Written Answers Nos. 45-64
45. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the decision of the European Commission to launch legal proceedings against the Government for breach of the urban wastewater treatment directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8989/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (Council Directive 91/271/EEC) mandates waste water collection and treatment requirements for urban agglomerations. There are various deadlines for meeting the requirements of the Directive, one of which was the requirement for secondary treatment to be provided for all agglomerations which discharge to freshwaters and estuaries and have a population equivalent of over 2,000 by 31 December 2005. The Commission commenced an infringement process against Ireland regarding its implementation of the directive with a first letter of formal notice in September 2013. This was followed by a supplementary letter of formal notice in September 2015. A Reasoned Opinion was issued on 30 September 2016, with the Commission deciding to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the EU on 15 February 2017.
The supplementary letter of formal notice of September 2015 identified compliance concerns around a total of 82 agglomerations. In their responses to date, Ireland has satisfied the Commission that 44 agglomerations should be removed from the case. This indicates that considerable progress that has been made in addressing these issues. However, 38 agglomerations remain of concern to the Commission and have now been referred to the Court.
Since taking over responsibility for water services in January 2014, Irish Water has put in place a prioritised range of projects to deal with the historic deficits and lack of investment in waste water collection and treatment across the country. Irish Water has identified key projects, in both their current and recently approved future capital investment plans, to address all non-compliances in their waste water treatment plants by 2021 for each of the areas identified by the Commission in this ECJ case. The cost of these works is estimated at €1 billion.
However, further significant and sustained investment will be essential to ensure ongoing compliance, to cater for growth and to provide waste water services that protect the environment and meet our obligations under the Directive.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
46. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to address the high level of vacant and derelict buildings in town centres in County Offaly such as Banagher and Edenderry. [9032/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraPillar 5 of the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by the first quarter of 2017, informed by Census 2016 data, to inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country,
- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse.
To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for coordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group in September 2016 comprising of senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The Group is due to report by the end of the first quarter of 2017.
As indicated, it is intended to facilitate the development of a national database of vacant houses under the auspices of the National Vacant Housing Re-use Strategy. The database will aim to include:
- the number of vacant homes in each local authority area,
- the addresses of the vacant homes,
- the length of vacancy in each case, and
- the reason(s) for vacancy.
Work is progressing on identifying possible sources of data and information to assist in the most efficient means of compiling such a database .
In this context and further to Action 5.11 of Rebuilding Ireland, a Working Group, which I chair and which also involves senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and other relevant actors, has been established to bring forward proposals for new urban regeneration measures as early as possible. It is intended that the new measures will complement the existing regeneration activities under my Department's Social Housing Capital Programme, as well as other social regeneration initiatives already underway. I expect the Working Group to be in a position to report in Q2 2017.
Insofar as social housing initiatives are concerned, two new initiatives have been introduced to provide funding to bring vacant residential units back into use for social housing purposes. The Buy and Renew initiative offers opportunities for local authorities and, indeed, AHBs to purchase and renew premises in need of remediation, and make them available for social housing. The focus is on older stock, in particular, as part of the response that the authorities make in tackling dereliction and improving streetscapes in urban areas and towns. In that regard, an initial €25 million is available for Buy and Renew initiatives in 2017 and I propose to increase this to as much as €50 million in 2018 depending on demand, which should result in at least 400 - 500 renewed houses. Following the success of the initial pilot in Waterford and Carlow local authorities, the Repair and Leasing Scheme is being rolled out on a national basis from today. An additional €26m is being provided to fund the scheme in 2017, which brings the total amount of investment available this year to €32m. This additional investment in 2017 means that delivery under the scheme can be accelerated and up to 800 vacant properties across the country can be brought back into use as new homes for families on local authority waiting lists this year.
48. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when he will publish the new guidelines for wind farms. [9040/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed:
- the setting of a more stringent day and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments,
- a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations, and
- the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings.
A public consultation process was also initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the 2006 WindEnergy Development Guidelines, which ran until February 2014. The Department received submissions from 7,500 organisations and members of the public during this public consultation process.
In light of the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to finalise the Guidelines and on-going policy and legal developments in this area, my Department is continuing to advance work on the Guidelines and related matters in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, in order to bring the various issues to a conclusion as early as possible. I expect to be in a position to make a statement on the matter in the coming weeks, outlining the timelines for implementation of the various elements.
49. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status on the action plan target for removing the use of commercial hotels for short-term emergency homeless accommodation; and the alternatives that will be put in place. [9014/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Question No. 1 on today’s Order Paper.
50. 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 matter 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. [8830/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Question Nos.160 and 161 of 15 February 2017. The position is unchanged.
51. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the progress to date on his commitment to a group (details supplied), that all homeless families in emergency accommodation will be housed by July 2017; and the number of families registered as homeless seeking emergency accommodation since he made that commitment. [8978/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI made a commitment in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - published in July 2016 - that by mid-2017 hotels should only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families, months ahead of the engagement I had with the group referred to in late 2016/early 2017. As set out in Rebuilding Ireland, it is intended that the long-term housing needs of homeless families will be met through housing supports, such as the enhanced Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, and general social housing allocations. The increases in Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment levels from 1 July 2016, along with the recent rent predictability measures which include designated rent pressure zones, are playing an important role in terms of supporting families to remain in rented accommodation. The Dublin Region homeless pilot of HAP saw over 800 independent tenancies created for homeless households in 2016, well ahead of the target of 550. A further 1,200 tenancies are targeted for 2017 across the Dublin Region and this is on track for delivery, with over 300 tenancies for homeless households having been put in place since 1 January 2017. In addition to the usual local authority delivery channels, it is also expected that the Housing Agency programme to acquire 1,600 units will make a significant contribution, with approximately 330 units secured or bids accepted to date.
To mitigate the issues associated with the volume of homeless families currently accommodated in inappropriate commercial hotel arrangements, housing authorities are pursuing a range of temporary accommodation initiatives. These initiatives include the expanded Rapid Build Housing Programme set out under Rebuilding Ireland but also the procurement of a number of supported temporary accommodation arrangements. These supported temporary accommodation arrangements will provide accommodation for homeless families with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, while move-on options to long-term independent living are identified and secured. Furthermore, such arrangements will facilitate more coordinated needs assessment and support planning for access to all required services, including welfare, health and housing services.
The mid 2017 target is necessarily ambitious but I am happy to note positive progress in relation to family homelessness and the number of associated dependents in recent months. In this regard, the January 2017 national homelessness figures show a marginal decrease on the figures recorded in the previous two months and the volume of families accommodated in hotel arrangements in the Dublin Region has also decreased in a corresponding fashion. The official homelessness data reports published by my Department are produced using data provide d by housing authorities from the Pathway Accommodation & Support System, the single integrated national data information system on State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by housing authorities. These reports are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data
52. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the progress being made on putting in place a survey and register of vacant private properties in each local authority; and the reason there is no register or database detailing the number of local authority housing that is vacant. [9013/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraPillar 5 of the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by the first quarter of 2017, informed by Census 2016 data, to:
- inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country,
- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse
To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for coordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group in September 2016 comprising of senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The Group is due to report by the end of the first quarter of 2017.
As indicated, it is intended to facilitate the development of a national database of vacant houses under the auspices of the National Vacant Housing Re-use Strategy. The database will aim to include:
- the number of vacant homes in each local authority area,
- the addresses of the vacant homes,
- the length of vacancy in each case, and
- the reason(s) for vacancy.
Work is progressing on identifying possible sources of data and information to assist in the most efficient means of compiling such a database. It is intended that the register of vacant housing units will cover all vacant units, both private and state owned, that have the potential to be used for both private and social residential purposes, including individual houses, apartment blocks or individual units within blocks.
In November 2016, the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) published its report on the 2015 Performance Indicators for local authorities. The report includes various statistics on local authority housing stock, including the percentage of vacant units. The report is available at the following link:
http://noac.ie/noac-reports/.
53. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the potential that refurbished or converted spaces above commercial properties in town and city centres have for increasing residential supply; and if he is considering making changes to the building control regulations to facilitate the use of these spaces. [9015/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Question No. 3 on today’s Order Paper, which sets out the position on this matter.
54. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he has received returns from all local authorities regarding the audit of empty houses in their administrative areas; the substantive information that has been returned, if there are some that have supplied no information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8825/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraPillar 5 of the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by the first quarter of 2017, informed by Census 2016 data, to -
- inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country,
- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse
To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for coordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group in September 2016 comprising of senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The Group is due to report by the end of the first quarter of 2017.
As indicated, it is intended to facilitate the development of a national database of vacant houses under the auspices of the National Vacant Housing Re-use Strategy. The database will aim to include:
- the number of vacant homes in each local authority area,
- the addresses of the vacant homes,
- the length of vacancy in each case, and
- the reason(s) for vacancy.
Work is progressing on identifying possible sources of data and information to assist in the most efficient means of compiling such a database.
55. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to introduce an affordable housing scheme; and if so, the timeframe. [8995/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have currently no plans to reintroduce an Affordable Housing Purchase Scheme. However, a range of measures are being taken under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness to increase housing supply overall, with the aim of creating a functioning and sustainable housing system which can meet housing demand at more affordable prices. The plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system. Pillar 3, entitled Build More Homes, has a key objective of increasing the output of private housing to meet demand at affordable prices, including by
- Opening up land supply and State lands including the Major Urban Housing Development Sites initiative, which identified large-scale sites in the main cities that are capable of delivering significant homes in the short to medium term to boost overall housing supply;
- €200m Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund;
- National Treasury Management Agency financing of large-scale “on-site” infrastructure;
- Planning Reforms;
- Putting in place a National Planning Framework and land management actions;
- Efficient design and delivery methods to lower housing delivery costs;
- Measures to support construction innovation and skills.
Pillar 4 of the Plan, entitled Improve the Rental Sector, 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 now being progressed through kick-starting supply in rent pressure zones.
Other measures taken to increase the supply of housing include -
- The enhanced supply of more affordable starter homes in key locations through a targeted rebate of development contributions in Dublin and Cork for housing supplied under certain price levels;
- New National Apartment Planning Guidelines, reducing the cost of apartment building;
- Changes to aspects of the operation of Strategic Development Zones to enable swifter adjustments to meet market requirements;
- A vacant sites levy.
In addition, the Help to Buy incentive is designed to assist first-time buyers with obtaining the deposit required to purchase or self-build a new house or apartment to live in as their home. The incentive provides for a refund of Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid over the previous four tax years to first-time buyers.
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/reliefs/htb/index.html .
It might also be noted that a first time buyer who is unable to get a loan from a building society or bank may be eligible for a mortgage from the local authority, in cases where the gross income (before tax) is €50,000 or less for a single income household or €75,000 or less in the case of a double income household. The loan can be up to 97% of the price of the house subject to a maximum loan of €200,000. Also first time buyers can apply for a Home Choice Loan to purchase a new or second hand property or build their own home. Home Choice Loan provides up to 92% of the market value of a property purchased, subject to a maximum loan amount of €285,000. Further information is available at
www.homechoiceloan.ie.
57. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will recruit new staff to ensure each local authority has a housing assistance payment, HAP, team that will provide practical assistance to applicants to find tenancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8948/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraA key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector, which best suits their needs in their area of choice. Local authorities do not source accommodation for HAP supported tenancies. However, a dedicated placement team, the Dublin Placefinder Service, has been established to engage directly with property owners and support homeless households to find suitable tenancies under the Homeless Pilot of the HAP scheme which is being operated in the Dublin Region on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities.
Cork City Council has established a Cork City Homeless Placefinder Service which will entail a dedicated resource that will operate together with the established HAP delivery team in the local authority. It will be charged with seeking out potential properties suitable for households currently identified as homeless by Cork City Council by establishing relationships with local property agents and landlords and liaising with individual households to establish their specific housing needs. The Service will also support homeless households to negotiate the tenancy agreements and where necessary, secure a deposit and up-front rent payment. I have no plans currently to expand this service beyond Dublin and Cork.
With regard to the recruitment of staff for the operation of the HAP scheme, under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for staffing and organisation arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, it is a matter, in the first instance, for Chief Executives, to ensure that the appropriate staffing and staffing structures are in place.
My Department works closely with all local authorities and all have been invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate the delivery of housing services. Each staffing sanction request is examined, on a case by case basis, having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints.
To date, My Department has approved 83 staffing applications from local authorities in relation to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. This includes sanctioned posts related to staffing needs of the central transactional shared service being provided by Limerick City and County Council to all local authorities operating the HAP scheme. The HAP Shared Services Centre, which is the primary administrative support to HAP local authorities, is responsible for a range of functions including monthly payments to landlords and the collection of weekly differential rent from tenants and provides a range of efficiencies in the operation of the scheme.
In order to cover staffing and administrative costs arising from the operation of the HAP scheme in their area, local authorities are provided with a direct once-off administrative payment of €150 per household set up under the HAP scheme. Some €1.8m was paid by my Department in HAP administration costs directly to local authorities in 2016. This stream of funding continues to be available in 2017.
58. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on comments in the ninth report of the special rapporteur on child protection that the State is in breach of its international obligations due to the numbers of children in emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7087/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer the Deputy to my reply to his previous question on this issue, Parliamentary Question No. 461 of 17 January 2017.
The Report refers to the work of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which reviewed Ireland’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights during 2015. The UN Committee had expressed concern at the housing situation in Ireland, and noted in particular the limited supply of social housing and the level of homelessness amongst families and children.
However, as I indicated previously, the UN Committee’s observations were made on the basis of the position at the end of 2015. Since then the Government has published Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. Urgent action is being taken to deal with the challenges that currently exist in the housing sector and which were referred to by the UN Committee. The Plan sets out a clear roadmap to achieve the Government’s goals to significantly increase and expedite the delivery of social housing, boost private housing construction, improve the rental market, and deliver on the commitment to see housing supply, in overall terms, more than double to some 25,000 new homes every year by 2020. With regard to social housing, 47,000 new social housing units will be provided by 2021 at a cost of €5.35 billion.
The Plan has a particular focus on meeting the housing needs of the most vulnerable members of Irish society. It is recognised that accommodating family units in hotels is inappropriate for anything other than a short period of time and a very clear target has been set to ensure that by mid-2017, hotels are used only in very limited circumstances for emergency accommodation for families.
59. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he has reviewed the findings of the expert panel set up to review the mica issue; the details of those findings; the timeframe for a decision on putting a redress scheme in place to provide financial assistance to affected home owners following on from the panel's report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8837/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra72. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the work of the expert panel set up to examine the mica issue; when the panel will report its findings to his department; the timeframe for a decision on putting a redress scheme in place to provide financial assistance to affected home owners following on from the panel's report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8834/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 72 together.
An expert panel on concrete blocks was established by my Department in April 2016 to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Donegal and Mayo. The panel have the following terms of reference:-
(i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the Counties of Donegal and Mayo;
(ii) To carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected homeowners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings;
(iii) To outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and
(iv) To submit a report within six months.
The expert panel on concrete blocks met on twelve occasions since it was first established and a similar number of meetings have taken place with key stakeholders, including affected homeowners, the elected members of Donegal and Mayo County Councils, local authority officials, industry bodies, academics, public representatives and other interested parties. A substantial volume of information has been provided by affected homeowners in both counties, as well as from Donegal and Mayo County Councils; additional information was also provided through the consultation process.
The panel have now concluded their meetings and are in the process of finalising their report, which I anticipate shortly. In this regard, I will await the outcome of the panel’s report before considering what further actions may be required to assist the parties directly involved in reaching a satisfactory resolution to the problems that have emerged in the two counties.
60. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the concerns of many rural communities regarding the outdated and inadequate guidelines for windfarms; the stage at which the new guidelines are at in view of the fact that they are long overdue; and when he will publish them. [5805/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed:
- the setting of a more stringent day and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments,
- a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations, and
- the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings.
A public consultation process was also initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines, which ran until February 2014. The Department received submissions from 7,500 organisations and members of the public during this public consultation process.
In light of the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to finalise the Guidelines and on-going policy and legal developments in this area, my Department is continuing to advance work on the Guidelines and related matters in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, in order to bring the various issues to a conclusion as early as possible. I expect to be in a position to make a statement on the matter in the coming weeks, outlining the timelines for implementation of the various elements.
61. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied with the accuracy and timeliness of the housing and homelessness statistics published by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9037/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department publishes a wide range of housing and homelessness related statistics on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. The data are collected, validated and published following internal consideration. The datasets published derive from data collected from a wide range of different sources including administrative data sets shared by other Public Bodies, such as the Building Control Management System (BCMS) and the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), and by way of regular surveys of local authorities and lending agencies.
My Department intends to expand its Statistics and Data Analytics Unit during 2017 and, on an on-going basis, and reflecting the commitment to the highest quality of customer service, will continue to explore the potential for improvements to current data collection and dissemination methodologies and processes.
62. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the amount that has been lent to local authorities from the Housing Finance Agency for public housing build since it was set up; the detail of the local authorities that have drawn down the moneys; and the projected house build from these loans to date. [9012/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver the last 35 years, since its inception in 1982, the Housing Finance Agency has lent €9.046 billion to local authorities for housing related purposes. The table details these loans by individual local authority, and the amounts outstanding as at 31 December 2016. House-build information in respect of these loan advances is not available, as such details are not provided to the Housing Finance Agency by local authorities.
|
Loans advanced to 31 December 2016 |
Loans outstanding 31 December 2016 |
|
|
Local Authority |
€ |
€ |
|
Carlow County Council |
92,560,143 |
39,956,147 |
|
Cavan County Council |
52,147,252 |
21,691,762 |
|
Clare County Council |
121,542,121 |
43,691,754 |
|
Cork County Council |
892,774,350 |
349,459,443 |
|
Donegal County Council |
275,674,563 |
104,877,413 |
|
Galway County Council |
166,723,569 |
39,713,331 |
|
Galway City Council |
254,139,351 |
68,191,642 |
|
Kerry County Council |
164,933,855 |
70,831,611 |
|
Kildare County Council |
211,465,480 |
97,683,047 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
159,241,729 |
55,203,980 |
|
Laois County Council |
256,503,594 |
108,957,504 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
21,672,332 |
5,974,767 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
191,072,363 |
73,083,745 |
|
Longford County Council |
92,812,943 |
33,148,143 |
|
Louth County Council |
225,956,827 |
152,227,202 |
|
Mayo County Council |
213,199,791 |
116,479,122 |
|
Meath County Council |
166,256,171 |
77,728,008 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
69,965,320 |
21,354,992 |
|
Offaly County Council |
88,243,128 |
35,375,408 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
53,924,071 |
27,471,199 |
|
Sligo County Council |
199,394,432 |
99,464,513 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
185,381,130 |
95,116,166 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
173,765,126 |
75,146,961 |
|
Wexford County Council |
217,726,825 |
126,343,907 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
173,379,634 |
83,071,953 |
|
Cork City Council |
277,042,747 |
122,338,275 |
|
Dublin City Council |
2,161,900,156 |
539,686,361 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
267,739,078 |
130,451,899 |
|
Fingal County Council |
868,710,736 |
318,986,077 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
516,987,801 |
206,014,985 |
|
Dunlaoghaire/Rathdown County Council |
228,124,165 |
132,128,528 |
|
Total |
9,040,960,786 |
3,471,849,845 |
63. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the review of the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP; and his plans to review the tendering process introduced in 2014. [8993/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2016 Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) Mid-Year and 2015 End-of-Year reports, are available on the Pobal website at the following links:
https://www.pobal.ie/Publications/Documents/SICAP%20Mid%20Year%20Report%202016.pdf.
https://www.pobal.ie/Publications/Documents/SICAP%20End%20of%20Year%20Report%202015%20FINAL.pdf.
These reports are compiled from the results of performance reviews carried out by the various Local Community Development Committees and the SICAP Programme Implementers on a twice yearly basis.
In addition to these reviews, my Department, in collaboration with Pobal and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), is undertaking a programme of evaluation of SICAP which commenced in late 2016. The programme is also subject to evaluation as a recipient of co-funding under the European Social Fund Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.
The method for establishing contracts for the new SICAP programme, commensurate with the legal requirements, compliance with the Public Spending Code and value for money considerations, is currently under consideration in my Department.
64. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the latest phase of rapid build social housing projects are costing on average €240,000 per unit; and his views on whether this cost can be justified in comparison to the average cost of providing standard social housing, acquisitions, refurbishments, repair and lease scheme units and repair and purchase scheme units. [8991/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraRapid build schemes completed and tendered to date compare favourably with the cost of standard social housing build units and acquisitions in the vicinity. I do not anticipate any significant departure from normal build costs.
While rapid build schemes have the potential to carry a construction cost premium for accelerated delivery, the experience to date indicates that this is off-set by the reduction in overall construction timeline.
It should be noted that all rapid build homes are required to comply with the minimum standards of the Building Regulations, including the requirement for key elements of rapid build homes to have a 60 year durability. It should be noted also that the progression of the rapid build programme is not resulting in other social housing delivery mechanisms being discontinued. A wide range of delivery schemes are operated by my Department as part of a blended approach to social housing delivery. My Department continues to be available to engage with all local authorities in relation to the use of all schemes in their areas.
