Written Answers Nos. 195-208
195. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of the €25 million that was announced to support adaptation works to 1,800 existing social homes announced in Budget 2023 that is new and additional funding for 2023. [49272/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides annual funding to local authorities under the Disabled Persons Grants scheme to carry out works on social housing stock to address the needs of older people, people with a disability or overcrowded situations. The detailed administration of this scheme including assessment, approval and prioritisation is the responsibility of local authorities.
My Department's approach every year, in the first instance, is to allow local authorities complete works up to 65% of the previous year’s allocation in the absence of formal approval to keep this important work going. Following this, my Department will issue a single full year allocation to each local authority, so they can plan, prioritise and implement the programme to carry out the varying works necessary to meet the needs of their tenants. The programme is 90% funded by the Department with a 10% contribution from the Local Authority. The budget provided each year is additional funding.
In 2021, a significant increase in funding was secured for the Disabled Persons Grant Scheme which incorporates Improvement Works in Lieu. This resulted in a total exchequer allocation of €23.7 million. It gave local authorities an opportunity to be approved for funding on all works that could be completed that year. Again in 2022, exchequer funding to the value of €23.6 million was allocated to these schemes based on the request for funding from the local authority sector.
The allocations for the 2023 Disabled Persons Grant Scheme will be announced early in 2023 upon receipt and review of each local authorities work programme.
The allocation and drawdown of funding for each local authority for the period 2011-2021 for the Disabled Persons Grant, which incorporates Improvement Works in Lieu, is available at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/061cd-disabled-persons-grant-and-improved-works-in-lieu-schemes-allocation-and-drawdown/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c472d-disabled-persons-grant-and-improved-works-in-lieu-schemes-allocation-and-drawdown-2011-2020/
196. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of the €4 million figure that was announced in Budget 2023 for increased capital funding for the delivery of Traveller accommodation and for adaptation works for the homes of older people and people with a disability that is for Traveller accommodation; and if this €4 million figure is part of the €67 million figure that was announced. [49273/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the role of my Department is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to assist housing authorities in providing accommodation for Travellers, including a national framework of policy, legislation and funding. Funding of €20 million has been made available in 2023 for the delivery of Traveller-specific accommodation, an increase of €2 million on the 2022 provision of €18 million.
My Department also provides funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme. These schemes assist eligible applicants living in privately owned homes to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs, with funding of €65 million available in 2022. The funding provision for 2023 has been increased by €2 million to a total of €67 million, continuing the year on year increases since 2014.
198. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if grants are available for the replacement of windows and doors in an old farmhouse to ensure it is weatherproof for the winter months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49291/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding for the Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability scheme, which is a range of grants for necessary improvement works or adaptations to houses, in order to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability. These schemes cover works reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of applicants, and could in those circumstances include the repair or replacement of windows and doors.
The schemes are administered by local authorities and details of the application process can be found on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/
My Department also oversees a number of schemes to assist in the conservation of protected and other eligible structures, which may include repairs to windows and doors. These schemes are the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund. The schemes are administered through the local authorities and details are available at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/32ae3-financial-assistance-for-architectural-heritage/
199. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if councillors will need a two thirds majority to alter the local property tax base rate changes in year two whereby the year one vote is included a two-year timeframe. [49299/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 20 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, as amended, a local authority may, as a reserved function, resolve to vary the basic rate of the Local Property Tax within its functional area by a maximum of +/- 15%. The Local Property Tax (Local Adjustment Factor) Regulations 2022 provide the updated requirements for local authorities who may wish to vary their local property tax rates for a specified period, in accordance with section 20 of the Act.
The 2022 regulations do not refer to yearly decisions but instead to “a period as specified in the resolution”, meaning elected members can now set a local adjustment factor for a period of their choosing. As with all resolutions, the resolution to set a multi-annual local adjustment factor can be revoked in accordance with the provisions included in the Standing Orders of the local authority, as required by Part 6, schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended).
It is a matter for each local authority to adopt its own standing orders in line with the provisions of the aforementioned Act and to determine how meetings are conducted. Such standing orders include procedures for the amendment, revocation or cancelling of resolutions. This is a reserved function of elected councils. I, as Minister, have no function to give direction on such matters in individual cases.
200. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of the new build social housing delivered in Q1 and Q2 of 2022 by delivery stream including the Social Housing Investment Programme construction, the Social Housing Investment Programme turnkey, Capital Advance Leasing Facility construction, Capital Advance Leasing Facility turnkey, capital assistance scheme construction, capital assistance scheme turnkey and Part V in tabular form. [49306/22]
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 €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. Data to the end of Quarter 2 2022 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 publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and pre-tender process. The most recent publication was for Q2 2022. The report is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/5a259-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q2-2022/.
A version of this file is available to download for analysis at Social Housing Construction Status Report Q2 2022 - Dataset - Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
A breakdown by the requested delivery steams is set out in the table below.
|
Delivery Stream |
New Build Units Q1 |
New Build Units Q2 |
Total |
|
SHIP Construction |
114 |
213 |
327 |
|
SHIP Turnkey |
137 |
183 |
320 |
|
LA Part V |
23 |
110 |
133 |
|
CAS Construction |
14 |
5 |
19 |
|
CAS Turnkey |
6 |
46 |
52 |
|
CALF Construction |
78 |
2 |
80 |
|
CALF Turnkey |
196 |
473 |
669 |
|
CALF Part V |
71 |
94 |
165 |
|
Total |
639 |
1126 |
1765 |
Note: An additional 28 Part V Leased homes were delivered in Q2 2022.
201. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of the social housing delivered in Q1 and Q2, 2022 funded through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme; the breakdown by delivery stream including long-term leasing, short-term leasing, Part V leasing, mortgage to rent, repair and lease and public private partnership; and the average lease cost power year for each delivery stream in tabular form. [49307/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) budget funds the ongoing current costs of social homes delivered using a variety of different delivery streams. This includes properties built or acquired by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) using funding under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and the Housing Agency Acquisitions Fund (HAA), which are then made available under a Payment & Availability Agreement to local authorities. It also includes properties leased on a long term basis from private property owners by AHBs or local authorities; comprising properties secured through specific programs such as the Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS), the Long Term Leasing Scheme and the Mortgage to Rent Scheme. Dwellings made available under SHCEP are used to accommodate households from local authority waiting lists.
Under Housing for All, social housing targets have been set out to 2026, with Long Term Leasing expected to finish by year end 2025.
A breakdown of social housing delivery by scheme and by local authority location for Q1 and Q2 2022 combined can be found on my Department's website at the following link:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision
Delivery data for Q3 2022 is being collated at present and will be published as soon as that process is finalised.
The average annual cost associated with each leasing delivery stream is listed as of the end of Q2 2022 in table 1 below:
Table 1: Average Annual Cost by Delivery Stream :
|
Delivery Stream |
Average Cost |
|
Long Term Leasing |
€13,398 |
|
Short Term Leasing |
€10,212 |
|
Part V Leasing |
€14,650 |
|
Mortgage to Rent |
€11,324 |
|
Repair and Leasing |
€6,345 |
Please note that the average costs set out in the table above are based on operational units per scheme as at the end of Q2 2022.
202. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the income of a person is not reassessed to determine social housing eligibility in cases in which a social housing support tenant in transferring from one HAP tenancy to another HAP tenancy or from a HAP tenancy to a local authority or approved housing body tenancy. [49308/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraApplications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
Once a household is deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing supports available, including the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority.
Once approved for HAP, the local authority will expect the tenant to stay in the same property for at least two years. However, a tenant may be able to apply to their local authority for a new HAP payment for another property sooner if their circumstances change. For example, if they receive a job offer in another area, or if their family changes in size and the property is no longer suitable.
Where a person has a change of circumstances, including a loss or increase in income, they should notify the relevant local authority. The local authority can reassess those tenants and adjust their differential rent accordingly.
Consistent with the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the HAP scheme is considered to be a social housing support and consequently households in receipt of a payment under the HAP scheme are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, have expectations that they would receive a more traditional form of social housing support, Ministerial directions have issued to ensure that, should they so choose, HAP recipients can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support through a transfer list.
Furthermore, local authorities are also directed that HAP recipients who apply to go on the transfer list should get full credit for the time they spent on the waiting list and be placed on the transfer list with no less favourable terms than if they had remained on the waiting list.
As provided for by the 2014 Act, housing authorities are not required to carry out a social housing assessment in respect of a household in receipt of social housing support that applies to transfer to another form of Housing support.
The practical operation of transfer lists is a matter for each local authority to manage, on the basis of their own scheme of letting priorities. The making of such schemes is a reserved function of the local authority and as such is a matter for the elected members.
203. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing acquisitions in Q1 and Q2, 2022 that had tenants in situ; and the number that were vacant. [49309/22]
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 €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn 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. However, acquisitions of second hand properties for social housing fall under a number of local authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) acquisitions programmes.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity in all local authorities, including information on social housing acquisitions. This data is available until the end of Quarter 2 2022 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 does not hold data on the occupation status of properties acquired for social housing.
204. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total allocation for local authority home loan in each of the years from 2016 to 2022 and the total drawdown in each year including to date in 2022, in tabular form. [49338/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra206. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the local authority home loan and in particular the income eligibility limits, the means test criteria, the maximum loan amounts and the administrative process for accessing and deciding on the loans. [49340/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 206 together.
The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage scheme for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. As of 4 January 2022, no new Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan applications are being accepted, although applications already in process are being honoured.
The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It also includes the purchase of homes through State schemes such as the Tenant Purchase Scheme and Affordable Housing Schemes, with the exception of the First Home Scheme.
Single applicants for properties in counties Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath or Wicklow must not be earning greater than €65,000 annual gross income or €50,000 annual gross income for properties in all other counties. Joint applicants must not be earning greater than €75,000 annual gross income in all counties.
The maximum market values of the property that can be purchased or self-built are €320,000 in the counties of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow and €250,000 in the rest of the country. This limits the amount that can be borrowed to no more than €288,000 in the counties Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow and no more than €225,000 in the rest of the country.
The Housing Agency provides a central support service that assesses applications for both the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan and the Local Authority Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to the authorities to approve or refuse applications.
The final decision on applications is a matter for the relevant local authority. Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with the Regulations establishing the scheme and the credit policy that underpins the scheme, in order to ensure prudence and consistency in approaches in the best interests of both borrowers and the lending local authority.
The eligibility criteria and lending processes for the Local Authority Home Loan are kept under review. It should be noted that the income ceiling for single applicants wishing to buy a home in the Greater Dublin Area, Cork and Galway was raised from €50,000 (in the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan) to €65,000 upon the introduction of the Local Authority Home Loan.
The total national allocations for the Local Authority Home Loan and its predecessor the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan from 2018 to 2022 are set out in the below table. For clarity, these amounts represent the maximum that local authorities are allowed to lend under the schemes. In this respect, it should be noted that the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan and the Local Authority Home Loan are demand driven schemes and the actual drawdowns are dependent upon market activity.
|
2018 and 2019 Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Allocation |
2020 Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Allocation |
2021 Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Allocation |
2022 Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan and Local Authority Home Loan Allocation |
|
€563.60m* |
€210m |
€210m |
€250m** |
* Allocations for 2018 and 2019 were combined.
** The 2022 allocation covers both schemes while the prior years are for Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan only.
My Department regularly publishes information on the 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 drawdowns, approvals, average drawdowns, and average approvals for both the LAHL and RIHL up to Q1 2022 is available at the following link, which will be updated as soon as figures are available:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/42d2f-local-authority-loan-activity/#local-authority-loans-approvedpaid
205. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the youth homeless strategy. [49339/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ commits to developing a Youth Homelessness Strategy. This commitment is articulated in Housing for All. The development of this Strategy was identified as a priority action at the first meeting of the National Homeless Action Committee in December 2021.
This Strategy has been underpinned by an extensive consultation process, which ran over the first half of 2022. Existing research on youth homelessness, both in Ireland and internationally, has further informed the Strategy.
Updates on the development of the Strategy have been provided at each quarterly meeting of the National Homeless Action Committee. The Strategy is currently being finalised and is due to be published in November 2022.
207. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the actions of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive in relation to the implementation of a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49381/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraA review of homeless deaths was undertaken on behalf of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) by Dr Austin O’Carroll. The review analysed the available data concerning deaths in homeless services for 2020 to identify learnings for homeless and health services that could help tailor the provision of care to homeless people. This ‘Interim Report on Mortality in Single Homeless Population 2020’ was completed in June 2021. In the report, Dr O’Carroll notes that the most important step in reducing mortality amongst the homeless population is the reduction of long-term homelessness. The report notes that the Housing First model is “the optimum approach to achieve this objective”. Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help them maintain their tenancies. Housing for All commits to the continued expansion of Housing First, with more than 1,300 additional Housing First tenancies planned over the next five years. This will ensure that Housing First continues to operate and expand in every county of Ireland. It will involve an average of 264 new tenancies per annum, with the specific annual targets for each region now set out in the plan. This comes on the heels of the first Housing First National Implementation, which completed in December 2021, exceeding its four-year target by over 90 additional tenancies.The report makes recommendations in the areas of data collection and analysis, and I understand that a pilot study on data collection of homeless deaths nationally is being undertaken by the Health Research Board on behalf of the Department of Health. The research is applying the methodology used to compile the National Drug Related Deaths Index, which is a census of drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users and those who are alcohol dependent in Ireland. The data collection for 2019 deaths, including deaths among people who were homeless, involves the review of approximately 17,000 files from all Coroner districts. My Department continues to engage with the Department of Health and the Health Research Board on this study.Dr. O’Carroll’s report also identifies that co-operation between different agencies and service providers is of critical importance. Under Housing for All, a new National Homeless Action Committee has been established. All of the key Government departments, agencies and stakeholders are involved. The overarching objective of the Committee is to ensure that a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across Government to implement actions in Housing for All, along with bringing better coherence and coordination of homeless-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to address homelessness. Beyond this, the Committee will also have a role in addressing emerging homeless-related issues and in developing further responses.The DRHE have advised that all reports on deaths in homeless services are reported both to the DRHE and the HSE. The DRHE does not have a role in establishing a cause of death as that is a matter for the Coroner. I understand that the HSE confirmed to DHRE that it will attend a bi-annual review of the deaths in service reports and that a link person will be appointed to review critical incidents and deaths. DRHE works closely with the HSE to ensure the recommendations of Dr. O’Carroll’s report are implemented and some of the key recommendations, in particular the expansion of access to primary care services in private emergency accommodation have been implemented in the past year.My Department is working closely with the Department of Health, the HSE and local authorities to continue to deliver the appropriate measures to support all individuals experiencing homelessness including those with complex needs.
208. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will issue the Ministerial Directive and guidelines to local authorities to allow them to process the new tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49382/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments, with a number of changes subsequently coming into effect from 1 February 2022. The minimum reckonable income required to be eligible under the scheme changed from €15,000 to €12,500. The time tenants are required to be in receipt of social housing supports to be able to apply under the scheme has also been revised. This has been increased from one to ten years. Applications received by local authorities prior to 1 February 2022 should be assessed per the regulations and requirements in place at the time, with applications received thereafter assessed in accordance with the new requirements. While local authorities were formally advised of these changes by Department Circular on 12 January 2022, revised scheme guidelines, and a Ministerial Order giving effect to changes in the treatment of the State contributory and non-contributory pensions for reckonable income purposes issued to all local authorities on the 29 September 2022.
