Wednesday, 15 Feb 2017

Written Answers Nos. 153 - 163

Capital Assistance Scheme

Ceisteanna (153)

Declan Breathnach

Ceist:

153. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if €86 million was allocated to capital assistance scheme projects in 2016; the amount of this allocation that was actually spent on CAS projects; if all CAS applications received were considered for funding; the areas to which the balance of the allocation for CAS projects not used for CAS projects went; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7464/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Funding availability under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) for 2016 was €86m. Despite there being a substantial pipeline of project approvals in place under the Scheme, progress in 2016 was slower than expected and the final funding drawdown for the year was €37m. CAS applications in 2016 were received up to the end of the year and all are being considered for funding. It is normal that CAS applications received in one year might be funded in a subsequent year or, where construction activity is involved, across a couple of years.

Funding not drawn down under CAS in 2016 was reallocated to other social housing delivery programmes delivered by local authorities and by AHBs. My Department will be continuing to fund CAS in 2017 and I am keen to see as much progress as possible in delivering social housing under the Scheme.

Library Services

Ceisteanna (154)

John Brassil

Ceist:

154. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government ,further to Parliamentary Question No. 264 of 7 February 2017, if he will ascertain directly from the LGMA (details supplied), if any cost-benefit analysis was carried out regarding the issuing of a state-wide book tendering process which has resulted in the tender contract being signed whereby four of the six available were secured by Irish businesses and two have been secured by businesses based outside of the country; the details of the breakdown of the six lots and the monetary value of the tenders awarded, for example, each lot numbered and the amount of the contract attributed to it stating which are Irish and which are non-Irish, including the duration of the contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7468/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

As advised in the reply to Question No. 264 of 7 February 2017, the information requested in respect of the national library book-stock tender managed by the Local Government Management Agency is a matter for that body. Arrangements have been put in place by bodies under the aegis of the Department to facilitate the provision of information by those bodies directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for the Local Government Management Agency is [e-mail].

Capital Assistance Scheme

Ceisteanna (155)

Declan Breathnach

Ceist:

155. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of an application for capital assistance scheme funding (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a company (details supplied) submitted a proposal to his Department through Louth County Council in this case in 2016 and has not yet received a reply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7471/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Louth County Council have just recently furnished to my Department a capital appraisal including a feasibility study in order for a full assessment of this project to be carried out. On the basis that the material submitted meets the requirements of the Scheme, a Stage 1 approval shall issue without delay.

It should be noted that progress on CAS projects can be considerably slower than expected for a range of reasons, and as with any house acquisition or transfer, there can be considerations around legal matters, suitability, costs and value for money etc. It is also important that all adaptations suggested are sufficient to meet the needs of the proposed CAS tenants.

My Department is anxious to see as much progress as possible in delivering social housing under the Capital Assistance Scheme and funding will continue to be made available under this scheme in 2017.

Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility

Ceisteanna (156, 157)

Niamh Smyth

Ceist:

156. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of persons in counties Cavan and Monaghan who applied for Part V of the tenant purchase scheme in the past ten years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7493/17]

Niamh Smyth

Ceist:

157. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the change to the tenant purchase scheme which is excluding Part V applicants in the tenant purchase scheme in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7494/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 157 together.

The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support for at least 1 year.

The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 governing the Scheme provides for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including units provided to the Local Authorities under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, houses specifically designed for older persons, group Traveller housing and houses provided to facilitate people with disabilities transferring from institutional care to community-based living.

The provisions of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, are designed to enable the development of mixed tenure sustainable communities. Part V units are excluded from the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme to ensure that units delivered under this mechanism will remain available for people in need of social housing support and that the original policy goals of the legislation are not eroded over time.

My Department does not hold information on the number of households that have applied to purchase Part V housing through the tenant purchase scheme. The management of the scheme is a matter for individual housing authorities.

In line with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government and reaffirmed in Rebuilding Ireland; Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, a review of the first 12 months of operation of the scheme is currently being undertaken by my Department. Any changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme which are considered necessary based on the evidence gathered will be brought forward. I expect this review to be completed by the end of Quarter 1 2017.

Housing Policy

Ceisteanna (158)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

158. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his Department's policy relating to the housing of homeless families in family-type accommodation; if he has instructed all local authorities, including those in the midlands, to offer family specific accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7523/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

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 homeless services, including accommodation, rests with individual housing authorities. I am satisfied that housing authorities are currently making every effort to make the most suitable accommodation possible available to homeless households seeking emergency accommodation.

Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness acknowledges that the use of hotels as emergency accommodation for families for long periods of time is inappropriate and unsustainable. Accordingly, the Plan includes a commitment that, by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families. Full details and timeframes in relation to the range of actions to address family homelessness are set out in Rebuilding Ireland, which is available on the www.rebuildingireland.ie website.

Water Conservation Grant

Ceisteanna (159)

John Lahart

Ceist:

159. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of applications that were received for the water conservation grant since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7526/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

The Water Conservation Grant was introduced in 2015 as part of the Government's revised package of water measures, announced in November 2014. The scheme assisted in the promotion of water conservation and sustainable use of water services in the homes of both customers and non-customers of Irish Water.

The 2015 €100 Water Conservation Grant was available to all households that satisfied the following criteria: the property was registered with Irish Water on or before 30 June 2015; the person applying for the grant was normally resident in the property on 30 June 2015; and the application was being made in respect of a principal private residence.

The Water Conservation Grant was administered by the Department of Social Protection on behalf of my Department. The 2015 Water Conservation Grant has been paid to 890,104 applicants.

Local Authority Boundaries

Ceisteanna (160, 161)

Bobby Aylward

Ceist:

160. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide a detailed explanatory brief and timeline to outline the process of examining the report of the Waterford boundary review committee as part of the overall report on local government matters to be submitted to the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas in mid-2017, as previously stated; if he will expedite the process of examining the report of the Waterford boundary review committee to conclude the matter as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7595/17]

Bobby Aylward

Ceist:

161. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will disregard the recommendations contained in the report of the Waterford boundary review committee, in view of the near 20,000 persons who made submissions against the proposal; if he will discontinue, dismantle and disembowel every element of this process indefinitely with immediate effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7596/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together.

The recommendations in the report of the independent committee which reviewed the local authority boundary at Waterford have significant implications and it would not be appropriate to make rushed decisions in that regard. I will be considering the report and its implications very carefully in the context both of ongoing work in relation to the future of local government in Ireland and also the development of Ireland 2040, the new National Planning Framework, over the coming months.

Animal Welfare

Ceisteanna (162)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Ceist:

162. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the Revised Draft of Dog Breeding Establishment Guidelines, November 2016, which have been published recently apply to dog boarding kennels or just to dog breeding operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7742/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Section 2 of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 defines a dog breeding establishment as ‘‘a premises at which bitches are kept, not less than 6 of which are:

(a) more than 6 months old, and

(b) capable of being used for breeding purposes, but shall not include a local authority pound”.

The current dog breeding establishment guidelines and the revised draft guidelines, the subject of the current public consultation process, apply to all premises as defined in the Act.

Water Services

Ceisteanna (163)

Eoin Ó Broin

Ceist:

163. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government ,further to Parliamentary Question No. 268 of 24 January 2017, the annual cost to the Exchequer if the existing subsidy to domestic group and private water users covered the full operating costs of providing water for domestic use; and the number of domestic group and water users who currently benefit from the subsidy. [7750/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

I refer to the reply to Question Number 268 of 24 January 2017.

The following table sets out the number of group water schemes, and their associated number of domestic connections, benefiting from subsidy payments in 2014 - 2015. Final figures for the number of group water schemes, and their associated number of domestic connections, benefiting from subsidy payments in 2016 will not be available until mid 2017 (as scheme details are verified in the first half of the following year).

Year	No. of Group Water Schemes	No. of Domestic Connections
2014	732	93,743
2015	700	95,067