Written Answers Nos. 296-302
296. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to carry out an investigation into alleged planning irregularities regarding Wicklow County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28342/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has received correspondence relating to a number of allegations regarding certain matters in County Wicklow. An assessment and analysis have been carried out of the various allegations raised.
Some of the matters raised in the correspondence have been the subject of previous reviews or investigative processes by a person with suitable expertise or an appropriate statutory body external to Wicklow County Council. In addition, some of the associated cases have been the subject of statutory processes in relation to certain planning decisions.
A final decision on the appropriate action to be taken by my Department will be made in due course.
297. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out an assessment of the number of vacant standalone properties in the country; the breakdown of same by county; if he will give consideration to the introduction of a home renovation grant to encourage owners of rundown standalone properties to renovate them and bring them back to use; his views on whether such a scheme would have benefits in terms of housing stock available for purchase and lease and for local economies; his further views on whether current schemes such as repair to lease, housing aid for older people and SEAI grants are restrictive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28345/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, which was published by my Department in 2018, strives to provide a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland. All local authorities have prepared a Vacant Homes Action Plan for their administrative area. The Vacant Home Action Plan identifies the scale of vacant homes in a local authority’s jurisdiction and sets ambitious but realistic targets of the number of vacant homes that can ultimately be brought back into use.
As emphasised in the National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, securing improved data and analysis on vacancy allows for more robust monitoring of vacancy at a national level and improved outputs at local level. To help record levels of vacancy, the vacanthomes.ie website has been developed by Mayo County Council on behalf of the Local Government sector. This provides a central portal for individuals to anonymously log possible vacant properties and alert local authorities to those properties. As appropriate, Vacant Homes Officers can then follow up with the owners to see whether the house can be re-used quickly. The latest statistics from vacanthomes.ie indicate that 5,210 properties have been recorded on the website since 2017.
The table below provides details of properties recorded on the vacant homes website on as at 24 May.
|
Leinster |
|
|
Louth |
179 |
|
Meath |
165 |
|
Westmeath |
109 |
|
Longford |
40 |
|
Offaly |
93 |
|
Kildare |
208 |
|
Dublin City |
407 |
|
South Dublin Co |
212 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
130 |
|
Fingal |
124 |
|
Wicklow |
91 |
|
Carlow |
44 |
|
Kilkenny |
76 |
|
Wexford |
114 |
|
Laois |
57 |
|
Total |
2049 |
|
Munster |
|
|
Clare |
152 |
|
Cork City |
179 |
|
Cork County |
1278 |
|
Kerry |
77 |
|
Limerick City |
51 |
|
Limerick County |
147 |
|
Tipperary |
108 |
|
Waterford City |
58 |
|
Waterford County |
127 |
|
Total |
2177 |
|
Ulster |
|
|
Cavan |
319 |
|
Monaghan |
20 |
|
Donegal |
86 |
|
Total |
425 |
|
Connacht |
|
|
Mayo |
225 |
|
Galway City |
129 |
|
Galway County |
140 |
|
Sligo |
47 |
|
Roscommon |
84 |
|
Leitrim |
44 |
|
Total |
669 |
My Department’s role is to drive and co-ordinate actions on vacancy at Central and Local Government levels and to support local authorities in their actions to tackle vacancy in their local areas. The Buy and Renew Scheme has facilitated local authorities to purchase 670 vacant properties for social housing purposes. The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring their properties up to the required standard for rental properties. The scheme provides upfront funding to carry out the works and, in return, the property owner agrees to lease the dwelling to the local authority to be used as social housing for a period up to 25 years. The number of dwellings delivered under the RLS from July 2018 to end Q4 2020 is 225 dwellings. In November 2020, the maximum funding limit under the scheme was increased from €40,000 to €60,000. Feedback from local authorities is that this action has resulted in a significant increase in interest in the scheme. A budget of €11m was secured for the RLS in 2021, providing funding for an additional 170 units to be delivered this year.
Additionally, my Department oversees the Housing Aid for Older People scheme, which provides grants of up to €8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out. Grant eligible works include structural repairs or improvements, re-wiring, repairs to or replacement of windows and doors, provision of water supply and sanitary facilities, provision of heating etc. The grant available operates on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grant available to those with the lowest incomes. The scheme is means tested and grant assistance is not available to applicants whose household income, after disregards and deductions, exceeds €60,000 per annum. Officials from my Department will begin a review of the existing grant limit and income thresholds applicable this year.
Further measures to address vacancy and to bring housing stock back into use will be considered in the context of the development of the Government’s new housing strategy, Housing for All, which will be published this summer.
In relation to the Deputy’s query on SEAI grants, this is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications.
298. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to extend the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme to include first time buyers undertaking substantial renovation works on second-hand properties; his plans to extend supports to first time buyers who are unable to receive full mortgages from banks in circumstances in which the first time buyer is seeking to purchase a second-hand property in need of substantial renovation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28348/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is designed to enable suitable first time buyers who cannot access sufficient mortgage finance from commercial lenders, to access sustainable mortgage lending to purchase new or second-hand properties in a suitable price range or to self build. However, it does not include undertaking refurbishment of existing houses.
There are no plans currently to include refurbishment of existing houses as part of the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme.
299. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties that have been acquired that were once listed on a website (details supplied) and other short-term letting websites since July 2020 as reported in an article. [28355/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe “Call for Housing 2020” was launched on 21 July 2020 as a short-term intervention to stimulate interest in social housing delivery, through acquisitions and leasing, from opportunities arising in the property market. The campaign has been run on behalf of my Department by the Housing Agency, in consultation with the local authorities.
Up to 25 May 2021, the total number of properties that were offered to the Housing Agency for sale was 311. 42 of these properties were also put forward for leasing, and a further 138 were offered only under leasing/Rental Accommodation Scheme arrangements.
Of those properties offered for sale, 45 have had bids accepted and have progressed, 30 of which have closed. A number of properties submitted to the Housing Agency are being pursued by local authorities and approved housing bodies independently.
This measure was specifically developed as a temporary intervention in the context of addressing urgent Covid-19 related housing needs. My Department is currently considering the appropriate duration of the measure.
As the identification and selection of properties to be acquired as new social homes is delegated to local authorities, my Department does not record the number of such acquisitions that the 31 authorities undertake that were previously rented privately, but this information may be available from the local authorities themselves.
Finally, my Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on social housing delivery activity. This data includes details on the number of social houses acquired and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/
300. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the work of the Departmental senior officials' group that was set up to examine further regulation for short-term letting platforms as reported in an article (details supplied). [28356/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government - Our Shared Future includes the specific action to strengthen the regulatory and enforcement mechanisms with regard to short-term letting, and the ongoing approach in this regard is currently being considered. However, as some elements of potential regulation of the short-term letting market fall outside the remit of my Department, I have been in contact with my colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on this matter. Meetings have taken place at senior official level between the two Departments, which have also involved the participation of Fáilte Ireland, to explore the possibilities of developing new proposals in relation to the regulation of the short-term letting sector.
Further meetings at official level are scheduled in the coming weeks after which I would hope to submit a Memorandum for Government on this matter in due course.
301. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for the discrepancy between wheelchair accessible housing and Cork County Council standards which currently do not allow for larger mobility aids such as wheelchairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28372/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of local authority housing, whether through construction or purchase, and the allocation of same, is a matter for individual local authorities, in accordance with the relevant statutory regimes and funding programmes.
All new local authority dwellings must comply with the accessibility requirements of the Building Regulations 1997-2019 which are part of the legal minimum performance standards set out in the Regulations. In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access.
The requirements of Part M aim to ensure that regardless of age, size or disability:
- new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable;
- extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable;
- material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable;
- certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and
- new dwellings are visitable.
Part M of the Building Regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.
The Building Regulations, including Part M requirements, are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure that due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological progress and innovation.
The Deputy may also be aware that one of the key measures achieved in 2016 under the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability (NHSPWD), which has been extended to the end of 2021, was the establishment of Housing and Disability Steering Groups (HDSGs) in all housing authority areas. The HDSGs were established to achieve a coordinated and integrated approach to meeting the housing needs of people with a disability at local level.
The Groups are chaired by Directors of Housing in each authority and include HSE and disability representative organisations. Each HDSG has prepared a local Strategic Plan for its own City/County area, to develop specific local strategies to meet identified and emerging need over the next five years. These Plans, along with the annual Summary of Social Housing Assessments, allow local authorities to plan more strategically for the housing needs of people with a disability and support the delivery of accommodation using all appropriate housing supply mechanisms.
Additionally, guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily accessed and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability, is available in 'Building for Everyone, A Universal Design Approach', a National Disability Authority (NDA) publication, which may be accessed at www.nda.ie
A review of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability is currently underway, examining all of the areas of concern to people with disabilities, including the accessibility of social housing. Issues arising for wheelchair users are being considered as part of the review, and the Irish Wheelchair Association are being consulted as stakeholders.
302. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of houses obtained by Dublin City Council in 2020. [28381/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe delivery of housing supports is a key priority of Government and this is reflected in the Programme for Government commitment to increase the social housing stock nationally by more than 50,000, with a key emphasis on delivering new build homes. We are ambitious to ramp up the delivery at local authority level and we are committed to developing housing on public land.
The Government investment for the delivery of all housing programmes this year is €3.3 billion which, subject to the impact of Covid-related restrictions on the construction sector, is intended to support the delivery of 12,750 new social homes through build, acquisition and leasing. The major focus of this investment is the delivery of new build social homes, with an overall target of 9,500 new homes.
My Department provides both capital and current funding to local authorities across a range of funding initiatives to assist them in providing homes for families and individuals on their social housing waiting lists.
Statistics on the delivery of social housing by each local authority, including by 2nd hand acquisitions up to Q4 2020, are available on my Department’s website at the following links:
Construction Status Report:
rebuildingireland.ie/news/minister-obrien-publishes-2020-social-housing-statistics/
2nd Hand Acquisitions:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#local-authority-acquisition .
