Written Answers Nos. 717-740
717. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of social houses that he anticipates will finish construction between 10 October 2017 and the end of 2017; the estimated number of these that will be ready for occupation, by scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42659/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra718. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of social houses that have been built to date in 2017 and that are ready for occupation, by scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42660/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra719. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to the Taoiseach's recent statement and his own comments that 3,800 social houses would be built in 2018, the locations these houses will be built, by scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42661/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 717 to 719, inclusive, together.
My Department publishes comprehensive status reports on a quarterly basis of all social housing construction schemes for all local authority areas, showing details such as their locations and a range of information relating to their advancement.
The most recent of these reports covers the period up to the end of quarter 2 of 2017; it contains information on the almost 700 schemes or phases of schemes - delivering 11,000 new social homes - currently approved and progressing through planning, design, construction. It also contains details of the homes delivered in 2016 and to the end of quarter 2 of 2017. The report can be accessed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/.
Over 100 of the listed projects are complete, involving over 1,100 new homes, all of which I would expect local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to have tenanted by now. A further 160 schemes were on-site and under construction at the end of quarter 2 and which are delivering around 2,700 new homes. The precise timing for the advancement of each of these projects, including completion dates and tenanting, is a matter for the relevant local authorities and approved housing bodies. It will be these schemes that will form the basis for construction delivery between now and the end of 2017 and during 2018, when we are targeting the delivery of 3,800 newly built homes by local authorities and approved housing bodies under a range of different initiatives such as local authority construction, rapid delivery, regeneration programmes and construction and turnkey developments.
My Department also publishes statistics on the number of properties constructed by all local authorities and approved housing bodies for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists, which can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Information on quarter two of 2017 is currently being finalised and will be published shortly, with information on quarter three of 2017 to follow thereafter.
In Budget 2017, an increased investment of €1.3 billion was provided for housing, which is supporting the delivery of over 21,000 social housing solutions this year. Over 5,000 of these will be delivered through our capital programme of building, acquiring, refurbishing and leasing homes to be made available to those on our social housing waiting lists.
Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as they are developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing construction programmes as speedily as possible, and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.
722. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of houses that were completed and ready for occupation during 2016 in each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42664/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver 19,000 households were housed last year under the range of Social Housing Programmes. Statistics on the number of social housing properties constructed, purchased and leased by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies are published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
In terms of overall housing construction, the ESB residential connections dataset provides the best available indicator, at this point in time, that a residential unit is becoming available for occupation. A comprehensive list of the number of ESB residential connections, broken down by Local Authority area from 1996 onwards, is available through the following link on my Department’s website:http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-building-and-private-rented/construction-activity-esb-connections.
My Department and the CSO are working with the ESB in order to provide a more detailed breakdown of the ESB connections dataset. Once additional ESB data is received by the CSO, it will be further analysed and matched to other datasets with initial results expected by the end of the year.
In parallel, my Department, through a special Housing Data Analytics Group, HDAG, is also working with the CSO and other public sector bodies, such as the Housing Agency, Central Bank, ESRI, Department of Finance, SOLAS and local authorities, to further refine and improve housing activity statistics and data more generally. The HDAG is also consulting with residential construction industry sources on this topic.
723. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42694/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 612 of 3 October 2017 which sets out the position in this matter.
724. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the corporate policy groups and strategic policy committees guidelines for the establishment and operation issued by his Department in June 2014 under section 133 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended by section 48 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 intended to expand the role, function and responsibilities of corporate policy groups beyond policy matters and as defined by section 133(2)(a) of the 2001 Act (details supplied); if the corporate policy group would, in this new role, be empowered to organise the business of the elected council; if so, the reference in section 133 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended by section 48 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, from which such powers, functions or responsibilities sourced for inclusion in the guidelines issued by his Department are sourced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42707/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra744. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the corporate policy groups and strategic policy committees guidelines for the establishment and operation issued by his Department in June 2014 (details supplied) intended to expand the role, function and responsibilities of corporate policy groups beyond policy matters (details supplied); if the corporate policy group in the new role would be empowered to organise the business of the elected council; if so, the location in section 133 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, in which such powers, functions or responsibilities are sourced for inclusion in the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42392/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 724 and 744 together.
The Guidelines issued by my Department under section 133(10) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, in relation to the Corporate Policy Groups, CPGs, and section 54(2) of the same Act in relation to Strategic Policy Committees, SPCs, provide a common general framework for the establishment and operation of the CPG and SPC structures.
The roles of the CPG is strategic in that it links and co-ordinates the work of the different SPCs. In this regard, the CPG may advise and assist the elected council in policy matters, the preparation of a draft corporate plan and the preparation of a draft budget for the local authority. The CPG may also promote co-ordination and avoidance of duplication in the discharge of reserved functions as between municipal districts and the local authority.
Full decision-making authority remains with the elected council. As independent statutory bodies it is a matter for each local authority to establish and operate its own CPG in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions and the guidelines issued thereunder.
725. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his Department is preparing a policy to deal with abandoned water assets, such as unused water towers; if so, the details of the policy; when it will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42713/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides for the transfer, by Ministerial Order, of the property of a water services authority (a city or county council) to Irish Water. Up to the end of September 2017, 11 Ministerial Orders have been made to transfer water services assets, including underground assets, from the local authorities to Irish Water.
In relation to obsolete assets, it was not envisaged by the legislative framework that assets no longer deployed for or not intrinsically linked to water services purposes would transfer to Irish Water. The Water Services Reform Implementation Group which includes representatives from my Department, local authorities and Irish Water, is currently considering the approach to be taken in relation to a range of water services legacy issues following the establishment of Irish Water. These issues include the approach to be taken with regard to dealing with obsolete water services assets.
726. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if seaweed harvesters, who for more than 20 years have been cutting seaweed on a set area of State-owned foreshore and or taking dislodged seaweed cast up on a particular stretch of seashore, can register their traditional rights under the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009; the other options available to register their traditional right; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42748/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have no statutory role in the registration of rights under the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act. Under the Foreshore Act 1933, I am responsible for regulating the harvesting of wild seaweed. My Department has been engaged in extensive consultations with key stakeholders and the Attorney General with a view to bringing forward a modern regulatory foreshore regime that harnesses the economic potential within our marine environment, while also protecting and managing this unique resource. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement on developments in this regard before the end of the year.
727. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the powers he has delegated to the Ministers of State in his Department; the date on which such delegation was made; if there were changes in powers delegated relative to the situation in place prior to 14 June 2017; if so, the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42783/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are two Ministers of State assigned to my Department: Minister of State Deputy Damien English and Minister of State Deputy John Paul Phelan.
A range of responsibilities in the areas of Planning, Housing, Marine and Foreshore, and Fire Services have been assigned to Minister of State Deputy English. These functions include oversight of the implementation of local authority Development Plans and Local Area Plans; aspects of student accommodation relevant to my Department; responsibility for the Approved Housing Bodies (Regulation) Bill and establishment of a statutory Regulator as well as coordination of the Government response to Unfinished Housing Developments and housing for older people, people with a disability and policy surrounding Traveller accommodation; functions under the Foreshore Act 1933, including assessment of foreshore leases and licences; and responsibility for the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management.
The detailed legislative powers delegated to Minister of State Deputy English are outlined in the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order 2017, which was signed on 26 July 2017.
These powers and responsibilities have changed somewhat since 14 June 2017. In his previous role as Minister of State in the then Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Minister of State Deputy English had responsibilities in relation to certain elements of Housing and Planning along with certain responsibilities in the Community area which have now transferred to the Department of Rural and Community Development. The related legislative powers which were delegated to Minister of State Deputy English under my predecessor are outlined in the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 which was signed on 28 March 2017.
Responsibility for substantial elements of policy and legislation in the areas of Local Government and Electoral Reform have been assigned to Minister of State Deputy Phelan. The preparation of an Order to delegate the extensive associated legislative powers is well under way and the final Order is expected to be submitted to Government in the coming weeks.
728. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his views on the requirement being made of families who are in mortgage and financial distress to pay their water charges before they are allowed to participate in the mortgage-to-rent scheme in view of the ending of water charges and the process of repayment of these charges. [42841/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra734. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of persons who have been approved for the mortgage-to-rent scheme; the number of persons who have successfully achieved a completed mortgage-to-rent; and the number of persons who have been forced to pay for outstanding water charges before they can avail of a mortgage-to-rent agreement. [42933/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 728 and 734 together.
Since the introduction of the Mortgage to Rent, MTR, Scheme in 2012, a total of 3,765 cases have been submitted under the scheme to the end of September 2017. Of the 3,765 cases submitted, 2,909 were ineligible or terminated during the process. Of the remaining cases submitted, 282 have been completed, and the remaining 574 are actively being progressed.
The Housing Agency publishes, on a quarterly basis, detailed statistical information on the operation of the MTR scheme. This information is available on the Agency's website at the following link:https://www.housingagency.ie/our-services/housing-supply-services/mortgage-to-rent.aspx.
Under Section 3(A) of the Water Services Act 2014 (inserted by Section 48 of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015), an owner of a dwelling who proposes to sell that dwelling shall, before completion of the sale, pay to Irish Water any charge in respect of the dwelling which is payable by the owner. The owner must also provide to his or her solicitor either a certificate of discharge from Irish Water confirming that any charge in respect of the dwelling owed to Irish Water has been paid or a statement from Irish Water that any charge in respect of the dwelling is not the liability of the owner.
Irish Water is still accepting payments where there is an outstanding balance and issuing a Certificate of Discharge. These people will be entitled to a refund once the Water Services Bill 2017, which I am currently bringing through the Houses of the Oireachtas, is enacted.
729. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the membership of the working group established by the Housing Agency; the position of each; the number of times the group has met; the input the group has had into the national vacant housing reuse strategy; the nature of the input; if he will provide a copy of its submission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42845/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra730. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the national vacant housing reuse strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42846/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 729 and 730 together.
Action 5.1 of the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland, which was published in July 2016, commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy 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 six months) in high demand areas; and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse.
The Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group in September 2016 comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The working group met six times between November 2016 and March 2017.
My Department received the output of the working group in June 2017 and is presently engaging with key Departments and Agencies with a view to finalising the strategy and publishing it in the near future.
731. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the register of vacant sites for Galway city and County Galway; the number and location of vacant sites on the register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42847/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at incentivising the development of vacant, under-utilised sites in urban areas. Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their areas, beginning on 1 January 2017, and to issue annual notices to owners of vacant sites by 1 June 2018 in respect of vacant sites on the register on 1 January 2018. The levy will be applied by planning authorities, commencing on 1 January 2019, in respect of sites which were vacant and on the vacant site register during the year 2018 and will subsequently be applied on an annual basis thereafter, as long as a site remains on the vacant site register in the preceding year.
Planning authorities are presently engaging in the necessary preparatory work, prior to the application of the levy with effect from January 2019 in respect of sites identified on the register in 2018. As required under the Act, this includes the identification of specific vacant sites for entry on the register as well as the registered owners of the sites in question along with undertaking a site valuation. Vacant site registers were established in January 2017 by planning authorities and the registers will be populated as the preparatory work progresses during the year.
At this time, Galway city and Galway County Council are undertaking the necessary preparatory work before entering sites on their register. A number of sites have been identified in Galway city as possibly falling under the levy requirements. The council is currently ascertaining the ownership of these sites and whether they meet the criteria to have the levy applied. Furthermore, in the county area, the council is presently engaged in an assessment of all potential vacant sites in the county as part of a review of Statutory Local Area Plans, in accordance with the provisions of the legislation.
732. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number and location of units purchased by Galway City Council and Galway County Council under the buy-and-renew scheme; the number that have been made available for social housing; the expected date by which the remaining units will be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42848/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Buy & Renew initiative is in the early stages of being implemented across all local authorities. However, we are seeing positive signs of its potential to deliver new social housing units, in addition to the other advantages it can bring of supporting strategies on vacant homes and urban renewal.
Its implementation as part of the range of programmes to deliver social housing and tackle vacancy are matters, in the first place, for the local authorities themselves. I understand that both Galway local authorities have undertaken promotional and awareness campaigns following the introduction of the Buy & Renew and Repair & Lease initiatives. I further understand they are pursuing some properties identified through this process, while others may not prove suitable. I recognise that achieving social housing delivery through schemes such as Buy & Renew is likely to be more resource-intensive for the local authorities than other delivery streams, such as acquiring good quality housing. Sourcing the owners of vacant properties and undertaking remediation works will draw on resources, albeit it can present new sources of properties for social housing while tackling vacancy.
Both the Galway authorities are actively engaged in identifying properties suitable for acquisition, including properties in reasonable condition and vacant properties under the Buy & Renew Scheme. In the period since 2016, they have been successful in acquiring over 50 new social homes in various locations, five of which are under the Buy & Renew Scheme.
I have requested the local authorities in the main cities to develop and adopt Vacant Homes Action Plans by the end of October, with a deadline for all other County Action Plans to be completed by the end of 2017. I expect the preparation of these Plans will assist the authorities in developing a fuller understanding of the current vacancy levels in their functional areas, to ascertain where empty homes are located and who owns these vacant properties, and then to prioritise and target those areas where housing demand is most acute.
733. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of properties acquired by Galway City Council and Galway County Council in relation to the repair and leasing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42849/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Repair and Leasing Scheme, RLS, was piloted in Carlow and Waterford and has been rolled out nationally since 23 February last. My Department has been working intensively with local authorities and approved housing bodies to develop and implement the scheme, and individual targets have been set for local authorities for 2017. The scheme is one of a suite of measures available to local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use.
Data for Galway City Council and Galway County Council, based on the first full three months of activity of the scheme at the end of June 2017, are set out in the following table. While no Agreements to Lease have been signed to date, the process of finalising units is under way, and I expect a number of agreements will be signed shortly. My Department is currently gathering data from local authorities in order to report progress in Quarter 3.
Feedback from local authorities indicates that, in many cases, properties requiring extensive repair work and therefore not suitable for the RLS have been secured under the Buy and Renew Scheme, which facilitates local authorities or approved housing bodies to purchase vacant properties for social housing use.
|
Local Authority |
Number of applications received |
Number of evaluations completed |
Properties deemed SUITABLE |
Properties deemed UNSUITABLE |
|
Galway City Council |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Galway County Council |
44 |
28 |
6 |
22 |
735. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the body responsible for ensuring that disability access and facilities are maintained to suitable standards in retail buildings in which these facilities exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42942/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraNew buildings and extensions or material alterations to existing buildings must comply with the legal minimum performance standards set out in the Building Regulations 1997-2017. In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access. The TGDs are available on my Department’s website at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/building-standards/tgd-part-d-materials-and-workmanship/technical-guidance-documents.
The requirements of Part M aim to ensure that regardless of age, size or disability:
- new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable;
- extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable;
- material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable;
- certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and
- new dwellings are visitable.
Part M of the Building Regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions, where practicable and appropriate.
While the latest iteration of Part M of the Building Regulations initially coincided with the general downturn in economic and construction activity, its positive effects on access and use in the built environment will now be seen more widely as economic recovery takes hold and construction activity continues to gather momentum and moves onto a sustainable footing.
While the provisions of the building regulations do not relate to management or maintenance of buildings and compliance with the regulations is not dependent on these, it is acknowledged that they are important functions and contribute to the ongoing accessibility of the building. Important issues, which are generally the responsibility of the management and/or maintenance teams, include:
- arranging furniture appropriately;
- keeping circulation routes clear, facilities clean, equipment (lifts, communication aids, etc.) functioning;
- carrying out maintenance audits on a regular basis;
- putting a detailed emergency action plan in place to ensure safe egress for all in the event of an emergency;
- procurement of accessible goods and services (office furniture, security services, etc.);
- providing pre-visit information regarding access to the building on the organisation’s website;
- providing information on the accessibility features of the building to occupants, in order to allow for effective management procedures to be put in place.
Guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily accessed and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability is available in, "Building for Everyone, A Universal Design Approach", a National Disability Authority, NDA, publication, which may be accessed at: www.nda.ie.
Separate to requirements under the building regulations, the building control regulations require, in the case of commercial buildings and apartment blocks, that a Disability Access Certificate be obtained from the local building control authority. A Disability Access Certificate is a certificate which specifies that the works or building to which the application relates will, if carried out in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted, comply with the requirements of Part M of the second schedule to the building regulations. It is an offence to occupy or use a building without having a valid Disability Access Certificate in place as required.
Finally, it is open to any person to refer a discrimination complaint to the Equality Tribunal under the Equal Status Acts 2000-2015, which prohibits discrimination on nine specified grounds including that of disability. It should also be noted that requirements set out under equality legislation are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality.
736. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 256 of 13 December 2016, if his Department has received the final legal advice referred to in same on the placing of material on State-owned foreshore without consent at a location (details supplied) in County Galway; the actions taken since to address this matter further to such advice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42966/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraCorrespondence is continuing between the State's legal service and solicitors representing a named party seeking to have the named party remove the material placed in the Mud Dock, with the aim of having the matter resolved as soon as possible.
737. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the way in which his Department has provided social housing in line with A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43016/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraPolicy responsibility for A Vision for Change, which is being implemented by the HSE in conjunction with other agencies, is a matter for the Minister for Health.
The National Housing Strategy for People With a Disability, NHSPWD, 2011-2016 and associated National Implementation Framework were jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health. They set out the Government’s broad framework for the delivery of housing for people with disabilities through mainstream housing policy and were developed as part of a coherent framework, in conjunction with the Government’s mental health policy, A Vision for Change, and Congregated Settings Report. The partnership approach adopted under the Strategy recognises that the provision of suitable housing is only one element in supporting people with disabilities to live fully inclusive lives. Building on the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to meet the housing needs of people with disabilities, the NHSPWD has been extended to 2020 to continue to deliver on its aims.
Implementation of identified actions in the NHSPWD is being driven primarily by the Housing Agency by means of a dedicated sub-group comprising representatives from my Department, the Health Service Executive, HSE, Department of Health, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and various disability representative organisations. Through that forum, a Steering Group has been recently established to progress actions under Strategic Aim 5 of the NHSPWD in relation to meeting the housing needs of people with a mental health disability.
739. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the financial assistance by way of grants or schemes for persons (details supplied) to enhance and improve their home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42242/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department funds a range of housing supports for persons with a disability, living in both privately owned housing and local authority housing. Applications in all cases are made to the local authority.
The Disabled Person Grant Scheme provides funds to local authorities to undertake adaptations and extensions to homes to meet the needs of local authority tenants with a disability, or to address serious overcrowding. The Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for Older People and People with a Disability is also delivered by local authorities with funding from my Department. It assists people with a disability in private houses to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried out in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. There are no restrictions on the type of disability covered by the schemes, and the administration of the available funding is a matter for the local authorities based on their assessment of priority and need at the time.
740. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the population and demographic projections for the next 20 years underpinning the approach to the national planning framework: Ireland 2040 - Our Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42279/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of both the National Planning Framework, NPF, and the corresponding Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, RSES, is to set long-term national and regional development frameworks within which Government Departments and Agencies, the regional assemblies and local authorities, as well as wider private sector and community interests will work together to ensure proper planning and sustainable development and the optimal development of the country as a whole, in a national, regional and ultimately local context.
In developing the NPF, it was considered important to establish a strong empirical evidence base to support policy formulation. In this regard, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, which is an independent research institute with established competence in the type of specialist economic and demographic modelling work required for preparation of the NPF, were commissioned by my Department to carry out relevant research and development. Key features of its research approach are its strong empirical base, its social and economic policy focus and its coverage of many of the major areas of relevance to current policy issues in Ireland and the European Union.
The ESRI conducted economic and demographic modelling and continues to prepare future projections in respect of Ireland’s population and economy in the years ahead to 2040. This included the establishment of a new national economic model to generate the type of economic and demographic data required to inform the NPF and assess the impacts of various policy options. A key aspect of this work was the development of demographic forecasts, based on past trends, and the generation of a range of future spatial development scenarios. These future scenarios were then tested against the assembled forecast data to inform the future national and regional development scenarios in the NPF, with the NPF indicating approximately an additional one million population by 2040 in Ireland.
Over the coming weeks, it is my intention to publish a number of reports underpinning the publication of the Ireland 2040: Our Plan Framework. This will include an ESRI Demographic and Econometric modelling report, setting out full details in relation to the population and demographic projections.
