Barry Cowen
Ceist:257. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the details of the cold weather initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52434/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraHomeless Accommodation Provision
Ceisteanna (257)
Freagraí scríofa
At last September's Housing Summit, I emphasised the need for all housing authorities to have sufficient capacity in emergency accommodation and to have appropriate facilities in place for every person sleeping rough, on any night of the week.
I instructed the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, at that time, to set about ensuring the delivery of 200 additional permanent emergency beds by Christmas, in a range of new facilities across the city. 50 of the 200 permanent beds are now in place and the remaining 150 emergency beds will be brought into use over the coming days, with all being in place by mid-December.
As the weather becomes colder, my Department has also been working with local authorities to ensure that their Cold Weather Initiatives are in place. These arrangements ensure that additional temporary beds can be brought into use across a range of existing services and facilities for singles and couples, who need them during periods of cold weather.
In addition to the 200 new permanent beds that will be in place over the coming two weeks in Dublin, there are also more than 50 temporary beds in place, if required during the cold weather. In Cork, there are an additional 25 temporary beds in place, while in Galway an additional 34 temporary beds are in place. In Limerick, an additional 10 temporary beds are in place and in Waterford 9 additional temporary beds are also in place.
The long-term solution to the current homeless crisis is, clearly, to increase the supply of homes for those who need them. Under Rebuilding Ireland, 50,000 new social housing homes will be delivered over the period to 2021, supported by €6 billion in funding.
A key mechanism for dealing with homeless individuals is through the Housing First Programme, which supports homeless individuals move from emergency accommodation to independent living. 180 tenancies have been established under this Programme to date.
This programme is being prioritised and it is expected that a National Director of Housing First will be appointed shortly to drive the programme. This post will be critical in supporting those who sleep rough or reside in hostel accommodation to enter into independent living arrangements.
Repair and Leasing Scheme
Ceisteanna (258)
Tom Neville
Ceist:258. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the supports available to assist a person who has a house which is vacant for seven years and wishes to renovate it and bring it up to the required standard in order that they can rent it out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52332/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) has been developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to harness the accommodation potential that exists in certain vacant properties across Ireland. The scheme is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring their properties up to the required standard for rental property. Subject to the suitability of the property for social housing, and the agreement of the property owner, the cost of the necessary repairs will be met upfront by the local authority or an Approved Housing Body (AHB). This allows for the property owner to sign-up to a lease arrangement for a length that is linked to the value of the repairs, subject to a minimum of 10 years. The value of the repairs will then be offset incrementally against the agreed rental payment over a defined period within the lease. Total funding of €140m will be made available up until 2021, providing for a total of 3,500 social houses over the lifetime of the scheme.
A property owner can either choose to arrange for a contractor to carry out the repairs themselves, or the local authority or AHB can arrange this instead. Property owners will not be required to take on landlord responsibilities and the local authority or AHB will have on-going management and maintenance responsibilities in respect of the properties.
The local authority will determine the eligibility for the scheme, having regard to the location and the suitability of the property for social housing and also taking into consideration the extent of the repairs that may be required. The maximum costs of repairs allowable under this initiative is €40,000 and the property must be vacant for a period of not less than 12 months.
The operation of the RLS pilot nationally has facilitated an appraisal of the scheme as part of my on-going review of Rebuilding Ireland, with a view to enhancing the operation of the scheme and ensuring increased take up and delivery. This review is on-going and revised initiatives will be announced as they are finalised.
Property owners who wish to find out more about the Repair and Leasing Scheme should contact their local authority or go to http://rebuildingireland.ie/repair-and-leasing-scheme/.
Housing Data
Ceisteanna (259)
Catherine Martin
Ceist:259. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the 50 to 100 commenced housing projects referred to by him in the Dáil Éireann on 13 July 2017 during the Second Stage debate of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2017; the location and proposed number of units of each housing project listed; the number of units completed at each site before the Bill was introduced in Dáil Éireann; the manner in which in the case of each housing project, the obligations under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 are proposed to be discharged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52377/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The figure of between 50 and 100 housing developments referred to in the Question was based on indications from housing provider representative organisations that they had received approximately 75 enquiries relating to further extensions of the duration of planning permissions of the type addressed in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2017.
While my Department collates some summary data in relation to planning permissions at a local authority level and publishes this on the Department's website, the detailed information sought in respect of such developments is not available in my Department.
Building Control Management System
Ceisteanna (260, 261, 263)
Catherine Martin
Ceist:260. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of for completion certificates registered with the building control management system by local authorities to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52378/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraCatherine Martin
Ceist:261. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of for opt out once off single homes registered with the building control management system by local authorities to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52379/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraBarry Cowen
Ceist:263. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of completion certificates logged for social housing developments (details supplied) in each of the years 2014 to 2016, inclusive, and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [52450/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 260, 261 and 263 together.
The issues referred to are a matter for local Building Control Authorities, who are independent in the use of their statutory powers under the Building Control Acts 1990 - 2014.
Building Control Authorities are required to keep certain information pertaining to building works that come under the Building Control Regulations 1997-2015 on a statutory register, including particulars in relation to Commencement Notices, Declarations of Intention to Opt Out of Statutory Certification and Certificates of Compliance on Completion.
The Building Control Management System (BCMS) provides a common platform for clear and consistent administration of building control matters across the local authority sector. The BCMS is an IT enabler, set up to facilitate building control authorities, building owners, builders and construction professionals in discharging their separate responsibilities under the Building Control Act 1990.
The BCMS is centrally hosted by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) on behalf of the 31 Local Authorities and has enabled this information to be hosted on a central nationwide register, readily available and searchable at www.localgov.ie/en/link-type/bcms.
EU Regulations
Ceisteanna (262)
Peter Burke
Ceist:262. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the timeframe for the enactment of the European Union (Licensing of Large-Scale Extraction of Peat) Regulations 2016; his views on a legal case (details supplied), the outcome of which could cause negative implications on peat producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52435/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department is currently progressing draft Regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 that will establish a revised regulatory regime in respect of large-scale peat extraction, under the proposed title of the European Union (Licensing of Large-Scale Extraction of Peat) Regulations. Under the proposed new arrangements, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be required to carry out an environmental impact assessment as part of its examination of applications for a licence for peat extraction on sites of 30 hectares or more, with such activity to be consequently exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission.
The draft regulations have been the subject of focused stakeholder input from relevant Government Departments and State bodies, industry representatives and environmental groups. A detailed review of the draft Regulations is ongoing in light of these consultations and follow-up engagement with the EPA, with a view to finalising the Regulations for signature as soon as possible.
As regards the court case referred to in the Question, I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 254 on yesterday's Order Paper.
Question No. 263 answered with Question No. 260.
Departmental Data
Ceisteanna (264)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:264. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason for the difference between the figures provided to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government in late March 2017 (details supplied) and those currently listed on his Department's website statistic section. [52451/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Data collection and validation in relation to Part V output for 2016 had not been completed by March 2017 and, accordingly, any such data available at that point would have been provisional/incomplete. The final data were placed on my Department's website later in the year.
Vacant Properties
Ceisteanna (265)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:265. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the criteria by which a housing unit is deemed to be a void unit for the purposes of the National Oversight and Audit Commission. [52452/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) is independent of the Department in the performance of its functions and I am therefore not in a position to comment on specific aspects of its work. However, NOAC may be contacted directly at info@noac.ie.
Vacant Properties
Ceisteanna (266)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:266. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the criteria by which a housing unit is deemed to be a void unit that has been returned for the purposes of the figures provided by his Department on same. [52453/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Vacant social houses, categorised as voids, are those in need of far greater levels of repair than normal re-letting works, to bring them up to a suitable letting condition. They are vacant pending that work.
Strong funding support has been provided to all local authorities to remediate such vacant social housing so that the homes involved can be re-let as soon as possible. This exchequer funding is additional to funding that local authorities themselves provide in order to bring vacant properties back into use.
The works carried out focus not just on returning vacant social homes to use as quickly as possible, but also on remediation work bringing long-term benefits, including insulation retrofitting which means the house, when re-let, has high comfort levels and less heating costs for the incoming tenant. Since the introduction of the Voids Programme, almost €100m in exchequer funding has been made available to local authorities, with over 8,000 homes remediated since 2014.
As well as the above numbers of vacant social homes, there is a regular turnover of short-term vacancies in the social housing stock of local authorities, where a modest amount only of work is needed. In general, these vacancies are addressed by the local authorities from their own resources.