Written Answers Nos. 2721-2740
2721. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his Department's expenditure on photography and other promotional services including the creation of social media content in 2017 and to date in 2018. [34234/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra2725. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his Department's expenditure on the purchase of newspapers and other media content, such as, print, digital and other forms in 2017 and to date in 2018. [34302/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 2721 and 2725 together.
My Department’s Press Office generally provides photographic services when required. However, on occasions where this is not possible, a service provider is selected from the OGP panel in line with the procurement framework.
My Department is also developing its own videography capability. However, previously, when an information campaign to raise awareness of the supports available from my Department was being rolled out, for example, the Housing Assistance Payment Digital Campaign, professional services were availed of to maximise the quality and reach.
The details requested by the Deputy are outlined in the table.
|
2017 |
2018 |
||
|
1 |
Photography |
€8,254.89 |
Nil |
|
2 |
Social media content incl videography, copywriting, design and digital distribution |
€7,810.50 |
Nil |
|
3 |
Newspapers |
€8,257.32 |
€5,469.65 |
|
4 |
Digital media subscriptions |
€4,721.43 |
€3,245.46 |
|
5 |
Periodicals |
€40.40 |
Nil |
|
6 |
Press cuttings |
€8,152.35 |
€3,366.20 |
2722. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his Department's expenditure on public relations in 2017 and to date in 2018. [34251/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department did not incur any expenditure on public relations in 2017, and has not incurred any expenditure on public relations to date in 2018.
My Department’s Press Office provides public relations services and the engagement of external expertise is generally only considered where the issues involved require specific expert skills that are not readily available within the Department.
2723. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his Department's expenditure on external consultancy in 2017 and to date in 2018. [34268/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested on expenditure by my Department on external consultancy in 2017 and to date in 2018 is set out in the following table.
|
|
2017 |
2018 |
|
Consultancy Expenditure |
€0.436m |
€0.480m |
External consultancy services are only availed of by my Department in circumstances where necessary work cannot be carried out within the resources/expertise available to the Department. In availing of such services, every effort is made to ensure maximum value for money and the keeping of expenditure to the minimum necessary to achieve the relevant objectives.
2724. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the detail of each non-Civil Service appointment that has been made in his Department; the pay grade of each appointment; and the relevant qualifications that each appointee has for their position. [34285/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe only non civil service appointments made in my Department since my own appointment have been those of Special Advisers and of Ministerial Drivers. All these appointments have been made in accordance with the relevant guidelines and instructions from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on Ministerial appointments for the 32nd Dáil.
The two Special Advisers appointed in my Department are Mr Jack O'Donnell and Ms Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill. In relation to the role of Special Advisers, this is as set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. Mr. O'Donnell was previously employed as Deputy Government Press Secretary. Ms. Caroll-MacNeill has previously worked as a Special Adviser in the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs and Justice and Equality.
The information requested as regards pay grades is set out in the following tables:
Minister Eoghan Murphy – Political Appointments
|
Name |
Job title |
Pay Grade |
|
Jack O'Donnell |
Special Adviser |
Principal Officer (Standard) PPC Scale |
|
Jennifer Carroll Mac Neill |
Special Adviser |
Principal Officer (Standard) PPC Scale |
|
James O'Connor |
Civilian Driver |
Civilian Driver |
|
Vincent Cahill |
Civilian Driver |
Civilian Driver |
Minister of State Damien English – Political Appointments
|
Name |
Job title |
Grade |
|
Walter Waldron |
Civilian Driver |
Civilian Driver |
|
Joseph Fox |
Civilian Driver |
Civilian Driver |
Minister of State John Paul Phelan – Political Appointments
|
Name |
Job title |
Grade |
|
Patrick Nolan |
Civilian Driver |
Civilian Driver |
|
Michael Grace |
Civilian Driver |
Civilian Driver |
2726. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of full-time equivalent press officers employed by his Department and him personally. [34319/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have appointed two special advisers in my Department since my appointment as Minister, both of whom work across the wide range of policy areas within the remit of my Department and who also liaise with the media on those issues. In addition one full time civil servant, at the grade of Higher Executive Officer, works as a Departmental Press Officer.
2727. Deputy Niamh Smyth 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. [34332/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, it is the Chief Executive of each local authority who is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the authority.
My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the 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 assignment of particular functional areas of work. Accordingly, the information requested is not available in my Department, but may be obtained directly from local authorities.
2728. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of 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. [34333/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, 50,000 new social homes will be delivered in the period to 2021 through build, refurbishment, acquisition and leasing. In addition, 87,000 households will have their housing need met through the Housing Assistance Payment scheme and the Rental Accommodation Scheme.
The plan is supported by an overall investment framework of over €6 billion. Funding for the delivery of housing is provided to individual local authorities each year according as their delivery programmes and individual projects are progressed.
2729. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of vacant or derelict hotel and guesthouse properties in each county. [34334/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is not collected by my Department.
The vacant site registers and derelict sites registers established and maintained by local authorities, as required under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 and the Derelict Sites Act 1990 respectively, do not contain information on the previous use of vacant or derelict sites or buildings.
2730. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to raise the threshold for social housing supports in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34335/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra2733. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he plans raising the eligibility thresholds for going on the local authority lists as per sections 20 and 21 of the Housing Act 2009 in view of the low income thresholds in place at present that mean that many working persons on low incomes are neither eligible to go on the housing lists nor have the resources to buy their own home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34460/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 2730 and 2733 together.
The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy.
The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs, plus a comparative analysis of the local rental cost of housing accommodation across the country. It is important to note that the limits introduced at that time also reflected a blanket increase of €5,000 introduced prior to the new system coming into operation, in order to broaden the base from which social housing tenants are drawn, both promoting sustainable communities and also providing a degree of future-proofing.
As part of the broader social housing reform agenda, a review of income eligibility for social housing supports has commenced. The Housing Agency is carrying out the detailed statistical work which will underpin this review on behalf of my Department.
I expect the results of the review to be available for publication over the coming months.
2731. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the contracts awarded by his Department to a company (details supplied) in each of the past three years; the value of these contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34363/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraNo contracts for services were awarded to the Company referred to in the period outlined.
2734. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of applications received under the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme to date; the number of loans that have been approved; the number of applications rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34465/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs with the previous local authority home loan offerings, loan applications under the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan are made directly to the local authority in whose area the property proposed for purchase is situated. My Department does not directly collect information on the number of loan applications received by local authorities.
However, as is currently the case, my Department will continue to publish information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Information up to Q4 2017 is available on the Department's website at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-loan-activity, and this information will be updated on a quarterly basis as additional data is compiled.
The Housing Agency provides a central support service which assesses valid loan applications that are made to the local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities as to whether loans should be offered to applicants. I have asked the Agency to centrally compile figures on the numbers of applications that it has assessed and the most recent figures, as at the end of June, indicate that the Agency had received a total of 1,963 applications for assessment from local authorities. Of the applications received, 1,510 (or 77%) were deemed to be valid. Of these valid applications, 1,326 had been assessed and 696 of these (52%) had been recommended for approval.
Each local authority must have in place a credit committee and it is a matter for the committee to make the decision on applications for loans, in accordance with the regulations, under which the scheme is established, having regard to the recommendations made by the Housing Agency.
2735. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the report on the tenant incremental purchase scheme 2016 will be published; the reason for the delay; his plans to implement its recommendations; when he plans to make changes to the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34466/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra2736. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of houses sold under the tenant incremental purchase scheme 2016 to date by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34467/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 2735 and 2736 together.
In line with the commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, 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 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.
With regards to the number of sales made under the scheme, operation of the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 is a matter for individual local authorities, in line with relevant legislation, including the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015. Local authorities are by law (Section 63(1) of the Local Government Act 2001) independent in the performance of their functions.
My Department does, however, publish information on the sale of local authority houses each year which can be found on my Department's website at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordble/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.
The number of houses sold under the Scheme during 2016 can be found at this link. I expect to be in a position to publish data in relation to sales for 2017 shortly.
2737. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of applications received to date under the mortgage-to-rent scheme since its inception; the number of these approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34468/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme introduced in 2012 is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears who have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP), who agree to the voluntary surrender of their home and who have very limited options, if any, to meet their long-term housing needs themselves. In addition, the household must be deemed eligible for social housing support.
Since the introduction of the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme in 2012, a total of 4,121 cases had been submitted under the scheme to the end of June 2018. Of the 4,121 cases submitted, 2,984 were ineligible or terminated during the process. Of the remaining cases submitted, 357 have been completed, and the remaining 780 are actively being progressed.
The Housing Agency publishes, on a quarterly basis, detailed statistical information on the operation of the MTR scheme, including the number of applications received and the completed transactions. This information is available on the Agency's website at the following link: www.housingagency.ie/our-services/housing-supply-services/mortgage-to-rent.aspx.
2738. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the outcome of the proposals considered at the European Council meeting in June 2018 in relation to the reallocation of seats in the European Parliament; if Ireland's number of seats has increased; if so, the proposals in place to revise the European Parliament constituencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34475/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 28 June 2018, the European Council adopted a decision on the composition of the European Parliament for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term. This provides for 13 members to be elected in Ireland, an increase from the present 11 members. However, if the United Kingdom has not left the European Union by the commencement of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term, the number of members taking up office will be the same as that provided for in the current European Parliament (i.e. 11 members); in such a scenario, the additional two seats would be taken up after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom becomes effective.
The Electoral Act 1997 (as amended) provides for the establishment of a committee to review European Parliament constituencies in the context of a change in the number of MEPs to be elected in Ireland. The provisions generally mirror those in place for a Constituency Commission, including the membership, but with shorter timelines for receipt of submissions and for presentation of a report to the Chairman of the Dáil (within two months of establishment).
Against this background, I have made an order under section 5(1A) of the Act establishing a Constituency Committee to review European Parliament constituencies having regard to the number of MEPs to be elected in Ireland as set out in European Council Decision (EU) 2018/937 of 28 June 2018 establishing the composition of the European Parliament.
2739. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the deposit protection scheme; when it will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34537/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provides for, among other things, the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).
There have been significant changes in the rental market since the 2015 scheme was first envisaged and designed. For example, the draft scheme was originally intended to be financed by the interest payable on deposits lodged; this is no longer viable, given current financial market conditions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that disputes relating to deposits are no longer the most common dispute type referred to the RTB.
Financing the operation of the scheme is an important consideration, particularly in terms of ensuring that the likely outcomes of a new scheme are achieved efficiently and effectively and that the best value from public funds is secured. Careful consideration is therefore required to introduce any necessary reforms and enhancements to the 2015 scheme, with a view to considering whether and how to introduce a re-designed scheme that is fit for purpose and suitable for current and future rental and financial markets.
On foot of the consideration of the existing provisions and other related matters, any necessary legislative changes will be brought before the Oireachtas at the earliest available opportunity.
2740. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the next round of funding under the local infrastructure housing activation fund will be announced; and if all councils have been communicated with to seek their priorities. [34547/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund was designed to activate housing supply by putting in place the enabling public infrastructure necessary to ensure that large scale development could take place on key sites in urban areas of high housing demand. Final approval was given for 30 projects under LIHAF in 2017 and these projects will stimulate development of approximately 20,000 housing units across 14 local authorities.
Additional funding of €50 million over the period to 2020 was announced in Budget 2018 for a second call for proposals under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund. However, it is now the case that significantly increased funding will be available for enabling infrastructure projects through the new €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, announced under Project Ireland 2040. Local authorities will also be able to apply to the new Serviced Sites Fund which will support delivery of both off- and on-site infrastructure which can unlock local authority-owned lands in order to deliver affordable homes.
Given the cross-over between these funds, I have reviewed whether it is necessary to have a further call specifically under LIHAF, and I have concluded, in consultation with the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, that the funds that had been allocated for the second call under LIHAF should be transferred to the new Serviced Sites Fund to increase the Exchequer funding available under the Fund from €25 million to €75 million over the period 2018 to 2021. This funding will help to speed up the development of affordable housing from publicly-owned sites.
A call for proposals for funding under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund was issued on 3 July by my Department. The application period for this first call will run until 12 noon on 28 September 2018 and the Fund will operate on a competitive, bid-based Exchequer grant basis. Detailed information on the URDF and the application process can be found at www.gov.ie/urdf and www.npf.ie.
