Written Answers Nos. 202 - 212
202. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of substitutable days whereby no substitute teachers were employed in primary schools for the school years 2015-16 and 2016-17 to date, by year and whether the school in question is a special school, in tabular form. [4884/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is being prepared by my Department and it will be forwarded directly to her.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A:
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 4884 of 2017 in which you sought the number of substitutable days where no substitute teachers were employed in primary schools for the school years 2015/2016 and 201612017, by year and by whether a school is a special school in tabular form.
In my reply, I had stated that the information sought was not available at the time but would be forwarded to the Deputy separately. I am now in a position to provide the relevant information for the relevant school years.
The Online Claims System (OLCS) is the system designed to enable schools to record all absences (substitutable and non-substitutable) for all Staff Members paid directly on the Departments payroll and to make claims for substitution.
The information is as follows:
|
Dates |
Overall number of substitutable Days in all schools including special schools |
Overall number of substitutable days where no substitute claimed in all schools including special schools |
Overall number of substitutable clays where no substitute was claimed in special schools only |
|
1/9/2015 - 30/6/2016 |
939,840 |
65,871(7.01%) |
4,148(0.44%) |
|
1/9/2016 - 22/12/2016 |
353,341 |
26,817 (7.59%) |
1,451 (0.41%) |
The information outlined was obtained from my Department databases. The number of non-substitutable days is not fully accurate as it is not possible to separate out the absences where no substitutes were employed due to the nature of the leave absence/teacher appointment recorded on the system. Some of the reasons as to why there is no substitute claim recorded against a substitutable absence are:
Professional Teacher Development - In some cases the schools were closed as teachers attended in service training for the new primary curriculum. These absences are recorded as professional teacher development and as such is normally a substitutable absence but if the school is closed for the training then no substitute is employed.
Force Majeure/lllness in Family - The first day of this leave absence is not substitutable.
Self-Certified (Uncertified) Sick Leave - This leave is no longer substitutable except in smaller schools for multiple absences on the same day
Job-Sharing - If a teacher is job-sharing and goes on leave for e.g. Maternity Leave, Sick Leave their leave is entered in one block and there will only be a substitute recorded for that teacher for one week out of every two as their job-sharing partner is working the other week.
Visiting Teachers - These teachers must have their leave recorded on OLCS but due to the nature of their posts they may not always be replaced by a substitute.
Teachers with Regular part-time Contracts of less than 25 hour e.g. Teacher absent on maternity/sick leave etc. with a contract of 10 hours per week. The leave is entered for the total absence but less than 5 days per week are substitutable, leaving the other days of the week displaying as no sub used.
Principal Release - A number of these days are covered by the Principals release supply panel. Currently there are a number of temporary teachers employed who cover these absences across a number of schools. These absences are recorded but no substitute is required.
Panel - If a teacher is on a redeployment panel and goes on maternity leave they have a maternity leave exemption’ and a substitute is not employed but the leave is recorded
I trust this clarifies the position.
203. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a list of the new permanent premises that the Dublin Education and Training Board has selected for a programme (details supplied); the timeframe for selecting a new permanent premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4898/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe process to select and secure a new premise for the Youthreach centre in question is being managed by City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB). I have asked CDETB to write directly to you in relation to this matter.
204. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €800,000 funding required to upgrade the Galway and Roscommon Educational and Training Board sub-office in Roscommon town in view of the fact that the building has not received any capital investment since 1985; when he expects the funding to be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4913/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that an application has been received from Galway and Roscommon ETB regarding funding for sub-office works. My Department has had engagement with personnel in GRETB in relation to this matter. There are many competing demands for capital investment within the education sector and this application will be considered within that context. Such consideration will also take account of the scope for any alternative cost-effective options which may be open to the ETB. In this context, further exploration will be required before a decision can be made in relation to the proposal.
205. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the final costs to the Exchequer of each commission of investigation that has been completed to date in his Department in addition to the estimated costs to date of ongoing commissions of investigations. [5304/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraCumulative expenditure for the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse amounted to €80.667M to December 2016. It is anticipated the total final cost of the Commission will be in the order of € 82M.
206. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way in which the €10 million from the proceeds of the sale of Bord Gáis Éireann made available in budget 2016 for an affordable housing pilot scheme was spent; the details of this pilot scheme; and the reason it did not proceed. [4707/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra221. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the pilot scheme for a new model of affordable rental to provide more housing options for low income households and to relieve pressure on the social housing sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4888/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 206 and 221 together.
Action 4.6 of Rebuilding Ireland provided for the introduction of an affordable rental scheme to enhance the capacity of the private rented sector to provide quality and affordable accommodation for households currently paying a disproportionate amount of disposable income on rent.
As set out in the recently published Strategy for the Rental Sector, this commitment is to be progressed through kick-starting supply in rent pressure zones. Lands held by local authorities in rent pressure zones are to be brought to market on a competitive tendering basis, with a view to leveraging the value of the land to deliver the optimum number of units for rent, targeting middle income households, in mixed tenure developments. The cost of providing rental units is to be permanently reduced by lowering the initial investment and development costs for providers - AHB or private - allowing the rental units to be made available at below market prices without the need for ongoing rental subsidies.
The local authorities concerned will identify a number of sites with the potential for up to 1,000 units of accommodation and will move forward, as soon as possible, to issue calls for proposals from parties interested in developing projects. As speed of delivery will be critically important, appropriate licence arrangements, incorporating clear timescales for delivery, will be a key feature of the process.
This programme is being co-ordinated with the dedicated measures in Rebuilding Ireland to accelerate housing output from the Major Urban Housing Delivery Sites, including support from the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) where necessary.
In 2016, €10 million was provided through my Department’s Vote in order to support the implementation of the affordable rental pilot scheme. As the scheme was in preparation and under consideration during 2016, the available funding was redirected and used to support additional activity under other housing programmes.
207. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the sections in the Planning and Development and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 yet to be commenced; and when he expects to commence these provisions. [4708/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 was enacted on 23 December 2016. The commencement provisions in section 1 of the Act provide that the amendments to the Local Government Act 1998 in Part 5 came into operation on the day of enactment, and that sections 33 to 37, 46, 47 and 50 of Part 3 - which amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 - came into operation on the day following enactment. The Act provides that all other sect ions of the Act will come into operation on such day or days as I, as Minister, may appoint by order or orders. In this regard, the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (Commencement of Certain Provisions) Order 2017 brought sections 1 and 2 of Part 1, relating to preliminary and general provisions of the Act, and sections 30 to 32, 38 to 43 and Parts 1 and 2 of the Schedule to the Act - relating to further amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 - into operation with effect from 17 January 2017.
On foot of preparations already underway, it is expected that the planning related provisions in Part 2 of the Act - with the exception of sections 26 and 27 relating to environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening - and the amendments to the Housing Finance Agency Act 1981 contained in Part 4 of the Act will be commenced in March 2017. It is envisaged that the EIA screening provisions will be commenced in May 2017 and that the remaining limited amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 will be commenced in Q3 2017.
208. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the progress being made on the roll-out of homeless housing assistance payment, HAP, to other areas in the country; and if he will publish a report evaluating the success of homeless HAP in areas where it is currently in use. [4709/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Homeless Pilot of the HAP scheme has been operational since February 2015, across the four housing authorities in the Dublin Region, i.e. Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council, and is being implemented through the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE). The focus of this pilot remains the transitioning of qualified households from emergency accommodation, including hotels, into private rented tenancies. To qualify for HAP under the homeless pilot scheme, a household must generally be accepted as homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988 by one of the four Dublin local authorities. The Homeless HAP support has also been used to prevent households from entering homelessness and homeless services. While eligible homeless households may source accommodation for themselves, a dedicated placement team, the Dublin Place-Finder Service, has also been established to engage directly with property-owners and support qualified households to find suitable tenancies and to ensure that any additional supports that may be needed are put in place. This is a particularly important service for households currently residing in emergency accommodation in the Dublin region.
The Rebuilding Ireland target set for the Homeless HAP scheme was to support 550 households by the end of 2016, and this was exceeded with the setting up of a total of 810 new tenancies at year end. Rebuilding Ireland has set a target of 1,200 additional households to be supported through the Homeless HAP pilot scheme for 2017.
In addition, HAP has been effective in meeting the long-term housing needs of a further 236 homeless households in local authorities operating HAP outside the Dublin region. While I am confident that HAP can and will continue to deliver for homeless households across the country, I have asked my Department to continue to monitor the operation of the scheme, including Homeless HAP pilot in Dublin, closely.
209. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether there is an inconsistency in social housing provision statistics published by his Department when comparing between years in view of the fact in the years prior to 2012, the refurbishment of vacant local authority units was not considered new social housing provision output whereas after these dates these refurbished units are now counted as new social housing output by his Department; and his further views on whether it is justified to count these already existing units as new social provision. [4710/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the implementation of planned maintenance programmes and standard and responsive pre-letting repairs, is a matter for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966 and are not directly funded by my Department and would not be included in housing statistics. However the Voids programme was introduced in 2014 along with the Derelicts programme introduced in 2016 in response to an issue where some local authority houses and apartments were being left vacant, and would continue to have remained vacant in the absence of central Government funding.
Collectively these two programmes have seen the remediation of approximately 7,200 units between 2014 and 2016 and are included in the housing statistics. These programmes have provided funding to support the authorities in tackling those houses that may require a greater level of remediation than the normal level of pre-letting repairs that is the responsibility of local authorities as part of their ongoing repair and maintenance of local authority housing and without the support would most likely have remained vacant. The work undertaken through these programmes has been successful in avoiding units being left vacant and in time through planned maintenance there should be less need for the Voids programme.
210. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the advice he has received from the Department of Finance or elsewhere with regard to the likelihood that the submission his Department made to the European Fund for Strategic Investments for funding for the construction of 1,500 social housing units over three years will be successful; and the level of confidence he has that any housing projects will be successful in receiving funding from this source. [4711/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraInvestment in social housing through the public private partnership or PPP model is part of a wider plan to accelerate the supply of social housing, reflected in the second pillar of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing & Homelessness, launched in July 2016. To enable delivery to commence as quickly as possible, the PPP programme is being rolled-out in three bundles. The first bundle, comprising six PPP sites which are to provide over 500 units, primarily in the greater Dublin area, was announced in October 2015. The second bundle, comprising eight PPP sites which are to provide over 450 units across the country, was announced in June 2016. The identification and selection of sites for the third project bundle is currently underway and is expected to be finalised in early 2017. The PPP programme is being progressed in co-operation with the local authorities in each area.
The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) is acting as financial advisor to my Department and the relevant local authorities. In that context, a submission has been made through the NDFA to the European Investment Bank in respect of finance from the European Fund for Strategic Investments to support the provision of some 1,500 social housing units under the Social Housing Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme. The submission, which is in respect of a framework loan to provide financing to private sector partners to construct, finance, operate and maintain the housing to be delivered in each bundle, is being appraised by the EIB at present.
211. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to issue more directive or prescriptive guidelines to local authorities on density levels and height restrictions for new residential construction as part of his forthcoming national planning framework; his views on whether the existing density levels and height restrictions are appropriate in all areas of high housing demand or if there is scope for revision in some cases; and if the new office of planning regulator currently being considered by the Houses of the Oireachtas will have powers to direct local authorities to alter density levels and height restrictions in local area plans. [4712/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraA detailed and national level policy approach in relation to residential densities in urban areas has already been set out in my Department’s Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas, published in May 2009 under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. The objective of these Guidelines is to ensure local authorities bring about high quality and sustainable urban development using their development planning and management functions to deliver:
- quality homes and neighbourhoods;
- places where people want to live, work and raise families; and
- places that work in relation to the provision of infrastructure.
The Guidelines set out a broad and accepted policy context for achieving sustainable development by balancing the need to ensure the highest standards of residential design which encompasses building lay-out, design and heights and the need to ensure efficient use of scarce land and infrastructural resources and the avoidance of urban sprawl.
In particular, the Guidelines out line a range of densities appropriate to different location types, from lower densities in the range of 15 to 20 dwellings per hectare at the edges of smaller towns and villages for private site-type developments to densities in the range of 20 to 40 dwellings per hectare in more central or edge-of-centre sites in smaller towns, through to densities in the range of a minimum of 50 dwellings per hectare in larger urban areas along public transport corridors.
The Guidelines also place a heavy emphasis on the importance of public infrastructure, such as public transport, community and sports facilities, as densities increase towards more central urban locations, and of the development plan process in securing effective sustainable urban development outcomes.
However, the Guidelines do not set out specific policy advice in relation to height of buildings alone, in isolation from broader location, design and layout considerations nor would it be appropriate to do so, given variability in urban contexts and the inappropriateness of a “one size fits all” height policy for urban areas that can range from small villages to towns and cities and from suburban to city centre settings. Rather, it is a matter for local authorities to ensure the appropriate application of the Guidelines in their statutory development plan and development management processes.
In addition, the National Planning Framework, for which an initial public consultation process will be launched this week, will further develop the policy in this area, for example in relation to identifying potential to build up the population and economic vitality of city and town centre areas that in many cases have witnessed a sustained movement of people outwards to suburban and wider settings.
In relation to the Office of the Planning Regulator, for which statutory underpinning will be provided later this year, it is intended that the Office will be able to evaluate and carry out assessments relating to planning policy matters and provide observations and recommendations in relation to those matters, to conduct reviews and examinations of local authority systems and procedures and to conduct education and training programmes, and research in relation to planning matters more broadly. It is proposed that the Regulator may make recommendations to the Minister in relation to directing local authorities, as provided for under Section 31 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, in respect of the development plan decisions of local authority elected members but the power to issue a direct ion should continue to be held by the Minister who is accountable to the Oireachtas.
I therefore consider existing national level policy on residential density and efficient use of urban land to be clear and that, through the National Planning Framework, a concerted effort must be made to achieve more effective translation and implementation of that policy in local authority areas through the existing planning processes.
212. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his Department's involvement in reforming or designing a successor to the mortgage to rent scheme with the Department of Finance. [4713/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme for borrowers of private commercial lending institutions was introduced in 2012. The scheme is part of the overall suite of social housing options and is an important part of the mortgage arrears resolution process. Up to the end of December 2016, a total of 3,575 cases have been submitted under the MTR scheme. Of these, 2,723 were ineligible or terminated during the process, 217 have been completed with 635 applications being actively progressed. The reasons why a case has not progressed are varied and can depend on the lender, the property, the household and the ability of the Approved Housing Body sector to increase their involvement in the scheme. Statistical information relating to the Mortgage to Rent Scheme since its inception is available on the Housing Agency’s website at the following weblink: https://www.housingagency.ie/Our-Services/Housing-Supply-Services/Mortgage-to-Rent.aspx.
A number of amendments were made to the MTR Scheme in July 2015 to enable more properties to qualify for the scheme and to make the scheme more flexible and accessible to borrowers. Notwithstanding the amendments already made, the Government is committed to supporting households in long-term mortgage arrears to remain in their homes and included a review of the MTR Scheme as an action in Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The review of the Mortgage to Rent scheme is now being finalised and I expect it will recommend a number of changes to the current scheme to make it work better for borrowers.
