Written Answers Nos. 266-276
266. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding community employment scheme rules; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40297/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. The programme helps break the cycle of unemployment and improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. In addition, the scheme operates a ring-fenced CE Drugs Response for people who have experienced addiction issues.
The eligibility for participation on the CE is dependent on the individual circumstances of each person and the length of time she or he has been in receipt of a CE-qualifying social welfare payment.
Disability clients self-refer to CE where they can avail of training and education supports to develop their skill sets and enhance their employability. In general all new CE entrants aged between 21 and 55 years can participate for 1 year. CE participants, working towards a major award, can seek to extend participation by up to two years to enable then to reach the required standard of qualification and by three years for participants who qualified through a disability-linked payment.
Persons in receipt of a qualifying disability-linked social welfare payment are eligible for an overall lifetime limit on a CE scheme of 7 years.
My Department is committed to supporting people with disability to participate more fully in society and to become more self-sufficient by providing employment activation supports that address barriers that they may face.
The person to whom the Deputy refers should contact their local INTREO centre to discuss options available to them.
267. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of her plans to correct the changes from 2012 that disadvantaged over 40,000 pensioners; if her plans to contact those who were affected by rate band changes in autumn 2018 are on schedule; when she expects these letters to issue; when she anticipates the new rates to take effect for this cohort; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40298/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 23 January last, I proposed and Government agreed to my proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated on a Total Contributions basis, including provision for up to 20 years of home-caring in the calculation of that entitlement.
A number of elements have to be put in place to facilitate the implementation of these changes. Legislation has to be enacted to enable implementation of these arrangements and an information technology system has to be developed and tested. My Department is currently working on these projects and both are at a very advanced stage. In addition, my Department is currently designing procedures and assigning staff to process reviews of pensions.
My Department will be writing to impacted customers in the next two months to explain to them what is happening and how the process of review will work. As I have stated previously, it is still planned to commence these reviews before the end of this year, with the first payments being made in the first quarter of 2019, backdated, where relevant, to the end of March 2018, or later where a person attained their 66th birthday since that date.
It is not necessary for people to contact the Department on this matter. Once the legislation is enacted and the systems and processes are ready, my Department will then write again to the people impacted and provide them with the opportunity to have their pension calculation reviewed.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
268. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the housing aid for older people scheme will include grant aid to upgrade an existing heating system, particularly the central heating boiler, in view of the fact that this work is no longer grant aided by the SEAI (details supplied). [40152/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing Aid for Older People Scheme provides grants of up to €8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out. The grant eligible works include the provision of heating and any repair or improvement works which are considered reasonably necessary.
The detailed administration of these grants, including the assessment, approval and prioritisation of grants to applicants under the various measures, is the responsibility of the local authorities. In this regard local authorities prioritise applications on the basis of the medical needs of the applicant and on the urgency and necessity of the identified works. In that context, local authorities do consider heating upgrade works on a case by case basis and I understand that this has now been clarified with Cork County Council.
269. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of LIHAF funding drawn down in County Meath to date by project in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40204/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe aim of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund is to relieve critical infrastructural blockages to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites and to improve the economic viability of new housing projects in Dublin and in urban areas with high demand for housing. There are two projects in County Meath being supported by LIHAF funding, at Ratoath (an outer relief road) and Farganstown, Navan (a distributor road).
Funding for LIHAF projects is provided on a matched funding basis with 75% of project costs supported by Exchequer funding, and the remaining 25% being contributed by the local authority. The following table details the payments made from the Exchequer portion of the funding on both projects for 2017 and the first two quarters in 2018. My Department will shortly be inviting local authorities to submit quarter three claims.
Table: LIHAF payments to date to projects in County Meath
|
Project |
Payments (€) - 2017 to Q2 2018 |
|
Ratoath |
26,901.71 |
|
Farganstown, Navan |
43,531.01 |
270. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the construction of the Kilmacthomas fire station will commence in view of the fact that it is due to commence in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40282/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs, and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Act, 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects.
In February 2016, my Department announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme with an allocation of €40 million, based on the current annual €8 million allocation, to be used for the purchase of fire appliances and specialist equipment, building or upgrading of prioritised Fire Stations, an upgrade of the Communications and Mobilisation system and improvements to Training Centres. This programme includes a provision for the construction of sixteen new builds and ten fire station upgrade/refurbishments.
A new fire station at Kilmacthomas is provided for in this Fire Services Capital Programme, with an indicative date for construction in 2019. My Department will work with the local authority to progress this project in line with the indicative 2019 start envisaged in the Capital Programme.
271. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when an affordable housing scheme will be announced; if a scheme will be announced for Galway city and county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40292/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraA three-pronged, targeted approach to affordable housing is being pursued. Firstly, in terms of affordable housing for purchase, relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 have been commenced, which place the new scheme for affordable purchase on a statutory footing. This Scheme, aimed at households, including any qualifying military personnel, earning low to moderate annual gross incomes of maximum €50,000 for a single applicant and maximum €75,000 for joint applicants, will be delivered by local authorities developing their sites in key locations. The Scheme will be complementary to other Government Schemes which help first-time buyers to buy a home, such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the new Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan scheme.
Secondly, I am determined that cost rental homes become a major part of our rental landscape in the future, making a sustainable impact on housing affordability, national competitiveness, and the attractiveness of our main urban centres as places to live as well as work. Cost rental is an important component of progressive housing systems around Europe. Two cost rental projects have previously been announced for Emmet Road, Inchicore, and at Enniskerry Road, Dundrum. Learning from these pilot projects, I expect cost rental projects to be rolled out across other suitable sites.
Finally, in order to support local authorities to get their sites ready for affordable housing, I am providing additional funding for enabling infrastructure via the Serviced Sites Fund. This overall minimum investment of €100 million will provide funding for those sites that require infrastructural investment in order for them to be brought into use for affordable housing. The fund is initially open to the areas worst affected by housing undersupply and affordability. On 29 June, I invited applications under the SSF from 11 local authorities, including Galway City. The call closed on 31 August and 15 proposals were submitted by 9 local authorities, including Galway City. The submissions are currently being assessed in my Department and I expect to be in a position to make the initial awards of funding later this month.
Finally, the Government has now launched the Land Development Agency which is aiming to build some 150,000 new homes over the next 20 years. The new Agency has an immediate focus on managing the State’s own lands to develop new homes, with at least 40% of these homes being for social and affordable housing purposes.
272. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the previous year's income is the income that must be assessed when housing aid for older persons and housing adaptation grants for persons with a disability are being assessed; if current year income can be assessed in circumstances in which there has been a permanent change in circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40293/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile there is legislation that governs the administration of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, the detailed administration of the Grants, including the assessment, approval and payment of grants to applicants, can include the scope to use current year income as the basis for assessment, in cases where there has been a permanent change in circumstances.
273. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the rationale for compelling applicants to take out specified local authority mortgage protection insurance which is often more expensive than self-sourced market MPI in the context of the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme; if he is satisfied that the practice of restricting consumers' ability to shop around for alternative insurance products is not vulnerable to being found to be anti-competitive and in breach of EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and-or abuse of a dominant market position in view of Rebuilding Ireland's unique market position in providing mortgages to those who must demonstrate being refused mortgages elsewhere in order to qualify; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40327/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a statutory requirement that mortgage protection insurance (MPI) is taken out in respect of all local authority housing loans. The Local Authority Mortgage Protection Insurance scheme is a group scheme and is designed to provide an appropriate level of insurance cover to those who wish to avail of such loans, including the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. It is overseen by the Mortgage Protection Insurance Committee, a sub-committee of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) with representatives from the CCMA, local authorities, the Housing Finance Agency, as well as my Department and has applied to all house purchase loans approved by local authorities since 1 July 1986.
One of the conditions of the group policy scheme is that it is obligatory for all borrowers who meet the eligibility criteria to join the scheme. Altering this condition would have a negative impact on the scheme and increase the cost for all existing borrowers.
The scheme offers a number of additional features over and above the standard MPI products available on the market. Standard MPI products are individually priced, based on a member’s age, amongst other factors, whereas the local authority MPI scheme is a group arrangement, offering a single group rate per €1,000 sum assured to all participants in the scheme.
The scheme also provides other benefits over standard MPI products. These include the payment of mortgage repayments if there is a valid claim as a result of disability; an additional payment of €3,000 in the event of a member’s death, separate to life cover; and members are also covered for death up to age 75 rather than 65 as is the case under standard MPI cover.
The insurance scheme is subject to periodic review and competitive tendering, in accordance with the terms of EU Directives relating to the award of public service contracts. This is to ensure that the most appropriate cover at the best value for money is secured for local authority borrowers over the entire life of their mortgages.
274. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a compensation scheme for farmers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40125/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is currently it the midst of the Estimates 2019 process and it would be premature to indicate any funding amounts while these matters are under discussion. I should note however that the level of funding referred to was proposed by the farming organisations rather than my Department.
The Farm Plan Scheme is currently operational, albeit on a limited basis, for farmers whose management of designated areas incurs costs or actions over and above payments received through other schemes, and it is my intention to increase the scope of the Scheme on a targeted and prioritised basis as funding permits. It must also be recognised that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is operating many targeted schemes for farmers in designated areas. The DAFM GLAS scheme has provided prioritised entry into GLAS and elevated GLAS payments in certain designated areas. It is important that the Farm Plan Scheme is coherent with these schemes and the Basic Payment Scheme.
275. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when she expects to announce funding provision for a project (details supplied). [40281/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has been examining the request for additional funding in relation to the project to which the Deputy refers. This examination is continuing.
276. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of persons who appealed a SAC designation on their lands; the number of persons who have successfully had their lands declassified as a SAC as a result of an appeal in each of the years 2013 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40291/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFormal appeals against the inclusion of lands within a site proposed for designation as a special area of conservation (candidate special area of conservation) are heard by the Designated Areas Appeals Advisory Board.
Following an appeal hearing, the Board makes a recommendation to me, as Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. This recommendation is based on scientific grounds as to whether lands should be included in the candidate special area of conservation. The recommendation of the Designated Areas Appeals Advisory Board may be accepted in full, in part or rejected.
Details of the number of appeals heard by the Board and the outcome of each appeal from 2013 to 2018 (to date) are outlined in the following table.
|
Year |
No. of appeals heard by the Board |
Outcome |
|
2013 |
1 |
Unsuccessful |
|
2014 |
0 |
Not applicable |
|
2015 |
2 |
2 Partly Successful |
|
2016 |
5 |
4 Partly Successful, 1 Unsuccessful |
|
2017 |
9 |
7 Partly Successful, 2 Unsuccessful |
|
2018 |
2 |
1 Partly Successful, 1 withdrawn at the appeals hearing itself. |
