Written Answers Nos. 1619-1636
1619. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of State-owned properties in each county including property owned by local authorities; the acreage of land owned by the State in each county; the acreage of land owned by the State in each county that is suitable for residential construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16624/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public Works (OPW) has the central role in managing the State’s diverse property portfolio, and is responsible for co-ordinating policy in maintaining and efficiently organising the property asset portfolio of the State.
While my Department does not collate the information sought in relation to lands in the ownership of local authorities, all local authorities are required to record assets, including all land assets, in their annual Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet), in accordance with the Local Authority Accounting in Ireland Code of Practice and Accounting Regulations.
The active management of the publicly-owned housing land bank is part of a range of complementary actions being progressed under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, designed to accelerate and increase housing output. Working with local authorities and the Housing Agency, my Department has collated details of local authority lands acquired for housing purposes. To this end, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to deliver some 42,500 homes nationally. In addition, 30 sites (covering some 200 hectares), which are owned by State or semi-State bodies and deemed suitable for housing purposes, were also mapped. These mapped sites can be viewed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/rebuilding-ireland-land-map/.
Local authorities are also required to confirm and update the data on a quarterly basis to ensure that the information held on this mapping database is fully up to date.
The delivery of additional social and affordable homes, to buy or rent, will rely on the State developing the full potential of its residential land bank. Following the second Housing Summit with local authority Chief Executives in January 2018, local authorities were asked to submit their plans to develop their land bank for social and wider housing development, including an outline of their respective proposed affordable housing programmes and to indicate their social housing delivery for 2018 and 2019-2021. My Department is currently working through these returns and I will be announcing delivery targets for all local authorities shortly.
Finally, from a longer-term strategic perspective, as part of Project Ireland 2040, the Government announced on 16 February its intention to establish a new National Regeneration and Development Agency, which will have a role in managing the State's wider publicly-owned land bank to ensure that overall development needs, including housing, are met. The new Agency will work closely with local authorities, Government Departments, Agencies and other State and semi-State bodies to secure the best use of public lands and ensure the delivery on the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan.
1622. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to reform the repair and leasing scheme; the annual target for units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16630/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was initially piloted in Carlow and Waterford and the pilot has been rolled out nationally since 23 February 2017. The scheme is one of a suite of measures available to local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use.
Since the national roll out, my Department has been working intensively with local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to implement the scheme. There have been a number of national and local press advertising initiatives, as well as targeted online promotion, in an effort to ensure that property owners who can avail of the scheme are aware of the benefits.
By the end of 2017, a total of 820 applications had been received under the scheme. Local authorities were engaging with the property owners in relation to 573 properties, 31 agreements for lease had been signed and 9 social housing homes had been delivered and tenanted. A detailed breakdown of the RLS scheme data up to end Q4 2017 is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
The nature of the RLS means that the period leading up to the signing of contracts, which entails sourcing and inspecting the properties, and negotiation with owners, is the slowest part of the process. All local authorities are active in sourcing and identifying potential properties and it is expected that significant numbers of contracts will be entered into once that process is complete. Once contracts are signed, delivery is estimated at between 2 and 6 months, a fraction of the time involved for a capital acquisition or build project.
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 AHBs to purchase vacant properties for social housing use. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that the levels of vacancy recorded as part of Census 2016 have significantly reduced in the interim, particularly in urban areas like Dublin where many previously vacant homes have since been occupied.
It is clear that by the end of 2017, RLS had not yet delivered the level of new social housing homes envisaged. I reviewed the operation of the scheme, as part of the review of Rebuilding Ireland, and concluded that the scheme has significant potential but there are areas where it can be improved to make it more attractive and effective. Accordingly, from 1 February 2018, a number of key changes were made to the scheme. These include:
- a reduction in the minimum lease term required from 10 to 5 years;
- increasing the proportion of market rent available to property owners where they take on more responsibilities under the tenancy, meaning that up to 92% of market rent will be available; and
- provision of additional funding for property owners, over and above the current €40,000 limit, where the dwelling is a bedsit type dwelling being brought into compliance with the Standards for Rented Houses Regulations and made available for social housing.
I am making €32 million available for the scheme in 2018 and I expect local authorities and AHBs to continue to implement the scheme locally.
Over the period 2016 to 2021, the national target is for the delivery of an additional 50,000 social housing homes through Build, Acquisition and Leasing Schemes. The ambition is for 33,500 of these homes to be delivered through new build programmes including Part V; for 6,500 to be delivered through Acquisition programmes including the Housing Agency Acquisition Programme; and for the remaining 10,000 homes to be delivered under a range of leasing initiatives including the RLS. It is expected that the RLS will deliver up to 3,500 homes over the lifetime of Rebuilding Ireland, with a target of 800 to be delivered in 2018.
In January 2018, I asked all local authorities to provide a detailed report of their social housing delivery profiles out to 2021. These returns are currently being analysed with a view to issuing local authority targets under the heading of Build, Acquisition and Leasing very shortly.
1624. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the expected number of affordable homes under the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme to be completed in 2018; the number completed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16632/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe new Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is designed to enable credit-worthy first-time buyers to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price range. The scheme is targeted at first-time buyers who have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage sufficient for them to purchase their first home.
Other aspects of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness are more directly designed to address the delivery of more affordable homes. This is a major priority for Government, focusing in particular on the cities of Dublin, Galway and Cork, where people are facing the greatest affordability challenge. In addition to ramping up supply of new homes to meet demand across all tenures, it is also intended that increased delivery of homes at more affordable prices will involve local authorities developing their own residential land bank, comprising some 1,700 hectares, to its full potential.
I am providing Exchequer funding of €25 million, over 2018 and 2019, as a key contribution towards the delivery of more affordable housing, through the provision of on-site infrastructure to help reduce overall costs. A second tranche of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) with a total public fund of €67m, will also help fund enabling works for strategically located sites with an appropriate cost reduction on new homes facilitated.
I expect that in the region of 3,000 new affordable homes can be made available through a range of schemes and initiatives, with the long-term ambition for some 10,000 additional affordable homes to be provided for sale or rent, as these and other affordable initiatives are rolled out.
1625. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 636 and 642 of 27 March 2018, if continuous employment as outlined on the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan website refers to full-time continuous employment that is not considered permanent employment. [16633/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is targeted at first-time buyers who wish to own their own home, have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage sufficient for them to purchase their first home. As with the previous local authority loan offerings, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is available to first-time buyers only, to ensure the effective targeting of limited resources.
The primary earner on the application must have at least two years' continuous employment and the second applicant must have continuous employment for at least one year. Both self-employment and employment with a number of different employers can be counted as part of this continuous employment.
Full details of the loan’s eligibility criteria and other information are available from the dedicated Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan website http://rebuildingirelandhomeloan.ie/.
1626. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when section 28(1) of the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 will be commenced; and the reason for the delay. [16669/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to my reply to Question No. 629 of 27 March 2018 in this matter. The position is unchanged.
1627. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of residential units built by each local authority in each of the years 2012 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16685/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetailed data in relation to local authority construction for the years 2012 to 2016 is available on my Department's website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1b1-la-bld-by-area_10.xlsx.
In January 2017, I published details of the 2017 provisional social housing outputs, including details as to the number of social housing homes constructed in 2017. During last year, just under 26,000 households had their social housing need met, well ahead of the target of just over 21,000. Details are available on my Department's website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/2017-social-housing-output-figures-published/.
The 2017 full year local authority construction outturn figures are currently being verified and finalised and will be published shortly. Details of the number of residential homes built by each local authority in 2018 will be published in the normal way in due course.
1628. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the review of the new tenant purchase scheme will be finalised; the changes which are proposed as a result of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16820/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the commitment given in Rebuilding Ireland, a review of the first 12 months of the Tenant Purchase Scheme’s operation has been undertaken. The review has incorporated analysis of comprehensive data received from local authorities regarding the operation of the scheme during 2016 and a wide-ranging public consultation process which took place in 2017 and saw submissions received from individuals, elected representatives and organisations.
The review is now complete and a full report has been prepared setting out findings and recommendations. In finalising the report some further inter-Departmental consultation was necessary and due consideration had to be given to possible implementation arrangements. These matters are now almost completed and I expect to be in a position to publish the outcome of the review shortly.
1629. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to make 6 December a national holiday to commemorate the signing of the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland in 1921 (details supplied). [15082/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 was signed on 6th December by the British and Irish delegates in London in the aftermath of the truce which ended the War of Independence. The signing of the 1921 Treaty is recognised as one of the seminal moments on Ireland's journey towards self-determination and independence.
The Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations is currently finalising the advice that it will provide to Government to inform how the State will approach the remembrance of these complex and sensitive events over the remainder of the Decade of Centenaries. The State's approach to the appropriate remembrance of this difficult period in our history will be guided at all times by the expertise of the Advisory Group and the principles expressed in the Group's Second Statement, which can be found on my Department's website.
My Department will continue to consult and collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including the local authority network, in developing the State commemorative programme over the remainder of the Decade.
1630. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of times planning applications have been referred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, for comment as a prescribed body under planning and development legislation since the introduction of the designated area tracking system within the NPWS. [16137/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1631. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of planning application referrals to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, since the introduction of the designated area tracking system, by county. [16138/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1632. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of planning applications referrals that have been granted or returned with no comment by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS. [16139/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1630 to 1632, inclusive, together.
The granting of planning permission is a matter in the first instance for the planning authorities and I have no role in this regard. Up to 10th April, 2018, 35,016 planning applications were referred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department in my role as a prescribed body under the Planning and Development Acts since the introduction of the Development Application Tracking System in 2005. The following table sets out the referrals by county.
Where the NPWS of my Department has no observations to make on a planning application referred to me in my role as a prescribed body under the Planning Acts e.g. where the matter is not relevant to NPWS, no response will issue to the planning authority concerned in that regard. Given the number of referrals since 2005, it is not possible to collate this data set.
Table 1: NPWS figures for referrals 2005-2018
|
County |
Total |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
117 |
|
Carlow |
391 |
|
Cavan |
809 |
|
Clare |
1700 |
|
Cork |
1582 |
|
Donegal |
5388 |
|
Dublin City |
574 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
339 |
|
Fingal |
321 |
|
South Dublin |
166 |
|
Galway |
3412 |
|
Kerry |
1555 |
|
Kildare |
779 |
|
Kilkenny |
626 |
|
Laois |
447 |
|
Leitrim |
838 |
|
Limerick |
757 |
|
Longford |
307 |
|
Louth |
488 |
|
Mayo |
3785 |
|
Meath |
1410 |
|
Monaghan |
381 |
|
Offaly |
1064 |
|
Roscommon |
538 |
|
Sligo |
1763 |
|
Tipperary |
803 |
|
Waterford |
745 |
|
Westmeath |
1254 |
|
Wexford |
909 |
|
Wicklow |
1762 |
|
OPW |
6 |
|
Total |
35016 |
1633. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the mechanism available to protect a priority habitat as defined in the habitats directive in view of the fact that the National Parks and Wildlife Service has ceased designating further special areas of conservation, SAC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16147/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has identified 439 sites for protection as special areas of conservation under the EU Habitats Directive and 154 sites for protection as special protection areas under the Birds Directive. These are known as Natura 2000 sites. Particular attention was paid to the protection of the best examples of priority habitat in the designation of Natura sites.
The designation process is almost complete although the National Raised Bog Special Areas of Conservation Management Plan 2017-2022 includes proposals to designate two new special areas of conservation, which are more than 50 per cent owned by Bord na Móna.
Given the comprehensive network of protected sites already in place in Ireland in accordance with the Nature Directives, I currently have no further plans to propose sites for designation as special areas of conservation or special protection areas.
A habitat may also be afforded protection in a county development plan, or it may be protected from certain threats through the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive process, or under other environmental legislation.
Ireland’s network of Natura 2000 sites is complemented by Natural Heritage Areas under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. There are 148 Natural Heritage Areas (all bog sites) designated in accordance with the provisions of that Act. In addition, there are 630 proposed natural heritage areas. While a review of these sites is an action included in the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2022, this will not take place in the immediate future, having regard to the resources available to my Department. Although proposed natural heritage area sites are not subject to designation under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, they are recognised in many local authority development plans.
1634. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the grants available to assist an individual to renovate a 100 year old property which was left to them by a family member; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16653/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFinancial support is provided by my Department through a number of schemes for the conservation and protection of historic buildings. These schemes are administered by local authorities and include the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Structures at Risk Fund.
Projects to be funded under these schemes in 2018 were announced recently and details are available on all local authority websites and on my Department’s website. While the closing date for the 2018 schemes has now passed, my Department remains in contact with local authorities throughout the year to ensure the best possible use of funding, including by reallocating funds when, for example, projects do not go ahead.
In the context of a particular building, the best advice may be to contact the Architectural Conservation Officer or Heritage Officer in the local authority who will be able to advise on the various types of funding available to assist with the building.
The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage.
1635. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will designate Emmett Hall, Inchicore, as a national monument in view of the role played by the building in the period 1913 to 1916. [15118/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1636. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her attention has been drawn to correspondence sent to a number of Deputies (details supplied); her plans to review same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15119/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1649. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to designate a building (details supplied) as a national monument; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15904/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1635, 1636 and 1649 together.
The importance of Emmet Hall stems from its role as the home of 1916 leader Michael Mallin who was one of the major figures of the 1916 Rising. His part in the insurrection and in the republican movement at the time is undoubtedly more than worthy of remembrance and commemoration. The immensely successful 1916 Commemorations that took place nationwide in the centenary year included the creation of permanent tributes to many of those who, like Commandant Mallin, had fought, and in his case died, during the Rising.
Over a thousand national monuments are in State care under the National Monuments 1930 - 2004, the vast majority of which are archaeological structures or features pre-dating the year 1700. This reflects the core focus of the Acts on ancient archaeological remains rather than on buildings of a historic nature but of relatively much more recent origin. There is, of course, also the input of significant financial resources that is required to ensure the proper management and maintenance of these national monuments that are already in State care.
The decision for the State to take action under the National Monuments Acts in relation to the buildings at Nos. 14 – 17 Moore Street, which might be seen as somewhat comparable to Emmet Hall, was strongly influenced by the fact that these buildings had played a very direct, distinct and significant role in the Rising itself. One of the key and defining moments of the insurrection, the decision to surrender, happened in No. 16 and, at one point, the buildings also accommodated several hundred insurgents who had escaped from the GPO. Other factors in that decision were that these were also the most complete and original pre-1916 buildings on the street, that they contained physical evidence of the presence of the rebels in the form of the openings cut through the buildings as they made their way up Moore Street from their entry point at No. 10 and that a particular opportunity had emerged for the State to gain ownership on an agreed basis in time for the 1916 Centenary through the involvement of the National Asset Management Agency.
Emmet Hall is outside the normal framework that would determine that a individual building constituted a national monument that warranted a Preservation Order being placed on it under the National Monument Acts at this particular time. Such powers are intended to preserve monuments that are at grave and immediate risk of destruction and were primarily devised to protect archaeological sites or ancient ruinous remains from being irreparably damaged. The Moore Street buildings were significantly run down and were at risk of being demolished to facilitate wider redevelopment proposals. Neither do the other special circumstances I have outlined in relation to Moore Street apply to an equivalent extent in relation to Emmet Hall, important though it may be in its own right.
I understand that a proposal to develop the rear of Emmet Hall, which is still in use, is currently the subject of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála and it would not therefore be appropriate for me comment on that aspect of the case. I would, however, point to the Register of Protected Structures (RPS) as provided for in the Planning and Development Acts which allows local authorities to consider the future of historic buildings, including those in current use. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by adding particular structures on the RPS. Inclusion on the RPS places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them in order to safeguard their future. The addition of a structure to the Record of Protected Structures is a reserved function of the members of the relevant planning authority.
