Written Answers Nos. 1244-1268
1246. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 1225 of 5 March 2020, the average amount of the Rebuilding Ireland home loan drawn down in each local authority in 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form. [4474/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department publishes information on the overall number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount).
Information on the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan up to Quarter 4 2019, including in relation to the number and value of mortgage approvals and drawdowns, as well as average loan amounts, are available on my Department's website at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-loan-activity
This information will be updated on a quarterly basis as additional data is compiled.
1247. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the spend by each local authority of its Traveller accommodation budget in 2019. [4475/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The allocations and recoupment profiles for capital Traveller accommodation projects can vary across local authorities given the local priorities, circumstances and project timelines as set out in the TAPs. Local authorities adopted the fifth and current round of TAPs in September 2019, with the five-year rolling programmes running from 2019 to 2024. These programmes provide a road map for local authority investment priorities over the period. They also form the basis for the allocation of funding from my Department for Traveller accommodation.
Housing authorities submit funding proposals for individual Traveller-specific projects and developments on an annual basis. These projects are assessed on a case-by-case basis by my Department in advance of allocations being made. In addition, further funding may be considered by my Department throughout the year in the light of progress across the programme generally. There is regular contact between my Department and housing authorities in order to try to ensure maximum progress and drawdown.
The following table outlines the 2019 allocation and drawdown for each local authority.
|
County Council |
Allocation2019€ |
Drawdown2019€ |
|
Carlow |
70,000 |
381,898 |
|
Cavan |
95,458 |
94,500 |
|
Clare |
635,000 |
669,389 |
|
Cork City |
275,799 |
42,319 |
|
Cork County |
258,390 |
184,745 |
|
Donegal |
161,816 |
0 |
|
Dublin City |
1,628,695 |
895,197 |
|
Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown |
0 |
32,834 |
|
Fingal |
0 |
848,957 |
|
Galway City |
0 |
0 |
|
Galway County |
1,412,596 |
670,440 |
|
Kerry |
77,200 |
75,131 |
|
Kildare |
1,000,000 |
360,231 |
|
Kilkenny |
21,682 |
408,856 |
|
Laois |
0 |
0 |
|
Leitrim |
178,390 |
0 |
|
Limerick City and County |
1,015,179 |
1,424,782 |
|
Longford |
2,922 |
0 |
|
Louth |
132,531 |
341,863 |
|
Mayo |
0 |
0 |
|
Meath |
75,000 |
91,790 |
|
Monaghan |
100,000 |
0 |
|
Offaly |
815,117 |
692,329 |
|
Roscommon |
253,084 |
73,843 |
|
Sligo |
1,435,913 |
1,131,397 |
|
South Dublin |
130,557 |
106,719 |
|
Tipperary |
25,655 |
0 |
|
Waterford City and County |
170,000 |
77,562 |
|
Westmeath |
100,000 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
335,000 |
52,870 |
|
Wicklow |
104,533 |
0 |
|
Reserve |
2,489,484 |
|
|
Total allocation |
10,510,516 |
|
|
TOTAL |
13,000,000 |
8,657,652 |
1248. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of social housing delivered via each delivery stream, such as, build, acquisition and leasing by each local authority in 2019, in tabular form. [4477/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1256. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when the social housing construction status report for quarter 4 of 2019 will be published. [4485/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1248 and 1256 together.
My Department publishes comprehensive quarterly data in relation to social housing delivery, including data broken down by local authority area and by delivery stream, including those relating to Build, Acquisition, Leasing and other housing supports such as HAP and RAS.
The most recent data published covers the period to the end of Q3 2019 and is available on my Department's website at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision
Data in relation to full year 2019 outputs is currently being compiled and will be published shortly.
1250. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the delivery of affordable homes on the Poolbeg strategic development zone, Dublin. [4479/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile my Department is supporting Dublin City Council and, indeed, other local authorities, in their plans to provide more affordable housing, land utilisation and activation, including for the delivery of more affordable housing, is, in the first instance, a matter for each local authority and its elected members.
In relation to the provision of affordable housing, I commenced Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which covers Affordable Dwelling Purchase Arrangements, in June 2018. This now provides the statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing for purchase in the State.
Under these provisions, I signed regulations in respect of the making of a Scheme of Priority on 12 March 2019, which in turn were issued to local authorities on 22 March 2019. The purpose of a Scheme of Priority is to set out the affordable purchase arrangements at local authority level, and includes the methodology that will be applied by local authorities to determine the order of priority to be accorded to eligible households where the demand for such affordable dwellings exceeds the number available. Dublin City Council members agreed the Council's Scheme of Priority in May 2019 and I approved the Scheme in early July 2019. Further affordable housing regulations will be put in place in the months ahead regarding eligibility and other matters.
The regeneration of Poolbeg West is the next logical step in transforming the Docklands area, given its strategic location east of Grand Canal Dock, with close proximity to important bridge connections to Dublin Port and North Lotts. The extent of vacant available brownfield land in the area is significant, at 34 hectares.
The residential potential within the 34 hectare of available lands, is for a maximum of 3,500 additional residential units at a gross residential density of up to 238 units per hectare on lands over 14.7 hectares to the south of South Bank Road. This estimated housing yield would be sufficient to support a residential population of approximately 8,000 people and, therefore, would make a significant contribution to the city’s housing needs.
During the process leading to the adoption of the planning scheme for the Poolbeg West area by the elected members of Dublin City Council, an issue of significant interest was the capacity of this site to assist both in the provision of much needed housing, but also that there would be an increased provision over the statutory 10% of housing units for social and affordable purposes. This matter was considered both by Dublin City Council in the adoption of the planning scheme and by An Bord Pleanala in the consideration of appeals brought against the scheme adopted by the Council. In their decision of 9 April 2019, An Bord Pleanala modified the SDZ scheme in relation to this matter as follows:
- “Prior to commencement of development, subject to confirmed funding and value for money considerations, a commercial agreement shall be entered into between Dublin City Council, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the owners/developers of the residential element of the Planning Scheme for the delivery of 15% of the residential units approved on the lands included in this Planning Scheme for social and affordable housing purposes. These units shall be additional to the housing provided for social housing purposes as required above. (i.e. additional to the 10% social and affordable)”
In relation to the wider activation of these lands, it is understood that NAMA is currently undertaking a process to select a preferred bidder to develop the lands in the SDZ scheme area. My Department remains committed to working with Dublin City Council, any relevant Approved Housing Bodies and either the receiver and/or developers of the SDZ area in order to secure additional social and affordable housing from this site over and above Part V obligations and of the order of magnitude laid out in the adopted planning scheme. This will be subject to agreement on all the normal and relevant terms, including value for money aspects.
In order to support local authorities in their delivery of affordable homes, the Government has committed €310 million under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), which is to provide facilitating infrastructure on local authority sites so that more affordable homes, either to buy or rent, can be delivered. At a maximum amount of €50,000 per home, it is anticipated at least 6,200 more affordable homes can be provided. The SSF is being made available in areas where local authorities have demonstrated a requirement for affordable housing and the viability to deliver such housing on their sites.
Full details of the all projects approved under the 1st and 2nd SSF call for proposals are available at the following links:
https://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-approves-10-local-authority-sites-affordable-housing-serviced-sites-fund/, and https://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-approves-funding-of-e84m-to-support-delivery-of-1770-affordable-homes-under-the-ssf/.
It is intended to issue a 3rd call for proposals under the SSF to local authorities later this year.
1251. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the delivery of affordable cost-rental homes on St. Michael’s Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8. [4480/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Dublin City Council-owned land at Emmet Road, Inchicore, which is largely comprised of the former St Michael’s Estate, is a Cost Rental ‘pathfinder’ pilot development. Cost Rental is housing where rents are charged at a level to cover the cost of delivering, managing and maintaining the homes only. It is not designed to replace traditional social housing provision for low-income households, which remains a priority for the Government. Cost Rental is a new tenure option for Ireland, and is one of several schemes which my Department is pursuing to deliver on the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan and ultimately provide more affordable housing.
Dublin City Council has estimated that the Emmet Road site can accommodate 484 homes in a high quality mixed-tenure development. It is envisaged that 375 of the homes will be Cost Rental, with the remaining homes reserved for social housing. Taken together with an adjacent development of integrated social housing for older people, the overall tenure mix for the area will be 30% social and 70% Cost Rental. Initial scoping suggests the Cost Rental and social housing units would both be a mixture of different apartment sizes as follows:
- 72 studio apartments (all Cost Rental)
- 128 one-bedroom apartments (108 Cost Rental, 20 social)
- 210 two-bedroom apartments (177 Cost Rental, 33 social)
- 74 three-bedroom apartments (18 Cost Rental, 56 social)
A dedicated Dublin City Council (DCC) project manager and project team are in place to move the project forward, and a Development Framework Plan has been completed by architects on behalf of DCC. The Council is in the process of developing a Capital Works Management Framework application for the social housing element of the development, and will submit this to my Department. After undertaking a public procurement exercise in late 2019, DCC has just appointed an architect-led integrated design team. This team will now work with the Council to bring forward a detailed design of the development and progress these plans through the planning stage.
1252. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if local authorities and approved housing bodies will be permitted to access the 40-year financing and the serviced sites funding in order to ensure that the cost-rental rates are as affordable as possible, that is, between €700 and €900 per month. [4481/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to the introduction of the Cost Rental housing model in Ireland. Cost Rental is generally understood as being housing where the rents cover the cost of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes only, less any financial supports provided by the State or Local Authorities. Depending on the nature of the model, Cost Rental lacks the level of profit margin often seen in the private rental sector and the rents are not overtly influenced by market supply and demand. With the resulting rents significantly below market levels, many households on more moderate incomes will have access to a more affordable and stable form of rental tenure than would otherwise have been the case. Cost Rental will be a new tenure option for Ireland, and is one of several schemes which my Department is pursuing in order to deliver on the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan and provide more affordable housing.
The rents for Cost Rental units will naturally be a factor of the overall cost of each development and will vary according to the site and design specifics. My Department has identified a number of measures which can be used at the outset of a development in order put downward pressure on costs and make Cost Rental more affordable for tenants. These include provision of land at low/zero cost, a design approach with value engineering and long-term maintenance in mind, a potential State contribution to development costs via the Serviced Sites Fund, and the availability of low-cost, stable finance that is paid back over a long period of time.
The Serviced Sites Fund provides €310 million of support to help deliver more affordable homes. I can confirm that the SSF is available to local authorities to fund initial infrastructure works and so reduce the cost of building homes, which will be either sold under the Affordable Purchase scheme or made available under a Cost Rental scheme. Approved Housing Bodies will be able to access the benefits of SSF funding by working in partnership with Local Authorities.
A number of Cost Rental 'pathfinder' pilots are currently under development that will act as examples of how Cost Rental can operate in practice. The first of these to commence construction is at Enniskerry Road in Stepaside. It consists of 50 Cost Rental homes alongside 105 social housing apartments. It is being developed by two Approved Housing Bodies, Tuath and Respond, in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Housing Agency. Construction began in July 2019 and delivery is currently scheduled for 2021.
This project at Enniskerry Road is being is supported through both the mechanisms suggested by the Deputy, namely long-term, low-interest loan financing from the Housing Finance Agency, to be repaid over 40 years, as well as upfront capital assistance from my Department through an investment of some €5 million of SSF funding. My Department is aware of the positive impact that these supports can have on reducing the cost of development and the ultimate rent paid by the tenants, which at Enniskerry Road is projected to be €1,200 for a two-bedroom apartment.
More generally, the terms of any financing mechanism used in the delivery of a Cost Rental development would obviously be a matter for agreement between the parties involved in each specific case. However, I can confirm that there is a clear understanding of the fundamental need for long term financing to support the delivery of the Cost Rental model and engagement with funders such as the EIB, who have signalled broad support in this area, are undertaken in that context.
1253. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the value of serviced site funding drawn down to date by each local authority; and the projects in this regard in tabular form. [4482/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the commitments in Rebuilding Ireland, the Government is making €310 million available under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) to provide infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable homes on local authority lands. A maximum SSF funding amount of €50,000 is available per home. This sum is comprised of €44,500 (or 89%) Exchequer contribution and a €5,500 (or 11%) local authority contribution. On this basis, at least 6,200 more affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be facilitated by this measure alone. This funding is being made available in areas where local authorities have demonstrated a requirement for more affordable housing and the viability to deliver such housing from their sites.
To date, through 2 Calls for Proposals issued to local authorities, I have allocated SSF funding of €127 million in support of 35 projects in 14 local authority areas. This will provide for infrastructure works that will support the delivery of almost 3,200 affordable homes. It is intend to issue a 3rd Call for Proposals under the SSF to local authorities later this year.
Details of all SSF grants approved and associated housing involved are available on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following weblinks:
Call 1: https://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-gives-the-go-ahead-for-ten-local-authority-sites-for-affordable-housing-under-the-serviced-sites-fund/
Call 2: https://rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-murphy-approves-funding-of-e84m-to-support-delivery-of-1770-affordable-homes-under-the-ssf/
In terms of funding drawdown, the timing of delivery for these projects is contingent upon the completion of the design, planning and procurement process in the first instance and before significant construction costs are incurred. As such, and as grant claims are based on vouched expenses, the SSF-funded Cost Rental development at Enniskerry Road, which is currently on site, is the only project for which funding claims have been submitted thus far and these are currently being processed by my Department.
1254. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when affordable purchase guidelines will be issued to each local authority in terms of the affordable housing scheme. [4483/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe current statutory basis for affordable housing (referred to as "affordable dwelling purchase arrangements") is set out in Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which was commenced in June 2018.
Regulations pursuant to Part 5 were made on 22 March 2019, dealing with the making of Schemes of Priority and other procedural matters in connection with affordable dwelling purchase arrangements, including advertising by housing authorities, applications, etc. The purpose of a Scheme of Priority is to set out the affordable purchase arrangements at local authority level. This includes the methodology that will be applied by local authorities to determine the order of priority to be accorded to eligible households where the demand for such affordable dwellings exceeds the number available.
In line with the legal requirements of the Affordable Dwelling Purchase Arrangements, further Regulations are currently being developed regarding eligibility and other matters. When the operational procedures for the scheme are finalised, and before dwellings are made available for purchase under the scheme later this year, a programme of communication will be undertaken by my Department and local authorities.
Draft Guidelines on Part 5 were also issued to local authorities by my Department in March 2019. These Guidelines will be updated and finalised following the making of the new Regulations referred to above.
1255. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of developments that have sought planning under the strategic housing development guidelines in 2019 and to date in 2020; the number of the sites that have commenced development; and the number and type of residential units, that is, build-to-rent, co-living, student accommodation, houses and so on, due to be delivered. [4484/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála (the Board) for determination.
The Board received 119 SHD applications in 2019 and 26 in the first quarter of 2020, in respect of a total of 41,800 homes (comprising 9,799 houses, 25,509 apartments and 6,492 Build to Rent homes), 5,455 student bed spaces and 516 shared accommodation bed spaces. The Board has issued decisions in 106 of these cases to date, granting permission in 89 cases in respect of a total of 25,208 homes (comprising 5,349 houses, 14,405 apartments and 5,454 Build to Rent homes), 4,327 student bed spaces and 294 shared accommodation bed spaces. 16 of these SHD applications (106 decided cases, less the 89 cases granted permission and 1 application withdrawn) were refused. The remaining 39 applications (119 applications in 2019 plus 26 applications in Q1 2020, less the 106 applications already decided) remained under consideration by the Board.
Of the 89 applications that were granted permission in 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, it is understood that commencement notices have been lodged in respect of 15 of these projects to date. A total of 3,874 homes were permitted in the developments in respect of which commencement notices have been lodged (comprising 1,517 houses, 2,068 apartments and 289 Build to Rent homes), as well as 603 student bed spaces.
1257. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of families approved for housing but not yet tenants in each local authority area to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4494/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are set out in the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
The most recent summary, conducted in June 2019, shows that 68,693 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 3,165 households or 4.4% on the last assessment in June 2018. Indeed, since the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan was launched in 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 68,693, a reduction of 25%.
The summary report for the 2019 SSHA, which includes breakdowns by each local authority, is available at the following link:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/sha_summary_2019_dec_2019_web_1.pdf.
1258. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of housing assistance payment, HAP, recipients by county to date; the annualised average payment by household by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4495/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a flexible and immediate housing support that is now available to all eligible households throughout the State.
Details of the number of active tenancies and the average monthly landlord payment by local authority area at the end of Quarter 4 2019 are set out in the table.
|
Local Authority |
Average Landlord Payment |
Active tenancies as at end December 2019 |
|
Local Authority |
Average Landlord Payment |
Active tenancies as at end December 2019 |
|
Carlow County Council |
€561 |
730 |
|
Cavan County Council |
€464 |
342 |
|
Clare County Council |
€480 |
1,369 |
|
Cork City Council |
€802 |
2,749 |
|
Cork County Council |
€748 |
3,431 |
|
Donegal County Council |
€398 |
1,805 |
|
Dublin City Council |
€1,279 |
3,602 |
|
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council |
€1,351 |
562 |
|
Fingal County Council |
€1,355 |
1,898 |
|
Galway City Council |
€817 |
1,723 |
|
Galway County Council |
€735 |
1,229 |
|
Kerry County Council |
€527 |
1,236 |
|
Kildare County Council |
€933 |
2,195 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
€595 |
867 |
|
Laois County Council |
€599 |
888 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
€419 |
254 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
€598 |
2,308 |
|
Longford County Council |
€415 |
330 |
|
Louth County Council |
€876 |
3,046 |
|
Mayo County Council |
€512 |
1,280 |
|
Meath County Council |
€957 |
2,089 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
€514 |
586 |
|
Offaly County Council |
€528 |
883 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
€470 |
421 |
|
Sligo County Council |
€514 |
758 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
€1,279 |
2,726 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
€500 |
1,778 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
€523 |
1,952 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
€565 |
901 |
|
Wexford County Council |
€540 |
1,377 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
€1,012 |
1,448 |
|
Dublin Region Homeless Executive* |
N/A |
5,766 |
|
Average monthly landlord payment |
€848 |
52,529 |
* Average monthly landlord payments for tenancies set up by the DRHE are recorded against the individual local authority.
My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review. In general, I am satisfied with the operation of the scheme and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme outlined under Rebuilding Ireland.
1259. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he has had discussions with the Minister for Health regarding the reform of the fair deal scheme. [4496/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommitments were included in the Government's Strategy for the Rental Sector and National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, to examine the treatment under the Nursing Home Support Scheme’s (or Fair Deal Scheme's) financial assessment of income from a person’s principal private residence (PPR), where they move into long-term residential care. These commitments reflected an intent to explore the potential to encourage vacant accommodation to be brought into active use.
My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Health in relation to these actions. Both Departments are exploring proposals to enable vacant properties owned by patients in long-term nursing home care to be brought back into early use, through adjustments to the treatment of rental income and house sale proceeds derived from a PPR in the financial assessment of income for the purposes of the Fair Deal Scheme.
Legislative amendments to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009, which comes within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health, would be required to address this matter. Discussions are ongoing between the Departments in this regard in the context of progressing any appropriate amendments through the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill, being developed by the Department of Health.
It will remain a personal choice for any individual as to whether or not they wish to sell or rent out their home upon taking up residence in a nursing home.
1260. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will consider allowing those with impaired vision to cast their ballots either by telephone or electronically in view of the fact that negative experiences with electronic voting cannot be allowed to prevent persons living with sight loss from exercising their right to a secret ballot; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4590/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn January 2015, the National Disability Authority published a report on Voting Trials for Voters with Sight Loss. The Authority noted that the results of the trials did not produce a clear recommendation for a secure voting method that is likely to meet the needs of most voters with sight loss. However, the Authority recommended that ballot paper templates (BPTs) be trialled at a future referendum where voters have a simple ‘yes/no’ choice, and that the results be monitored and evaluated.
Good progress has been made in recent years to enable visually impaired voters to vote in secret. BPTs have been brought into use to enable people with a visual impairment to vote in secret, removing the need for a companion or the presiding officer to assist them. BPTs were used successfully for the first time at the referendum held in May 2018. The rollout of the BPT was continued at the Presidential election held in October 2018, the European Parliament and local elections held in May 2019 and the General Election held in February 2020. A BPT is attached to a ballot paper and it consists of raised numbering and corresponding braille to assist the voter in identifying the openings on the template that correspond to the voter preference boxes for the candidates on the ballot paper. It operates in conjunction with a ‘freephone 1800’ number. Based on the interaction between the tactile features of the template and the information provided on the ‘freephone’ number, the voter can mark the ballot paper with their voting preferences (1, 2, 3 etc.). The candidate information on the ‘freephone’ number can be accessed as often as required in advance of polling day and again on polling day at the polling station with a mobile phone, if required. Another option open to voters with the relevant screen reading technology (e.g. on their phones, tablets or laptops) is to familiarise themselves with the candidates in a particular constituency or local electoral area by accessing the relevant ‘Notice of Poll’ or ‘candidate details’ section on the relevant website.
In December 2018, I established a Working Group on Voting Accessibility which includes representation from the National Disability Authority, the Disability Federation of Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association, the National Council for the Blind and the Blind Legal Alliance. The Working Group is examining feedback on the use of the BPTs at recent electoral events and this is assisting in the development of improvements for people who may wish to use the BPT when voting.
While electoral law is kept under review, I have no plans at present to amend the law to provide for voting by telephone or electronic means.
1261. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his Department will encourage local authorities to use their discretion and remove business rates from the premises in which the shops of an organisation (details supplied) operate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4591/20]
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 Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The Commissioner of Valuation has responsibility for valuation matters, including determination of relevant property under the Acts for the purposes of rates. As Minister, I have no function in relation to decisions in this regard. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority.
The Valuation Acts provide that certain categories of properties are not rateable. Details of these properties are set out in Schedule 4 of the Acts and include a property occupied by a charity exclusively for charitable purposes and otherwise than for private profit. This exemption would not include retail activity.
The Acts are quite specific about the range of exemptions that can be allowed by the Commissioner of Valuation, who has no discretionary latitude to grant exemptions not covered by Schedule 4. As a matter of course, the Valuation Office examines all cases on their individual merits by reference to the relevant statutory provisions governing the valuation process as they relate to categories of properties.
Local authorities may decide to offer assistance or money in kind, as provided for under section 66 of the Local Government Act 2001, in order to promote the interests of the local community, which includes, inter alia, the economic or general development of the administrative area (or part of it) of the local authority concerned. Also, local authorities work closely with ratepayers experiencing difficulty in the payment of commercial rates. In this regard, local authorities facilitate the payment of commercial rates by instalments, and work with businesses to put in place flexible payment options that reflect capacity to pay.
Additionally, and of relevance to retail outlets, on 2 May 2020, Government announced that a waiver of commercial rates will apply to all businesses that have been forced to close due to COVID-19 related public health requirements, from 27 March 2020, for a three-month period. The expected costs of €260m will be met by the Exchequer.
1262. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the average rent paid by local authority tenants for each local authority area in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4598/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe right of local authorities to set and collect rents on their dwellings is contained in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such schemes, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department, is an executive function and each local authority has its own separate differential rent scheme or schemes in operation.
As I have no function in relation to the setting of rents for individual local authority dwellings, my Department does not routinely collate data on the rents charged to tenants by individual local authorities. Such information is available directly from the local authorities.
1263. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are a large number of issues arising with folios due to errors that occurred during digitisation by the Property Registration Authority and that there are long delays in getting these corrected, which is holding up land and property transactions; the steps he plans to take to deal with this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4634/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that the digitisation of the Property Registration Authority (PRA) map record took place between December 2005 and August 2010. During this period, approximately 2.5 million registered land parcels, comprising approximately 15 million line entities, were digitised from 36,000 PRA paper map sheets.
The project involved much more than transferring registered land parcels from a paper map record to a digital map record, particularly having regard to the many factors that contributed to the complexity of the project, such as:
- moving all registrations from the now defunct County Series and Irish Grid map projections to the latest Irish Transverse Mercator map projection;
- variances between the development schemes mapped on the PRA paper-based record and the more accurate ‘as built’ layout presented by Ordnance Survey Ireland;
- transferring registrations from Western seaboard counties, which were predominantly mapped on 1/10560 or 6” Ordnance Survey mapping, which had not benefited from any revisions for decades;
- deciphering map data on old PRA paper maps, some of which were 100 years old; and
- deciphering map data on badly damaged PRA paper maps.
Prior to the data capture element of the project, the process was validated by eminent international mapping and land administration experts.
Having completed the project, a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the data capture was carried out. This study revealed an error rate of just 0.18 per cent. I understand that it is the PRA’s view that this error rate is well within the acceptable range, given the complexity of the project.
Furthermore, I am assured by the PRA that it has in place robust procedures whereby the registered owners of properties or their representatives can engage with the PRA in relation to matters pertaining to the mapped representation of the registration. The PRA also has a longstanding and valued relationship with solicitors, surveyors, engineers and architects in all matters pertaining to property registration.
The PRA’s experience has been such that many of the queries received, once investigated, do not indicate any registration error. Many of the perceived errors do not emanate from the PRA but, in fact, originate from inaccuracies in the application map lodged for registration. Responsibility for the accuracy of the application map lodged rests with the applicant.
In addition, the PRA digital mapping project resolved many thousands of pre-existing issues and anomalies that existed in the paper-based map system. Being proactive in the adoption of Ordnance Survey Ireland topographical detail during digitisation has absolved many property owners of the need to incur costs in an effort to perfect or amend the Land Register to reflect the actual position on the ground.
Finally, registrations that are queried involve the retrieval of the original registration documents and maps in order to facilitate a thorough analysis and examination. On some occasions, there is a necessity to revert to and consult with Irish Land Commission maps and documentation in order to draw a conclusion. Approximately 50 per cent of the cases reviewed by the PRA result in no change to the registration. Notwithstanding this, the PRA makes every effort to review each case in as timely a manner as possible.
1264. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if there is a time limit in place as to when seaweed harvesters can lodge claims for title to cut seaweed in certain areas based on long usage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4641/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraA claim to register rights of the kind referred to can be made to the Property Registration Authority (PRA) under Section 49A of the Registration of Title Act 1964. Further information on the Prescriptive Easements/Profit-a-Prendre scheme operated by the PRA is available on its Practice Direction entitled Registration of Easements and Profits-a-Prendre Acquired by Prescription Under Section 49A, available at: https://www.prai.ie/registration-of-easements-and-profits-a-prendre-acquired-by-prescription-under-section-49a/.
I understand that the PRA considers that, up until 1 December 2021, an application can be made either to court or to the PRA for a prescriptive easement or profit-a-prendre under the law prior to the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009. After that date, an application can be made to the court or the PRA for a prescriptive easement based on the new law as set out in the aforementioned 2009 Act, which is not subject to a time limit.
1265. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the progress made to date in developing proposals to amend the Foreshore Acts as they relate to seaweed harvesting to protect the small traditional seaweed harvesters around the coast and to ensure protection of the environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4642/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1266. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of seaweed harvesting licences granted in the past five years; the tonnage involved; the average length of each licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4643/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1273. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the detail of engagements between his Department and the Property Registration Authority in respect of the registration of seaweed harvesting rights from January 2018 to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4717/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1275. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number and details of all pending commercial or non-commercial seaweed harvesting licences; the number and detail of all licences granted in 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4754/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1276. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the baseline study in terms of the extent of seaweed growing on coastal regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4755/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1277. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the guidance issued to assist potential applicants for wild seaweed harvesting licences to enable them to carry out an extensive and robust consultation, including folio searches, regarding their application as required by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4756/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra1278. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the development and publication of a national strategy to promote the development of the seaweed sector here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4757/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1265, 1266, 1273, and 1275 to 1278, inclusive, together.
In my speech at the Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth Summit in 2018, I clarified that certain rights, of both a formal and informal nature, to harvest seaweed exist and will be respected in the context of the determination of applications to hand harvest seaweed under the 1933 Foreshore Act. The registration of such rights is a matter for the Property Registration Authority of Ireland (PRAI) and those wishing to register their rights should engage directly with the PRAI. In the context of the potential interaction between existing rights and foreshore licence applications to harvest wild seaweed, my Department has engaged on a number of occasions with the PRAI to ensure a common understanding of the issues involved.
All foreshore licence applicants are required to engage in a pre-application consultation with my Department. At that stage, the requirements around public consultation and all other aspects of the application process are explained. In addition, applicants in the course of their application, have ongoing contact with my Department, through which clarification is provided on any issues arising in relation to searches for formal and informal rights.
Following clarification of the legal position, all applicants have been made aware of my Department’s position on the interaction between existing rights and foreshore licence applications to hand harvest seaweed. Applicants are required to engage in a very thorough process of researching where existing rights to harvest seaweed might exist.
No licence applications to harvest wild seaweed have been determined by my Department in the last five years. All applications for foreshore leases or licences including those to harvest wild seaweed, when deemed complete, are published on my Department’s website.
During the consultation on the National Marine Planning Framework that concluded recently, it was suggested that a forum on seaweed be established and I will consider this suggestion. Currently, my responsibilities regarding seaweed are limited to the provisions of the 1933 Foreshore Act that do not include either the promotion or economic development of the sector.
As I outlined during a debate on Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting during Dail Private Members' time on 7 March 2018, any regulatory regime cannot focus solely on the sector from one viewpoint. We must take into account the interests of a multiplicity of stakeholders, balancing the existing rights of traditional harvesters with commercial potential, while also ensuring sustainability of the resource and compliance with the State's obligations under domestic and EU environmental law.
Finally, in relation to the biomass of the wild seaweed resource, funding was secured under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for two seaweed related projects. The first project is focused on seaweed biomass assessments and the other on the socio economic importance of seaweed. The Marine Institute are presently finalising the terms of reference of both projects.
1267. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the steps he plans to take to address the funding shortfall in funding for Galway County Council and Galway City Council as identified in the report of the expert group to examine the amalgamation of Galway city and county councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4647/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government approved the merger of Galway City Council and Galway County Council on 18 June 2018. However, the elements of the Local Government Bill 2018 that provided for this merger were not ultimately passed by the Oireachtas.
At the current time, all local authorities are experiencing financial challenges. In order to support the local government sector generally, my Department continues to keep local authority income, expenditure and cash flow generally under review and will continue to work with all local authorities on both collective and individual issues that arise. Furthermore, I committed an additional, once off, allocation of €1m to Galway County Council towards the end of 2019. While that allocation has not yet been made, I intend to fulfil the commitment in the near future. Galway County Council has submitted initial proposals in respect of the additional funding and how it might be utilised and these are under consideration in my Department
On 2 May 2020 Government announced that a waiver of commercial rates will apply to all businesses that have been forced to close due to public health requirements, from 27 March 2020, for a three-month period. The costs involved (and the corresponding revenue loss for local authorities), estimated to be €260m, will be met by the Exchequer.
1268. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the estimated cost of restoring funding for Traveller-specific accommodation to 2008 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4667/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist the authorities in providing such accommodation, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding.
The following table sets out the cost of restoring funding for Traveller-specific accommodation to 2008 levels:
|
2008 Allocation |
2019 Allocation |
Restoration to 2008 level |
|
€40,000,000 |
€14,500,000 |
€25,500,000 |
