Written Answers Nos. 39-46
40. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of newly built social housing units that have been constructed in Dublin 16 and 24 in the past 12 months in tabular form. [16993/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra62. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of newly built social housing units that have been constructed in Dublin 8 and 12 in the past 12 months in tabular form. [17116/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 62 together.
My Department has published a comprehensive status list of all social housing construction schemes that are advancing nationwide, as at end-Quarter 4 of 2016. Over 500 approved schemes were listed that, when completed, will deliver some 8,500 new social homes. The schemes range from those that are being designed, through to those currently on site and those completed in 2016. It showed that over 650 new social houses were built in 2016 and a further 90 schemes, delivering over 1,800 newly built social houses, went on site last year.
Details of the individual projects involved are set out in the status list, which is available on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-developments/.
A range of other actions are also underway by local authorities to respond to housing need. These include targeted acquisitions, the new Repair and Leasing initiative, rapid delivery housing, and the full roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme.
41. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will address the inadequacies with the new housing assistance payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16800/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) provides fast, flexible housing support to households in an area of their choice. Individuals with a housing need who in the past were reluctant to avail of full time work as they would lose their Rent Supplement support, can now move to HAP, avail of full-time work and retain their housing support.
HAP is now available nationwide to all eligible households in all local authority areas. HAP has been rolled out on a phased basis since September 2014 with 7 local authorities delivering the scheme initially, 11 more authorities added in 2015, 10 added in 2016 and the final 3 Dublin authorities providing HAP from 1 March 2017. The phased nature of the HAP roll-out has allowed for significant learning in the operation of the scheme. In this way, new HAP authorities have benefitted from the experience of those authorities where the scheme has been previously operational. At the end of Quarter 1 2017, there were more than 19,600 households being supported by the scheme. Some 300 additional households are currently having their housing need met each week by HAP, with a total of 3,765 HAP tenancies set-up in the first quarter of 2017.
As HAP is a social housing support and consequently households are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list, Ministerial directions have issued to ensure that, should they so choose, HAP recipients can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support through a transfer list. With the completion of the HAP roll-out and the ending of the scheme’s pilot phase, I recently signed a Ministerial Direction instructing local authorities to continue to offer HAP tenants access to other forms of social housing through the transfer list.
A new HAP website, www.hap.ie, was recently launched and provides prospective HAP tenants and landlords with the information that they need to better understand how HAP works. I am satisfied with how the HAP scheme is operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme committed to under Rebuilding Ireland.
42. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to planning concerns at Wicklow County Council which successive Ministers have committed to examining; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17114/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraCorrespondence received in relation to a number of complaints regarding certain matters in County Wicklow is being considered. A reply will issue in due course.
43. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to bring forward legislation to amend the Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 in order that the remediation scheme would be based on the presence of pyrite rather than significant damage. [16805/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website, www.pyriteboard.ie.
The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material - Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In this regard, it is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. Dwellings which do not have a Damage Condition Rating of 2 are not eligible to apply under the scheme. This ensures that, having regard to available resources, the focus of the scheme is on dwellings which are most severely damaged by pyritic heave.
The Report of the Pyrite Panel (June 2012) recommended a categorisation system as a means of prioritising pyrite remediation works in recognition of the expensive and intrusive nature of pyrite remediation and the unpredictability of pyritic heave. The independent Pyrite Panel was clear in its view that only dwellings with significant damage due to pyritic heave should be remediated and that it would be unreasonable to expect dwellings not exhibiting such damage to be remediated. Dwellings which have no significant damage but have reactive pyrite in the hardcore should be monitored and only remediated if they display significant damage due to pyritic heave. This remains the position with regard to dwellings which do not display significant pyritic damage.
44. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will evaluate the current pyrite remediation scheme; the action he intends to take to support homeowners whose property currently has category 1 status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17095/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website, www.pyriteboard.ie.
The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In this regard, it is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. Dwellings which do not have a Damage Condition Rating of 2 are not eligible to apply under the scheme. This ensures that, having regard to available resources, the focus of the scheme is on dwellings which are most severely damaged by pyritic heave. I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion.
45. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if a community and youth centre will be included in the plans for the redevelopment of O'Devaney Gardens in Dublin 7; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16822/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe O’Devaney Gardens site is well served by existing community facilities in the form of schools, sports halls, parish centres etc. It is considered that new residential homes will help to support existing facilities in the area.
In addition, the close proximity of the new DIT Grangegorman campus with its sporting and recreational facilities (gyms, swimming pool, etc.) and the commitment to provide access to the local community by way of community gain will also greatly enhance the range of facilities in the locality.
The issue of whether a community and youth centre should be included in the re-development of O’Devaney Gardens is a matter for Dublin City Council, in the first instance.
