Written Answers Nos. 190-202
190. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if any local authority in Ireland has any heritage ships or boats under the ownership of the State; and if a list of such vessels will be provided. [21971/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not maintain a central register of heritage ships or boats owned by local authorities and I, as Minister have no function in this regard.
191. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the specific measures that he is planning to ensure that divorced or separated persons will be assisted in qualifying for the new affordable housing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21978/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Affordable Housing Act 2021 lays the foundations for two affordable purchase schemes - Part 2 of the Act details the provisions for the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and Part 4 of the Act provides for the Minister to establish the First Home Scheme.
The Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme will see new homes made available by the Local Authority for affordable purchase. The scheme is primarily targeted at First Time Buyers. However, Section 10 of the Affordable Housing Act sets provisions for eligibility exceptions for the scheme, which are part of the Government's 'Fresh Start' strategy as detailed in Housing for All Plan. Broadly, the provisions include an exception for those who previously purchased or constructed a home with a spouse or partner but who are now divorced or legally separated or whose relationship has ended, and who now have no financial interest in the previous home. Such people, whilst they must satisfy further eligibility criteria like any other applicant, will be eligible for the Local Authority scheme.
The full text of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 is available from the following link: www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/act/25/enacted/en/html.
The First Home Scheme will make new homes affordable for applicants by allowing them an equity stake in their new home, subject to eligibility criteria. Like the Local Authority scheme, First Home is primarily targeted at First Time Buyers, with certain exemptions. The intention is to mirror the Fresh Start provisions of the local authority scheme for people who are divorced or separated or whose relationship has ended, and who now have no financial interest in the previous home. Full details of the First Home Scheme will be available online on a dedicated website in the early June, in advance of the scheme’s deployment from the end of Quarter 2 this year.
192. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 531 of 19 January 2022, the current status of the social housing passport reforms; the reason for the delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22000/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government provides for a package of social housing reforms, including a social housing passport to allow households move from one local authority waiting list to another.
As per my reply to Question No. 531 of 19 January 2022, there is already a degree of flexibility regarding waiting lists. The four Dublin local authorities have arrangements allowing social housing applicants apply for housing in up to two of the other Dublin authorities simultaneously. Similar arrangements apply in the two Cork and two Galway local authorities. Households may also move and relocate between housing authority areas under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme where the household income is within the relevant income limits.
The position remains that provision for wider tenancy movements will be examined this year and I will consider any proposals regarding such movements in the context of other reform package measures.
193. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the work carried out by an organisation (details supplied); if he has engaged with any approved housing bodies or local authorities on the issue of finding solutions within the social housing sector to utilise surplus renewable energy to help address fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22007/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis technology is consistent with the Government’s Climate Action Plan, and the Programme for Government which supports the ambitious plan to deliver 70% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It also supports the work of my Department and other Government agencies and Departments who are focused on helping to address fuel poverty. I understand this technology utilises existing infrastructure in the home, such as the hot water tank, to receive surplus renewable energy at times when it is not needed on the energy grid.
My colleague, the Minister for Energy, Climate and Communications, has responsibility for these climates objectives and the regulation of electricity from a consumer perspective. The new business model proposed by this organisation supports the achievement of the objectives of electricity decarbonisation and the just transition.
My Department is working to ensure that improved energy efficiency and associated amelioration of fuel poverty both in social housing and the private rental sector, will continue to be the focus of attention in the years ahead. This will also provide a platform which supports the development of new enterprises which will enable the transition away from a carbon based society. My officials have met with the organisation referred to and were provided with an overview of their work to date. As the Department of Environment Climate and Communications has lead responsibility in this area the organisation proposes to liaise further with that Department along with the relevant electricity providers in relation to providing support and advice and on the application of the scheme. Following on from this, my Department can then ascertain any potential applications for the scheme in social housing.
A strong emphasis on fuel poverty and the need to improve thermal performance in the social housing stock remains a priority for my Department, as is evident in the Energy Efficiency Programme launched in 2021 which has received a substantial increase in annual funding support to assist local authorities in the management and maintenance of their stock.
Budget 2022 has provided a significantly increased budget of €85 million for the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme this year which will allow for 2,400 local authority homes to be targeted for upgrade to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 or cost optimal equivalent level.
In addition, the Government funds a number of residential energy efficiency upgrade schemes. These schemes are operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and include partial grants for individuals that can afford to contribute to the cost of energy efficiency upgrades as well as schemes that provide free energy efficiency improvements for people who are in receipt of certain welfare payments. Grants are available for a range of measures including insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and integrated heating controls.
194. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration has been given to allowing persons on a housing list in one local authority to move to another local authority housing list without losing their place on the list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22013/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 (as amended) provide that households may apply for support to one local authority only. Usually, this will be the local authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which the household has a local connection. Local authorities may also, at their discretion, assess households with no link to the area for support.
Generally, is not possible for a household previously on one social housing waiting list to carry the time spent on that list when applying to another local authority. This ensures any unfairness that might arise for households already on a waiting list in a receiving local authority is avoided.
Households are reassessed against the eligibility and need criteria set down in the relevant legislation when transferring to another local authority area. If deemed eligible, they qualify for the suite of social housing supports, including the Housing Assistance Payment, and are placed on the housing list to be considered for suitable tenancies in accordance with the relevant local authority’s allocation scheme. Notwithstanding, local authorities will prioritise allocations to those households they consider to be most in need at any moment in time.
195. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties that have been purchased by cuckoo and vulture funds in Limerick that have housed families exiting emergency accommodation. [22019/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra196. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of families in Limerick that are identified as being in properties that have been purchased by cuckoo and vulture funds in Limerick that have housed families exiting emergency accommodation and overcrowded situations on the housing list. [22020/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.
My Department does not collate data of the type referred to in the Question.
197. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the new criteria for local authority acquisitions; if a circular has been issued in relation to same; and if so, if he will publish the circular. [22032/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHousing for All, is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes by 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12 billion in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5 billion in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5 billion funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) and, with this, to reduce the numbers of social homes delivered through acquisition programmes. On 19 January my Department issued a circular letter to local authorities advising that social housing acquisitions by local authorities and AHB CALF acquisitions in 2022 would be focussed on a number of priority areas, as follows:
- One-bedroom units to deliver on Housing First and meet the short supply in this category;
- Other properties that allow persons/families to exit homelessness; and
- Specific housing required for/suitable for individuals with a disability or other particular priority needs;
Local authorities were also advised that limited acquisitions through the Capital Assistance Scheme will also be approved, subject to the available budget for specific vulnerable cohorts, such as housing for older people, accommodation for individuals and families who are homeless and for people with a disability.
On 20 April, a further circular letter issued to local authorities in relation to social housing acquisitions. The key purpose of this circular was to advise local authorities that I had reinstated the delegated sanction to local authorities in respect of social housing acquisitions which are: (i) in one of the priority categories set out in the January circular letter; (ii) are in line with acquisition cost guidelines; and (iii) can be completed during 2022. The reinstatement of delegated sanction will allow local authorities to respond more flexibility to secure acquisitions which support a household to exit or to prevent homelessness. It is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy.
A copy of the circular letter was provided to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
198. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of costal rental houses in progress in south County Kildare; the number that are at planning stage; the number at construction stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22080/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Government's Housing for All strategy, 10,000 Cost Rental homes will be delivered from 2021 to 2026 by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), Local Authorities and the Land Development Agency (LDA).
A Housing Delivery Action Plan prepared by each Local Authority will underpin Local Authority delivery of affordable purchase and cost rental homes to 2026. This includes any Local Authority delivery of Cost Rental homes utilising the support of the Affordable Housing Fund. Each Local Authority submitted the first iteration of their plans in December 2021 and my officials have now met with each authority. The final Delivery Action Plans are anticipated to be published in Q2 of this year.
Under Budget 2022, €70 million was allocated to the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme for Cost Rental delivery by AHBs in 2022. Over 900 homes have been approved for funding under the scheme to date, with a total of almost 4,000 CREL-funded homes being targeted for delivery over the 5 years to 2026.
40 CREL-funded Cost Rental homes were tenanted by the Clúid AHB at Barnhall Meadows in Leixlip, Co. Kildare in December 2021, where cost rents charged are approximately 40% below comparable market rents in the area. A further 16 Cost Rental homes will be tenanted in this development by the end of Q2 2022.
The most recent Cost Rental vacancies in Kildare have just been advertised by Clúid AHB and are located at The Paddocks in Newbridge. The development includes 46 one, two and three bedroom apartments, with cost-covering rents for these apartments at €1,000 per month for the 1 beds, €1,240 for the 2 beds and €1,350 for the 3 beds, which represent significant discounts of approximately 25-30% on market rents in the area. These Cost Rental homes will be tenanted by the end of Q2 2022.
Under the Second Call for Proposals for CREL funding, issued to AHBs in October 2021, I have given approval in principle to the allocation of €53.6 million for the provision of 521 Cost Rental homes across 11 sites in 7 Local Authority areas including South Kildare. Three of these 11 sites, comprising a total of 186 Cost Rental homes, are currently scheduled to be delivered in Kildare in 2022. The necessary financial and commercial arrangements in relation to the other projects approved under the second call for proposals under CREL are being completed by the AHBs concerned. When these arrangements are concluded, details of the other projects, including specific locations, housing typologies and cost-covering rents, will be made public.
In addition, the LDA has submitted a revised planning permission for 219 social and affordable units at Devoy Barracks in Naas, Co. Kildare. The LDA will comply with Part V regulations and the remaining homes will be a mix of Cost Rental and affordable purchase.
Cost Rental developments have already provided people within the middle-income cohort with secure and more affordable homes and the developing pipeline will continue to do so into the future as the number of cost rental developments increases.
199. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to change the HAP limits for counties Offaly, Laois and Carlow to bring them in line with counties Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22081/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra200. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is considering a change to the HAP limits for a single person considering the difficulty that single persons have in obtaining a home within the current guidelines. [22082/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 200 together.
The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) levels are adequate to support vulnerable households, while we increase the supply of social housing. Maximum rent limits for HAP were set for each housing authority area in 2016, in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection (DSP). In reviewing the rent limits, my Department worked closely with DSP and monitored data gathered from the Residential Tenancies Board and the HAP Shared Services Centre.
Local authorities also have the flexibility to agree to a HAP payment of up to 20% above the maximum rent limit, because of local rental market conditions and up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of, homelessness.Under Housing for All, my Department was tasked with undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether an increase in the level of the 20% discretion available to Local Authorities under HAP is required, in order to maintain adequate levels of HAP support. The Housing Agency undertook to carry out this analytical exercise on behalf of my Department. The review was submitted on 20 December 2021. It is undergoing analysis by my Department and I expect to receive recommendations following that analysis.
201. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new social houses obtained by Kildare County Council in each of the past three years; the number of such houses obtained through Part V; the number acquired through purchase; the number built by the authority; the number purchased by Kildare County Council in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22083/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity, including details by individual local authority. This data is available to the end of 2021, 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/
My Department also published the Quarter 4 2021 Social Housing Construction Status Report, which provides details of all social housing developments, which are under construction, have been completed or are at various stages of the design and pre-tender process in each local authority, including Kildare, at the end of 2021. The report is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/af746-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q4-2021/.
A version of this file can also be downloaded at the following link:opendata.housing.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q4-2021
202. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable houses in planning for County Kildare; the location of these houses; the number at planning stage; the number under construction; the timeframe on the construction of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22084/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system, with an ambitious target of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHB), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
Delivery of affordable housing, in accordance with the schemes set out in the Affordable Housing Act, 2021 and the funding being made available, will be underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Local authorities, including Kildare County Council, submitted their initial Plans to me in December. Preparation of the Plans allowed each local authority to assess the level of demand with affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment and plan provision accordingly. The Plans are being revised and updated by local authorities in the light of ongoing engagement and clarifications, and I expect that they will be ready for publication by the Summer. They will provide a comprehensive overview of projected delivery of affordable housing in Kildare, and nationally.
Funding is made available by Government to assist local authority and AHB delivery of affordable housing, for purchase and rent, through the Affordable Housing Fund, previously known as the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), and the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL). SSF funding will support the delivery of 10 affordable purchase homes of a mixed tenure housing development at Ardclough Road in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. Kildare County Council has advised my Department, construction is expected to begin on site by the end of 2023, with projected delivery of these affordable homes by the 1st Quarter of 2025.
40 CREL-supported Cost Rental homes were tenanted by the Clúid AHB at Barnhall Meadows in Leixlip, Co. Kildare in December 2021, where cost rents charged are approximately 40% below comparable market rents in the area. A further 16 Cost Rental homes will be tenanted in this development by the end of June.
The most recent Cost Rental vacancies in Kildare have just been advertised by the Clúid AHB and are located at The Paddocks in Newbridge. The first phase of the development includes 46 one, two and three bedroom apartments, with cost-covering rents for these apartments at €1,000 per month for the one bedroom units, €1,240 for the two bedroom units and €1,350 for the three bedroom units, which represent significant discounts of approximately 25-30% on market rents in the area. These Cost Rental homes will also be tenanted by the end of June.
Under the second call for proposals for CREL funding, issued to AHBs in October 2021, I gave approval in principle to the allocation of €53.6 million for the provision of 521 Cost Rental homes across 11 sites in 7 local authority areas, including Kildare. Three of these 11 sites, comprising a total of 186 Cost Rental homes, are currently scheduled to be delivered in Kildare in 2022. The necessary financial and commercial arrangements in relation to the other projects approved under the second call for proposals under CREL are being completed by the AHBs concerned. When these arrangements are concluded, details of the projects, including specific locations, housing typologies and cost-covering rents, will be made public.
In addition, the LDA has submitted a revised planning permission for 219 social and affordable units at Devoy Barracks in Naas, County Kildare. The LDA will comply with Part V regulations and the remaining homes are intended to be a blended mix of Cost Rental and affordable purchase.
The First Home Scheme will be delivered via a strategic partnership between the State and participating mortgage lenders and I can confirm that all parties are working with a view to deploying the scheme by the end of this Quarter. It will improve access to newly-built homes, below the median price point, by using a shared equity model to bridge the gap between mortgage finance and the cost of new homes. This measure, targeted at First Time or fresh start buyers, will allow purchasers to exit the rental market, help to build developer confidence in realisable consumer demand, and contribute to the recovery of our construction sector following the Covid-19 emergency. It will be available nationwide.
Other measures to allow buyers to affordably access newly-constructed housing such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan (formerly the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan), are also available to eligible purchasers nationally to make home ownership more affordable. Information on these schemes is available at the following links:
www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/index.aspx, and
localauthorityhomeloan.ie/
