Written Answers Nos 1000-1016
1000. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the EPA will issue licences to remove and relocate material and rock dredged from a pier (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11969/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not clear from the question how it is intended to dispose of the materials referred to. If the intention is to dump the materials at sea, then a dumping at sea permit is required.
The Foreshore and Dumping at Sea (Amendment) Act 2009 amended the Dumping at Sea Acts 1996 to 2006 so that certain functions relating to dumping at sea transferred from the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who was then responsible for Dumping at Sea legislation, to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since 2010, it is the function of the EPA to issue Dumping at Sea permits. The EPA exercises an independent statutory function in this regard and I have no role in the day to day administration of this system.
If the intention is to dispose of the material by any other means, this question would be a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment. However, it should be noted that, generally, in terms of licensing and permitting, the EPA exercises an independent statutory function.
1001. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the local authorities that have and have not appointed an officer with responsibility for migrant integration, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12188/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organization arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, the assignment of local authority staff to a particular function, such as migrant integration, is a matter for the Chief Executive.
My Department is responsible for workforce planning for the local government sector, including monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities; however, the data gathered does not provide details in terms of the number of officers with responsibility for migrant integration employed nationally by local authorities. Accordingly, the information requested is not available in my Department.
However, since 2017, my Department has received two staffing sanction requests for Resettlement Support Workers, one from Galway County Council and one from Waterford City & County Council. My Department has approved sanction for both of these requests.
1002. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the local authorities that have and have not appointed an officer with responsibility for social inclusion, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12189/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organization arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, the assignment of local authority staff to a particular function, such as social inclusion, is a matter for the Chief Executive.
My Department is responsible for workforce planning for the local government sector, including monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities; however, the data gathered does not provide details in terms of the number of officers with responsibility for social inclusion employed nationally by local authorities. Accordingly, the information requested is not available in my Department.
1003. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason the Dominick Street regeneration project has been delayed; when the work is likely to commence; and when it will be completed. [12523/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Regeneration Project in Dominick Street, Dublin 1 is a social housing construction project of 72 social housing homes, with community facilities and retail/commercial development at ground level. The project is a high priority for Dublin City Council and the development will make a significant contribution to the regeneration of this area in the heart of the city.
The City Council received approval to commence the tender process for Dominick Street in February 2018. The first stage of the tender process has closed and applications are currently being assessed. When this process has concluded, the City Council will progress immediately to the second stage of the tender process. The timeline for submission of the tender recommendations to the Department is May/June 2018. Pending approval from the Department, the estimated start date on site is September 2018. The project will take approximately 24 months to build with completion expected in Quarter 3 2020.
1004. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the cost to his Department of negative interest rates on deposits held; the details of same for agencies under his aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11740/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Government Fund, which is managed and controlled by my Department, includes an investment account which does not currently attract negative interest rates.
The information sought insofar as the agencies under the aegis of my Department are concerned is an operational matter for the agencies themselves. Arrangements have been put in place by each agency to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is set out in the following table:
|
Agency |
Email address |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
Ervia /Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Housing Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Irish Water |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
oireachtas@osi.ie |
|
Property Registration Authority |
reps@prai.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
oireachtasmembersqueries@rtb.ie |
|
Valuation Office |
reps@valoff.ie |
1005. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of successfully completed mortgage to rents completed in each of the past five years, by local authority MTRs and approved housing body MTRs respectively, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11751/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently two Mortgage to Rent (MTR) schemes funded by my Department. A scheme exists whereby a local authority (LA) can acquire ownership of properties with unsustainable local authority mortgages, thus enabling the household to remain in their home as a social housing tenant (LA-Mortgage-to-Rent). The other scheme provides for an Approved Housing Body (AHB) to acquire ownership of a property with an unsustainable private mortgage, which also enables the household to remain in their home as a social housing tenant (AHB-Mortgage-to-Rent). Both schemes are part of the overall suite of social housing options and an important part of the mortgage arrears resolution process.
Information in relation to the LA-Mortgage-to-Rent scheme transactions during its pilot phase in Dublin City Council and Westmeath County Council in 2013 and annual transactions, broken down by local authority and by year, following national roll out of the scheme in 2014, is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-loan-activity .
The Housing Agency publishes, on a quarterly basis, detailed statistical information on the operation of the AHB-Mortgage-to-Rent scheme, including the number of completed transactions broken down by local authority area and by year. 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 .
A Review of the AHB MTR scheme, published on 8 February 2017, introduced a range of amendments to the eligibility criteria and administration of the MTR scheme in order for it to work better for borrowers. The Review, available at http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/changes-in-mortgage-to-rent-scheme/ , explored the avenues and impediments to participation in the scheme and recommended a number of actions to make the scheme work better for borrowers. My Department and the Housing Agency are working with all stakeholders to ensure that the actions set out in the Review are being effectively implemented to benefit a greater number of households. I am providing an additional €5m for the MTR scheme in 2018, which will support at least 250 additional MTR cases to be completed by AHBs working together with lenders using the MTR scheme.
The MTR Review also concluded that the current financial model of the scheme may not, in its current configuration, be capable of delivering the scale of successful cases that could benefit from the scheme over time. In order to test the operability of alternative funding models for the scheme, the Housing Agency has been working with a number of financial entities who have expressed an interest in working with the MTR scheme to progress a number of alternative long-term lease arrangements. A call for Expressions of Interest from bodies interested in pursuing pilot operating models was initiated by the Housing Agency on 26 October 2017. The Housing Agency is currently reviewing the submission(s) received and will make recommendations to my Department as to the make-up of the pilots, which can then be initiated.
1006. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the adequacy of resources at individual local authority level will be considered in the post-extreme weather review; if so, the process that will be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11757/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraArising from the recent spell of severe weather, each local authority will be reporting in due course to their Council members on their response activities over this period. Local authority reports will also be supplied to my Department where they will be considered and relevant information included in the national review report. It is the normal practice for my Department to compile a review report following an emergency event in order to identify points of success which may be consolidated and weaknesses which can be addressed, both at local and national level.
Since 2009, my Department has made financial support available to assist local authorities in meeting the costs of clean-up and necessary immediate works associated with significant severe weather emergency events such as the one just experienced. This is in recognition of the exceptional nature of activities carried out by local authorities in responding to these types of emergencies and the fact that the costs of these un-programmed activities cannot be met from within existing resources. My Department intends extending this support to cover this recent period of severe weather and is writing to all local authorities to get estimates of the costs incurred.
1007. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount spent by his Department on third party public relations advice, communications advice, online advertising and public awareness campaigns from January 2017 to date in 2018, by year, month and company engaged in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11770/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department did not incur any expenditure on third party public relations advice or communications advice from January 2017 to date in 2018. The engagement of external expertise is generally only considered where the issues involved require expert skills or capabilities that are not readily available within my Department.
While my Department does not collate data in a manner that would allow the Question to be responded to on a monthly basis, information in relation to the amount spent on online advertising and public awareness campaigns has previously been provided in Question No. 744 of 14 December 2017. There has been no expenditure on either between then and now.
The details requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is set out in the following table:
|
An Bord Pleanála |
Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
Ervia, Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Housing Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Irish Water |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie. |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
Oireachtas@osi.ie |
|
Property Registration Authority |
reps@prai.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Valuation Office |
reps@valoff.ie |
1008. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if fire service resources are deemed adequate in County Kildare to cope with a major emergency; if a review will take place following the recent bad weather event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11790/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFire Services are provided by local authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. In 2014, all local authorities undertook an appraisal of their current fire services arising from the publication of the “Keeping Communities Safe” policy document in 2013. This appraisal involved the local authorities undertaking an Area Risk Categorisation process which resulted in the fire risk grading in each fire station area being defined, with a matching fire service response capability bench-marked against the national response standards set out for the first time in Keeping Communities Safe. This process was subject to an external validation process which was reported and published by my Department in 2016 in a report titled “Local Delivery – National Consistency”.
In relation to major emergencies, each local authority has a “Major Emergency Plan” in place which describes the hazard identification and risk assessment process undertaken by the local authority and the arrangements in place to mobilise the full resources of the local authority and to co-ordinate their activities with the other principal response agencies.
Arising from the recent spell of severe weather, each local authority will be reporting in due course to their Council members on their response activities over this period. Local authority reports will also be supplied to my Department where they will be considered and relevant information included in the national review report. It is the normal practice for my Department to compile a review report following an emergency event in order to identify points of success which may be consolidated and weaknesses which can be addressed, both at local and national level.
1009. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the funding which will be allocated to the Rebuilding Ireland programme over the duration of its lifetime by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11791/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has made housing a top priority and, through the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, has a framework in place to deliver a significant increase and acceleration in the supply of high quality housing, including social and affordable homes, particularly in the major urban areas where demand is greatest.
Under the Plan, 50,000 new social homes will be delivered in the period to 2021 through build, refurbishment, acquisition and leasing. That number is alongside an accelerated roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment scheme, meeting the needs of some 80,000 households.
The plan is supported by an overall investment framework of €6 billion, of which over €1.4 billion was provided in 2017, and a significantly increased €1.9 billion is available this year.
Funding for the delivery of housing is provided to individual local authorities each year according as their delivery programmes and individual projects are progressed.
1010. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the key historic reasons for the difficulties being experienced in relation to the provision of housing here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11792/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1012. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the efforts put in place since 2011 to address the housing problem here; the success rate of same to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11843/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1015. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the impact Rebuilding Ireland has had on the housing crisis here since its launch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11894/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1019. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the shortcomings that have been identified in the Rebuilding Ireland programme since its launch; the efforts that have been taken to address these; the issues that have affected efforts in providing affordable accommodation here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11956/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1010, 1012, 1015 and 1019 together.
The economic downturn had a very significant impact on housing supply and the construction industry. Between the peak in 2006 and the trough in 2013, housing construction fell by over 90%. In particular, all forms of medium- to large-scale residential development in our cities and urban areas stalled. With our economy returning to significant and consistent growth and with increasing population and employment, a significant increase in new homes is needed, and demand is outstripping supply, leading to a shortage of new homes and house price and rent inflation.
Having regard to this, the Government has made the delivery of new homes, social, affordable and private, a top priority through the development, resourcing and implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, published in July 2016. The Plan built on previous strategies and was informed, in particular, by the Report of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness and extensive engagement with key stakeholders.
The Government’s initial focus has been on delivering homes for households in the lowest income brackets, through the commitment of over €6 billion to deliver 50,000 new social housing homes by 2021, with qualifying households also able to avail of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and other targeted programmes. Building on the progress made under the 2011 Housing Policy Statement and the Social Housing Strategy 2020, including the roll out of HAP and the delivery of built, acquired and leased social housing homes, Rebuilding Ireland commits to meeting the housing needs of over 137,000 households by the end of 2021.
The implementation of Rebuilding Ireland is well underway and significant progress is being made. This was evident in the Social Housing Output indicative figures published in January 2018, showing that nearly 26,000 households had their social housing need met in 2017, exceeding the target set. Of the combined target of 137,000, just under 45,000 households (or some 33% of the target for the 6 years) have had their social housing need met by the end of year 2 of the Plan. Further details can be accessed through the Social Housing Delivery 2017 Report (January 2018), which is available on the Rebuilding Ireland website at link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/2017-social-housing-output-figures-published/ .
Rebuilding Ireland has also prioritised supporting the supply of new and more affordable homes more generally, through, inter alia, fast-track planning reforms and more flexible planning guidelines; €200 million investment in enabling infrastructure; the development of large-scale mixed-tenure projects on State lands; and the help-to-buy scheme to assist first-time buyers.
To help renters in the parts of the country where rents are highest and rising, the Government introduced Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs), where rents can only increase by a maximum of 4% annually for three years. Currently, the measure covers almost 57% of existing rental properties across the country, including 100% of rental properties in the two largest cities, Dublin and Cork.
In Budget 2018, the Government removed significant obstacles to building more homes more quickly, by investing more in direct house-building by the State; removing the Capital Gains Tax incentive to hold on to residential land; escalating penalties for land hoarding; introducing a new €25 million Serviced Sites fund and a second LIHAF infrastructural investment fund; and providing a new, more affordable finance vehicle for builders through Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI).
As part of the review of Rebuilding Ireland, a further package of affordability measures was announced on 22 January 2018, with a new Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, a new Affordable Purchase Scheme, and a focus on cost rental projects.
Most recently, on 9 March, I published new planning guidelines to facilitate delivery of a broader mix of apartment types to meet contemporary housing demand, particularly in urban areas, for example in the emerging ‘build to rent’ and ‘shared accommodation’ sectors.
Residential construction capacity was very badly affected by the downturn and it is taking time to recover. However, there are very positive signs that Rebuilding Ireland and the collaborative efforts of my Department, local authorities, approved housing bodies and many other delivery partners and stakeholders are working. Together with the excellent progress made on social housing, residential construction commencements for the year to end-January 2018, stood at nearly 18,000 homes, up 34% year on year. Other more recent initiatives and reforms will have a further positive impact in the period ahead.
1011. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount his Department spent on advertising the consultation process for the various stages of the national planning framework and the national development plan. [11810/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraPublic participation and consultation was a key element in developing the National Planning Framework since preparatory work began on developing the framework in late 2014.
There have been two formal phases of public consultation, including the publication of an Issues and Choices paper over February/March 2017 and the publication of a consultation draft of the National Planning Framework over October/November 2017, as well as a range of other regional and stakeholder events.
Some 700 submissions were generated by the publication of the Issues and Choices paper and over 1,000 submissions were received during the 6-week public consultation on the draft NPF. Finalisation of the NPF benefited substantially from these submissions.
Public awareness was key to ensuring a broad range of citizen and stakeholder engagement and in this regard, an effective awareness and advertising campaign was crucial and the costs incurred were modest in comparison to the breadth and duration of the Framework. At pre-draft consultation stage, costs of €60,000 were incurred on advertising-related activities and a further €70,000 was incurred at the draft stage.
Details of advertising costs in relation to the National Development Plan (NDP) fall within the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform.
1013. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of persons holding Civil Service positions above clerical officer grade in his Department who entered the Civil Service via a route other than through an open competition run by the Public Appointments Service or its predecessors; the grades of each; and the basis for the non-standard recruitment. [11861/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTwo Special Advisers have been appointed to my Office, as well as civilian drivers for myself and Ministers of State English and Phelan. These appointments were all made in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to Ministerial appointments for the 32nd Dáil.
Aside from the above, there are currently no staff above the clerical officer grade in my Department who first entered the civil service outside the standard recruitment process outlined by the Deputy.
1014. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the directions provided to the payment of staff in the public sector and Civil Service who fall under the direction of his Department for the days during Storm Emma when staff were directed to stay at home; if deductions in pay and annual leave were made to staff in the public sector or Civil Service as a result of days lost during the storm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11878/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is based across a range of locations, primarily Dublin, Wexford and Ballina, each of which was impacted somewhat differently by Storm Emma.
For reasons of safety, staff were informed that Departmental buildings in Wexford and Dublin would close at 5pm on Wednesday 28 February; for mainly travel and also safety reasons, some staff departed prior to this time with the agreement of local managers. Non-essential staff in Dublin, Wexford and Ballina were directed that the buildings would be closed on Thursday 1 March and Friday 2 March. Due to the continuing situation in Wexford, non-essential staff there were subsequently informed that the building would remain closed on Monday 5th March.
No deductions were made to staff in respect of salary or annual leave as a result of this significant weather event. My Department's IT systems enable staff to work from outside their main office locations using official IT equipment; therefore, while the main buildings may have been closed, it was possible for key staff to work from home during the storm. Different requirements obviously applied to individual staff in my Department who work in areas which provide essential services during such emergencies, for example, in Met Éireann, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, housing, water, local government, ICT, facilities management and communications; certain key staff members were working from the National Emergency Coordination Centre during the storm while others were working from home.
The details requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is set out in the following table:
|
An Bord Pleanála |
Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
Ervia, Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Housing Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Irish Water |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie. |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
Oireachtas@osi.ie |
|
Property Registration Authority |
reps@prai.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Valuation Office |
reps@valoff.ie |
1016. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the new guidelines his Department is issuing in regard to local housing assessments needs in each local authority under the new national planning framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11908/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Planning Framework (NPF) was published by Government on 16 February 2018, alongside the National Development Plan 2018-2027 as part of Project Ireland 2040.
The NPF sets out an ambitious high-level, national vision for Ireland for 2040, and provides the framework and principles to manage future population and economic growth over the next 20 years, including the need for an additional 550,000 homes to cater for an extra 1 million people. Key to addressing and successfully meeting the need for the additional homes is a requirement for a robust methodology to inform policies and funding initiatives around housing and associated land requirements. In this regard, the NPF provides for a Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) to be developed by each local authority to support the preparation of housing strategies and all related housing policy outputs, e.g. city and county development plans, local area plans, traveller accommodation plans etc.
The HNDA is to be undertaken by local authorities with coordination assistance to be provided by the Regional Assemblies, and also at a metropolitan scale, particularly where inter-county and inter-regional settlement interactions are to be planned for and managed.
As set out in the NPF, there are a number of key evidence inputs which inform and drive the HNDA model, including information on demographic, affordability and wider economic trends, coupled to the profile of the existing housing stock and its management.
Recognising the critical role that the local government sector will have in the ongoing implementation of the Framework, including the preparation of the HNDA, my Department is currently running a series of workshops to ensure that those local authority officials involved in planning matters are fully informed in relation the content of the framework into the implementation phase.
My Department will also monitor the need for any guidance to assist in the roll-out of the approach, updating existing guidance on housing strategies prepared under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).
