Written Answers Nos 273-277
273. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of units covered by the enhanced leasing scheme by county; the anticipated costs in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21897/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraA range of housing options are necessary to ensure a supply of accommodation to meet different types of social housing need. Harnessing the off-balance sheet potential of private investment in social housing is an important objective of the Government and the social housing targets set out in Rebuilding Ireland over the period to 2021 reflect the ambition in that regard.
Of the 50,000 social housing homes to be delivered under Rebuilding Ireland, 10,000 are targeted to be leased by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) under leasing arrangements from a range of different sources, including 3,500 homes targeted using the Repair and Lease Scheme (RLS), and 6,500 homes using a combination of the existing social housing leasing arrangements, and the new Enhanced Lease Scheme. All homes delivered under leasing arrangements, including a new Enhanced Leasing Scheme, will be funded under the Department’s Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP).
It is intended that up to 2,000 units will be leased by Local Authorities in 2018 through a combination of the existing Long Term Leasing arrangements, the Repair and Leasing Scheme and the new Enhanced Leasing Scheme.
The new Enhanced Leasing Scheme has been developed by my Department, together with the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), the Housing Agency and local authorities, in order to harness the potential of private sector interest in social housing delivery in a new set of long-term leasing arrangements, in a manner designed to leverage off-balance sheet funding opportunities in accordance with Rebuilding Ireland objectives.
The new Scheme is targeted at new build or new to the market properties to be delivered at scale and will complement the existing long-term leasing arrangements, which will continue to be available. There are, however, a number of key differences between the existing long term lease and the enhanced lease, the purpose of which is to facilitate larger levels of private investment in social housing while ensuring that the capital investment is off balance sheet in respect of Government expenditure.
The scheme will be governed by my Department and operated by local authorities. The Housing Agency will manage and administer the scheme on behalf of my Department and will act as a national co-ordinator.
A call for proposals was launched on 31 January 2018 and the Housing Agency accepted submissions from interested parties until 12 April 2018. All proposals are subject to a range of criteria as set out in the “Calls for Proposals for Enhanced Long Term Social Housing Leasing Scheme” and the proposals will be assessed and marked in accordance with the terms set out therein. The Call for Proposals is available on the Housing Agency website at the following link: www.housingagency.ie/News/Current-News/Enhanced-Long-Term-Social-Housing-Leasing-Scheme.aspx.
A total of 33 submissions were received from interested parties which represents strong interest from the market. The Housing Agency is currently reviewing the proposals and will complete the initial review process in the coming weeks. The total number of units proposed is still being worked through as part of the assessment process and will be the subject of an agreement between the individual Local Authorities and proposers.
Further information with respect to the numbers and locations of the units proposed for leasing under the Scheme will only be available once the individual proposals have been assessed, marked and accepted in accordance with the terms and methodology set out in the Calls for Proposals document.
274. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to initiate a boundary commission on European Parliament boundaries in view of a recent parliament decision to extend the number of MEP seats here from 11 to 13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21898/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe composition of the current 2014-2019 European Parliament was established by European Council Decision 2013/312/EU of 28 June 2013 which, in the case of Ireland, provided for the election of 11 MEPs. The current number of MEPs in the European Parliament is 750 plus the President with each Member State having between 6 and 96 Members.
Council Decision 2013/312/EU provided that it would be revised again in advance of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term upon an initiative of the European Parliament to be presented to the European Council before the end of 2016. The launch of this process was, however, postponed by the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (i.e. the AFCO Committee) until after the referendum in the United Kingdom on its withdrawal from the European Union.
Following a report in the matter by the AFCO Committee, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on 7 February 2018 which contains a Proposal for a Decision of the European Council establishing the composition of the European Parliament. In broad terms, the proposal provides, among other things, that:
when the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union becomes legally effective, 27 of the United Kingdom’s 73 seats would be re-distributed among 14 Member States, of which 2 would go to Ireland, increasing Ireland’s MEPs from 11 to 13 in number. This would mean a reduction in the overall size of the European Parliament from 751 to 705 members;
- however, as set out in the Parliament's resolution, if the date on which the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union becomes legally effective takes place after the European Parliament elections are held in mid-2019, the number of MEPs to be elected from each Member State for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term would remain the same as that of the current parliament. The additional seats would only be filled on the date after which the United Kingdom's withdrawal becomes legally effective.
The proposal, which will require unanimity, is now under consideration within the European Council; the consent of the Parliament will be sought by the Council by way of written procedure. Subject to the consent of the European Parliament, it is anticipated that the proposal will be adopted by the European Council at its meeting on 28 June 2018.
In the event that Ireland’s total number of seats in the European Parliament is changed in respect of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term, it will be necessary to review our European constituency arrangements. Under section 5(1A) of the Electoral Act 1997, provision is made for the establishment of a Constituency Commission in such circumstances to review, and report with recommendations on, European Parliament constituencies. This was done in 2013 prior to the last elections to the European Parliament.
275. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the estimated number of units provided through the repair and lease scheme in 2018; the number provided in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21901/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 dwellings across Ireland. The RLS was established on a pilot basis in Waterford and Carlow local authorities in October 2016 and expanded nationwide from 23 February 2017.
The scheme is targeted at owners of vacant dwellings, who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring their dwellings up to the required standard for rental property. Subject to the suitability of the dwelling for social housing, and the agreement of the property owner, the cost of the necessary repairs will be met up-front by the local authority or an approved housing body (AHB).
At 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 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:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
It is clear from the end 2017 output that RLS has not yet delivered the level of new social housing homes envisaged. I have reviewed the operation of the scheme, as part of the review of Rebuilding Ireland, and I have concluded that the scheme has significant potential but there are areas where it can be improved to make it more attractive and effective. At the second Housing Summit held on 22 January 2018, I announced a number of key changes to the scheme which took effect from 1 February 2018. These include:
- a reduction in the minimum lease term required from 10 to 5 years;
- an increase in 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. Out of the total 10,000 homes to be delivered under Leasing, it is expected that 2,000 will be leased by local authorities in 2018 under a range of leasing initiatives, including the Repair and Leasing Scheme, long term leasing and the new Enhanced Lease.
I wrote to all Local Authorities on 18 April 2018 setting out their social housing delivery targets for Build, Acquisition and Leasing for 2018, and for the period 2018-2021. The targets are published on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-publishes-social-housing-delivery-targets-for-local-authorities-2018-2021/.
276. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if an analysis was carried out by his Department or the local authority concerned on the potential revenue raised by commercial rates if a project (details supplied) in County Galway had been completed; and the value of such estimates over a calendar year. [21973/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLocal authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The Commissioner of Valuation has responsibility for valuation matters and is independent in the performance of his functions under the Acts. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority.
No analysis was carried out by my Department in relation to possible rates income to Galway County Council from the project in question. Any possible analysis carried out by Galway County Council would be a matter for that local authority.
277. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the involvement of the Defence Forces in a pilot training scheme in conjunction with An Garda Síochána and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to combat wildlife crime will be considered. [20409/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department investigate breaches of both the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 to 2015. Members of An Garda Síochána are also empowered under the Wildlife Acts and European Communities Regulations to investigate alleged offences and to prosecute if they see fit.
Of my Department’s total staff, I understand that some 330 work in the area of natural heritage through the NPWS of my Department. In addition, my Department takes on in the region of 70 seasonal staff during the year to assist the NPWS. Frontline conservation Rangers are deployed through a regional structure and assignments are determined in light of Departmental business needs and priorities.
Within this staffing context, officials of my Department carry out scientific research, survey work and monitor compliance with national and European law in relation to nature conservation across the country. They conduct patrols and site visits to enforce the various provisions of national and EU legislation, as required, and many of these officers carry out work in more than one county. They also investigate reports of breaches of legislation including illegal snaring of badgers, hare lurching as well monitoring compliance at coursing events etc. Staffing levels across my Department are kept under regular review in line with emerging business needs and Government policy on public sector pay and staffing as advised by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
It should also be noted that the Department of Defence already assists my Department in the provision of aerial monitoring of certain sites and habitats and my Department will continue to liaise with that Department in providing assistance in investigating breaches of wildlife legislation.
I would point out that since 2015 my Department has brought over 50 separate prosecutions for breaches of wildlife legislation. These prosecutions have include illegal badger baiting, hare lurching, deer hunting, poisoning and shooting of endangered bird species as well as illegally cutting hedges and burning vegetation. My Department will continue our covert actions with other agencies, including An Garda Siochana and the I.S.P.C.A to counteract all illegal activities.
