Written Answers Nos. 275-282
275. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of judicial reviews undertaken in the context of Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 in the past five years to date; the outcomes of same; if he will supply this information by development under the provisions and local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20210/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe annual planning statistics compiled by each planning authority for collation and publication by my Department do not include information related to judicial reviews of decisions made by planning or local authorities in the performance of their functions under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, or the Planning and Development Regulations made thereunder.
Accordingly, this information sought is not available in my Department.
276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the requests received by his Department from a county council (details supplied) for funding due to extreme weather events; the funding sought and the works proposed; when the application was submitted; the decision made on the request; the funding allocation made in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20222/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 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 the response to significant severe weather emergency events. This is in recognition of the exceptional nature of the 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.
Requests for recoupment of these costs have been received from Mayo County Council in each of the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and are in respect of a series of severe weather events that affected Mayo (and other parts of the country). The amounts claimed and the amounts recouped are set out in the table below. A claim for recoupment of response and clean-up costs relating to the recent severe cold weather and snow has been sought from Mayo County Council and is awaited.
Following the severe storms of winter 2013/2014 and the resulting widespread damage to public infrastructure particularly in Atlantic coastal counties, the Government decided to make funding of up to €69.5m available to local authorities to assist them in supporting communities affected by restoring roads, coastal protection, and other amenities/facilities that had been damaged. It was agreed that the funding would be made available via the Votes of the appropriate Departments, i.e. Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport; Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine; the Office of Public Works and my own Department. While my Department had an initial role in collating details and costs of damage in the immediate aftermath of the severe weather based on returns and estimates provided by local authorities, the other Departments and Offices listed above liaised directly with the local authorities on funding falling under their remit.
In the case of funding requirements relating to this event which fell under the remit of my Department, which included certain tourism infrastructure funded by the local authorities and certain piers, harbours and other facilities in the charge of the local authorities, a total of €784,000 was sought by Mayo County Council with €189,000 recouped in 2014 and €594,100 recouped in 2015.
It was a matter for individual local authorities to decide which projects were to be progressed and in which timescales with priority being given to works that were significant for economic activity and to support the tourism industry in particular.
Mayo County Council
|
|
Claimed |
Recouped |
|
2014 |
509,000 |
509,000 |
|
2015 |
480,000 |
480,000 |
|
2016 |
413,000 |
413,000 |
|
2017 |
5,714 |
5,714 |
|
Total |
1,407,714 |
1,407,714 |
277. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the process that follows in circumstances in which a proposed Part 8 development is rejected by councillors at local authority level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20225/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra280. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the circumstances in which a Part 8 development must be re-advertised for a period of time in order for the general public to make further submissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20252/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 280 together.
Neither section 179 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, nor Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations made thereunder, relating to proposed development by a local authority that does not require environmental impact assessment or appropriate assessment, provide for a second round of public consultation in relation to a proposed development or for a further procedure to be followed where the elected members of the authority decide, by resolution, not to proceed with a proposed development. In the latter circumstances, it would, of course, be possible for a fresh Part 8 procedure to be initiated, if that was considered appropriate.
278. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of the 600 persons which he claimed on 30 April 2018 in a Departmental press release had been miscategorised as homeless by local authorities that had tenancy agreements at the time of the alleged miscategorisation; and the number that were in short-term ad hoc accommodation arrangements provided by local authorities and or the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive. [20227/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 24 and 25 of 8 May 2018. While tenancy arrangements are a matter for individual housing authorities, as indicated in the reply referred to, the issues arising in relation to the misclassification of certain households as homeless have not yet been fully addressed, so I am not in a position to provide a complete account in relation to such practices. My Department is engaging with local authorities as part of its continuing examination of the matter.
279. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to amend measures whereby grant assistance to fix domestic septic tanks can only be awarded if the tank is randomly inspected in view of the small percentage of inspections which happen annually; if the introduction of a system of inspections being requested by domestic dwelling owners with a view to expanding grant qualification will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20240/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, brought into operation a grant scheme to assist with the cost of remediation of septic tanks and domestic waste water treatment systems which are deemed, following inspection under the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Inspection Plan, to require repair or upgrading.
The Regulations provide that, subject to the applicant meeting all qualification criteria, a local authority may pay a grant to a person who is required, following an inspection, to undertake repairs or upgrades to, or replacement of, a septic tank or other domestic waste water treatment system. Applications for grant aid are administered by the local authority in whose functional area the particular domestic waste water treatment system requiring remediation is situated. The local authorities then seek recoupment of the amounts paid from my Department. Where a local authority pays a grant under the scheme, my Department will repay the local authority 100% of the amount paid.
Full details of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, are set out in the explanatory leaflet and application form published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-quality/domestic-waste-water-systemsseptic-tanks/domestic-waste-water-treatment-0.
The grants scheme ensures that the limited financial resources available are targeted towards householders, particularly those on lower incomes, who incur expenditure directly as a result of the inspection scheme. My Department is revising this scheme to better support the programme of measures in the finalised River Basin Management Plan 2018 - 2021 published recently. The scheme is being extended in order to provide particular support to high status waters and areas identified for priority action in the River Basin Management Plan.
I have recently approved the establishment of a Working Group to conduct a review of the wider investment needs relating to rural water services. The review will focus on the actions required to improve and sustain rural water services and will consider issues such as governance, supervision and monitoring of the sector, in addition to capital investment priorities and requirements across all elements of rural water services, including domestic waste water treatment systems. The establishment of the Working Group is being undertaken in response to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services.
Householders who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the grant under the aforementioned Regulations and who wish to remediate or upgrade their on-site treatment systems may qualify for relief under the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) Scheme introduced pursuant to section 5 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2013. The HRI Scheme covers main residence repairs, renovations and improvements, including the repair or replacement of septic tanks. The Scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners and full details are published on the Revenue Commissioners' website at www.revenue.ie.
281. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the funding allocated in 2017 to deal with the homeless issue; the funding provided to each local authority respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20284/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides current funding, under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, to housing authorities towards the cost of providing accommodation and related services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Housing authorities are also required to provide at least 10% of the cost of any service they are funding. Funding in respect of homeless services is allocated on a regional basis. Details of the 2017 funding provided to the housing authorities on a regional basis is set out in the table below.
Funding under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988
|
Region |
2017 |
|
Dublin |
€83,616,643 |
|
Mid-East |
€3,092,923 |
|
Midland |
€1,467,615 |
|
Mid-West |
€3,906,686 |
|
North-East |
€2,762,845 |
|
North-West |
€450,000 |
|
South-East |
€3,444,510 |
|
South-West |
€6,703,444 |
|
West |
€3,791,334 |
|
Total |
€109,236,000 |
Increased funding has been put in place to deal with homelessness. Budget 2018 provides for an Exchequer allocation of €116 million towards the delivery of housing authority managed homeless services; this is an additional €18 million, or 18%, on last year's initial provision of €98m.
282. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the stage at which his Department and the Department of Health are at in relation to providing a new supported model of housing for elderly persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20329/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment policy, as expressed in the Programme for Government and in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, is to support older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence for as long as possible.
In this context, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, is currently exploring policy options including supported housing/housing with care so that older people have a wider range of housing options and choices available to them. A cross Department/Agency steering group chaired by my Department with representatives from the Department of Health, the Department of Community and Rural Development, the Health Service Executive, the Housing Agency and other key stakeholders was established in 2017 to consider the issues and to provide input into the drafting of a policy statement on housing options for older people.
The draft statement, which will be jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health, is currently being finalised and I expect it to be ready for publication shortly. This will be a first step in the broader process of seeking to ensure that older people are provided with appropriate accommodation options suited to their needs. The policy statement will set out a framework by which the Government can facilitate housing, including housing with care, for older people having regard to current demographics and looking at best practice models. The aim is to ensure that people can grow older and live in a community of their choosing, with dignity and independence.
Part of the St. Michael’s Estate site in Inchicore, owned by Dublin City Council, has been identified as a 'Housing with Support' demonstration project under Rebuilding Ireland. It will deliver 52 homes and is intended to set a new standard for the future of housing provision for older people and to act as an exemplar for others to follow.
The ‘Housing with Support’ model brings together a range of services and supports - principally relating to housing, community, social and care needs - that enables older persons to live full lives in their own homes within their own community, thereby both promoting independence and reducing or deferring the need to move into long term residential care. The overall aim is to develop a new model of housing for older people where the key components, physical environment and care supports are provided on-site, integrated into the community and are designed with older people at the core.
The project has been approved for funding of almost €15 million under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme with a contribution of €450,000 from the HSE towards additional communal facilities for the residents. Circle Voluntary Housing Association and Alone have been commissioned to design, build and operate the project.
