robust and forward looking, having been developed through the statutory Development Plan process under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and formally adopted by the Elected Members of the Council.

Emergency Accommodation Provision

Ceisteanna (175, 176, 177)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

175. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the demand of a centre (details supplied) in County Cork and to the fact that 281 children were turned away due to lack of capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34373/16]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

176. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department will allocate funding to a centre (details supplied) in County Cork; if there was an increased allocation in budget 2017 due to increased demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34374/16]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

177. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he or his Department has received any letters from a centre (details supplied) in relation to concerns regarding turning children and families away due to lack of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34375/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 to 177, inclusive, together.

Edel House is a facility owned and operated by Good Shepherd Services, which provides emergency accommodation for women and children that are homeless and also residential accommodation for teenage girls who are out of home for various reasons.

Good Shepherd Services submitted a capital development proposal to my Department under the Capital Assistance Scheme, via Cork City Council, for an extension to Edel House in order to expand their accommodation, and this received Stage 1 approval from my Department in August 2015. I understand that the proposal is currently being advanced through the planning process and that while planning permission issued from the local planning authority, this decision is now subject to an appeal process. In addition, my Department has been in discussions recently with Good Shepherd Services about a possible additional facility in the Cork area.

In relation to the funding of services within Edel House, while my Department provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless services and accommodation under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, it does not contract or fund any services directly. Cork City Council provides funding to Good Shepherd Services for these services under Section 10 and, therefore, issues around this funding for the provision of homeless services in Edel House and in the Cork City area in general are a matter for Cork City Council. I understand that Good Shepherd Services also receives funding for their services from the HSE, Tusla and the Cork Education and Training Board.

My Department has not received any letters or correspondence from Good Shepherd Services in relation to concerns regarding turning families and children away due to lack of funding. Correspondence in relation to the proposed redevelopment of Edel House is primarily coordinated through Cork City Council.

Housing Provision

Ceisteanna (178)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

178. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of new houses, social housing, extra rental units and voids that have been repaired in Cork city and county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34376/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

In response to the level of demand for social housing, the Government has identified a range of actions in order to deliver additional housing units through a variety of new-build and acquisition mechanisms, as well as leasing arrangements and tackling vacant stock.

In the case of Cork, in 2016, Cork City are on target to deliver 78 units under the acquisitions programme and 255 units under the voids programme. Cork County are on target to deliver 92 new units under the acquisitions programme and 106 units under the voids programme.

In the case of new builds, a number of social housing projects have commenced or are due to commence in the near future in both Cork City and County.

In the 9 months to the end of Q3 2016, the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) has delivered 26 new units in Cork City and 23 new units in Cork County, the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) has delivered 44 new RAS tenancies (transfers from Rent Supplement to RAS) in Cork City and 2 new tenancies in Cork County and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme has supported 727 additional households in Cork City and 750 additional households in Cork County.

Further statistical information relating to SHCEP, HAP and RAS is available at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.

My Department will be continuing to work closely with both Cork local authorities to accelerate further the delivery of social housing as part of the overall national drive to deliver 47,000 social housing units in the period of 2021, as set out in the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness.

Voluntary Sector

Ceisteanna (179, 180)

Robert Troy

Ceist:

179. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason a volunteer centre (details supplied) is the lowest-funded centre in the country with only two part-time staff trying to provide service in County Longford and outreach centres in Ballymahon and Granard; his views on whether these centres are pivotal in supporting volunteerism; and if he will revise the funding for County Longford upwards to match, at a minimum, comparable counties. [34385/16]

Robert Troy

Ceist:

180. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his future plans for volunteer centres; his views on the pivotal role they play in supporting volunteerism; his further views on the fact that they have experienced disproportionate cuts during the recession; and if he will partially restore the cuts with an increase of 10 % in 2017. [34386/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 180 together.

My Department’s Community & Voluntary Supports & Programmes provide a cohesive framework of support for the community and voluntary sector. This programme supports 21 Volunteer Centres and 8 Volunteer Information Services, as well as a number of national organisations, including Volunteer Ireland. Over €3m was allocated for these organisations in 2016.

With the assistance of Volunteer Ireland, my Department has recently initiated a review of the distribution of funding to Volunteer Centres, to ensure a more sustainable distribution of funding. The funding of all Volunteer Centres, including Longford Volunteer Centre, will be considered in the course of this review, and in the context of funding available following Budget 2017.

Housing Data

Ceisteanna (181)

Robert Troy

Ceist:

181. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of vacant housing units in counties Longford and Westmeath. [34395/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

My Department does not hold the information requested by the Deputy.

However, in May 2016, the Housing Agency presented a paper in relation to vacant homes in Ireland to the Special Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness which – on the basis of the 2011 Census – indicated there were 230,056 unoccupied residential properties (excluding holiday homes) across the State. This figure includes all vacant homes in the State, and a breakdown of the percentage vacancy rate for each county is indicated in the paper. The Housing Agency paper is available at:  http://www.housing.ie/our-publications/latest-publications.aspx.

The results of the 2016 Census conducted last April will provide more up-to-date information on the number of vacant units in Ireland, and initial published summary returns from the enumerators indicate a figure of 198,358 vacant residential properties, excluding holiday homes.  However, these figures need to be explored further, and my Department and the Housing Agency are liaising with local authorities and with the Central Statistics Office in order to obtain a better understanding of up-to-date numbers, characteristics and reasons why such homes are vacant.

Action 5.1 of the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness undertakes to develop a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by early 2017. To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group to inform the Strategy, with senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself. It has met three times so far. A number of local authorities have commenced, or are planning to commence, pilot programmes to identify vacant homes and bring them back into use; these pilot programmes will inform the Strategy. In addition, the Strategy will be informed by international best practice and experience, and research is being undertaken in this area.

Pension Provisions

Ceisteanna (182)

John McGuinness

Ceist:

182. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to ensure that directors of companies who fail to remit employees' pension premiums to their pension contracts immediately before a company goes into liquidation or receivership are prosecuted; his plans to address this issue with particular reference to the definition of the timeframe prior to liquidation or receivership; the number of companies that have failed to fulfil their obligations in this regard; the cost of these failures to the State over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34191/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

Under the Pensions Act 1990 employers and trustees have obligations in respect of the remittance of contributions.

Under Section 58A of the Act (occupational pension scheme/trust RACs) and Section 121 of the Act (PRSAs), the employer must ensure that all contributions deducted from the employees’ pay are paid to the trustee/PRSA Provider within 21 days of the end of the month in which the contributions were deducted. Employer contributions payable to a defined contribution scheme in respect of each employee must be remitted within 21 days of the end of the month in which they became payable.

Under Section 59 of the Act, trustees are required to ensure insofar as is reasonable that the contributions payable by the employer and the employees of the scheme/trust RAC where appropriate are received and that the sums are invested within 10 days of the latest date on which those sums should have been remitted or paid by the employer.

The Pensions Authority is the regulator responsible for the enforcement of the criminal sanctions available and it is proactive in the prosecution of offences under section 58A. In 2015 the Authority secured convictions in –

Fourteen cases related to the deduction and non-remittance of employee pension contributions to schemes (Section 58A(1));

Four cases related to the non-remittance of employer pension contributions as obliged under the scheme (Section 58A(2))

When a company is in liquidation or receivership, claims to the insolvency payments scheme are made by a liquidator or receiver on behalf of employees. The purpose of the insolvency payments scheme is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements, including certain pension contributions due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. The scheme covers former employees of companies that are in a formal wind-up procedure such as liquidation or receivership, or situations where the employer has died or been declared bankrupt.

My Department holds figures from 2012 on the number of individual claims (not companies). The number of individual claims received between 2012 and 2015 for pension contributions is 2,742. My Department does not have figures on the total cost of these claims but, in general, individual pension contribution claim payments are for less than €1,100.

Liquidators and receivers operate under the Companies Act, 2014 and are responsible for examining the management of companies and the behaviour of company directors. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is responsible for all matters relating to company law.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Schemes

Ceisteanna (183)

Pat Deering

Ceist:

183. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) will qualify for an extension to a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34131/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

I am advised that this customer is being granted an extension to 26/5/2017, in order to allow him complete the Level 5 training he is undertaking as part of his learning and development on the scheme.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Carer's Allowance Payments

Ceisteanna (184)

Tom Neville

Ceist:

184. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection when payment of carer's allowance will issue in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34152/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 29 January 2016.

As a result of an appeals officer’s decision, the application was awarded to the person concerned on 7 November 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated post bank account on 10 November 2016. Arrears for the period 4 February 2016 to 9 November 2016 have issued to her nominated bank account for payment on 10 November 2016.

The person concerned was notified on 7 November 2016 of this decision.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.