Written Answers Nos. 220-230
220. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when local authorities will receive funding (details supplied) to support emergency and planned upgrade works to group water schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33361/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Departments Multi-annual Rural Water Programme provides capital funding under a number of measures to enable group water schemes to resolve infrastructural deficiencies including their taking in charge by Irish Water.
Under the Rural Water Programme an annual subsidy is also payable by local authorities to group water schemes towards their operational and management costs of supplying water for domestic use. An essential requirement of schemes availing of this subsidy is that they actively managing water leakage.
I understand from Clare County Council that the public group water scheme in the details supplied has been in correspondence with the Council since early 2021 regarding supply issues being experienced. Arising from this engagement the scheme, at their own initiative, carried out emergency works to resolve a supply issue. I also understand that the scheme are experiencing water supply disruptions due to issues with the Irish Water service in the area - these matters are outside the control of the scheme.
I also understand that the Council has advised the scheme that their best long term option is to progress a taking in charge application to Irish Water and to apply for funding to do this under the upcoming multi-annual programme.
My Department will be launching a new multi-annual programme later this year and local authorities will be invited to submit bids. This will present an opportunity for Clare County Council to put forward a bid to address any issues affecting the water supply referred to in the question.
221. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities are obliged under legislation to make public their housing allocation schemes; and if so, the location at which this information is stored; the way the information can be accessed by members of the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33372/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned as per its allocation scheme made in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations. This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme which specifies, among other things, the manner of, and the order of priority for, the allocation of dwellings to households on the housing and transfer lists.
Local authorities are required to make a copy of their allocation schemes available to members of the public, without charge, on the Internet and at the local authority offices and such other places, during normal working hours.
222. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will investigate the reason a query that was raised with a local authority (details supplied) has not been responded to even though this was promised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33377/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.
This is a matter for the Chief Executive of Mayo County Council.
225. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 44 of 15 June, if he will detail the division of the grant funding to Wexford County Council (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33418/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWexford County Council along with Waterford Wexford Educational Training Board (WWETB), has formed a High Performance Building Alliance (HPBA) entity which is part of a UNECE network of Centres of Excellence in High Performing Buildings. The Network includes centres of excellence in New York, Washington, Canada, Bulgaria and Scotland.
The centre will collect best practices, research, support, and/or offer training in the field of sustainable energy in housing, sustainable smart cities, and urban development.
To date WWETB have trained over 1,500 workers in NZEB skills in the UNECE Centre of Excellence.
UNECE are now establishing a UNECE Secretariat for the Global Network of High Performance Building Initiative (HPBI) to support the International Network of UNECE International Centres of Excellence in High Performing Buildings.
It is planned that the UNECE HPBI Secretariat will be established through the HPBA, based in Enniscorthy, Wexford.
My Department will provide total funding of €180,000 per year over 3 years to support the HPBA and the UNECE Secretariat function, on the basis of €100,000 per year and €80,000 per year respectively. Funding will be allocated to Wexford County Council shortly who will manage the allocation of funds to the HPBA and UNECE Secretariat through a service level agreement.
226. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the caravan loan scheme for Traveller families was extended nationwide; if the local authorities have been informed of the terms and conditions of the scheme; if it is intended to publish them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33438/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra227. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when Traveller families will be able to avail of the caravan loan scheme on a nationwide basis; the maximum amount available for each mobile home or caravan under the scheme; if local authorities will be fully re-imbursed for the cost of the scheme; if the scheme will be confined to new caravans only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33439/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together.
My Department reviewed the operation of the pilot Caravan Loan Scheme and recently received sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to extend the pilot phase nationwide to all local authorities until the end of 2022. A circular will issue shortly outlining details of the extended pilot phase of the Caravan Loan Scheme to commence its operation in all local authorities.
228. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to increase funding for housing adaptation grants for County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33484/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding on an annual basis under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme (DPGs) to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants.
The scheme applies primarily to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people or people with a disability. This generally involves minor adaptations such as stair-lifts, grabs -rails, showers, wet-rooms, ramps, etc. It also provides funding however for more significant adaptations which may be required to relieve overcrowding or accommodate a disability. Examples of the type of works would include the extension of a dwelling in the case of overcrowding or the provision of a downstairs bedroom ensuite or bathroom in the case of elderly or disabled persons.
My Department's approach every year is to issue a single full year allocation to each local authority, so they can plan, prioritise and implement the programme. Exchequer funding of €23.6 million is being made available under the 2022 programme of which almost €700,000 has been allocated to Mayo County Council. The allocation for Mayo County Council is equal to their request for funding per their 2022 work programme submitted to the Department earlier this year.
Under the delegated sanction currently in place, the maximum cost of works in each individual case is €75,000 and my Department will fund 90% of the cost of eligible works. Therefore, the maximum Departmental funding available per project under delegated sanction is €67,500. In such cases a contribution of 10% of the cost will be required from the Authority’s own resources.
Where the total cost of works to a property is projected to exceed €75,000 and additional funding is sought by the local authority, prior approval from the Department is required. The maximum Department contribution will remain at 90% of the cost of eligible works.
Over the course of the year, my Department works closely with the local authorities to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of the available funding. This means that if underspends arise on the part of some local authorities, they can be redistributed to other authorities. Furthermore, if a local authority is dealing with a high level of applications or in the case of unforeseen emergency works, further additional funding can be requested from my Department and every effort will be made to accede to any such request.
229. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will allocate funding at an early date to local authorities for the voids programme given the importance of this scheme in bringing vacant local authority homes back to habitable use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33487/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.
Notwithstanding this, my Department provides annual funding support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-let under the Voids Programme. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.
From 2014 to 2021, expenditure of some €261 million was recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme which funded the return to productive use of 18,527 properties nationwide.
My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work remediating vacant social housing properties in 2022. This year funding of €25 million to support the refurbishment of c. 2,273 vacant properties is being made available and each individual local authority has been notified of their target number of units and funding allocation as per Circular 18/2022.
Given the very significant investment into the Voids Programme over recent years, particularly in 2020 and in 2021, local authorities should now be in a strong position to begin the transition to a strategic and informed planned maintenance approach to stock management and maintenance.
To that end, my Department and local authorities are working to transition from a largely response and voids based approach to housing stock management and maintenance, to a planned maintenance approach as referenced in Housing for All, policy objective 20.6. This will require the completion of stock condition surveys by all local authorities and the subsequent development of strategic and informed work programmes in response.
As notified in Circular 18/2022, a further €5 million in funding has been ring-fenced for Planned Maintenance under this years Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme to support an ICT asset management system for the LA sector and to provide a funding contribution for the commencement of stock condition surveys.
