Written Answers Nos. 225-233
225. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the difference between accommodation that promotes itself as Fáilte Ireland-registered and Fáilte Ireland-approved; and if she is concerned at the confusion that may arise for consumers, particularly those visiting from outside the island. [61442/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy and implementation of that policy is a matter for the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, as well as certain other bodies.
The matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. Response from Failte Ireland below.
The use of prescribed terms under the Tourist Traffic Acts 1939-2016 requires businesses using these terms to be registered with Fáilte Ireland, examples of such are Hotel, Guesthouse, Holiday Camp, etc
Further information in relation to registered accommodation is available here:
www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/2_Develop_Your_Business/4_Quality_Assurance/2018-06-05-List-of-prescribed-terms-in-TTA_1.pdf
Businesses that do not use prescribed terms are not required to register with Fáilte Ireland.
However, many businesses voluntarily opt to become approved within the National Quality Assurance Framework.
Further information in relation to the National Quality Assurance Framework is available here: Fáilte Ireland - Get Quality Assured | Quality Assurance
All information on the premises is displayed on both the Ireland.com and Discoverireland.ie websites, the listings on the websites provide information on the type of property e.g., hotel or B&B, the location and any other relevant information.
226. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the reason that a person (details supplied) who applied for the basic income under the arts pilot scheme earlier this year was not included in the scheme; if it is intended to extend the scheme to further qualified applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61525/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra227. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if all of the approved applicants for the basic income scheme under the arts pilot scheme have taken up the offer of a basic income; the number who applied and the number who were approved; if it is intended to extend the scheme to further applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61526/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 226 together.
The Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot was a key priority for me as Minister with responsibility for arts and culture. The pilot was the number one recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce which I established in 2020 to examine how best to assist the sector to recover post-pandemic. I was very pleased to have been able to deliver on this recommendation with payments on the scheme now having commenced.
2,000 recipients will be paid €325 a week for three years. 1,000 control group members will be paid €650 per year to engage in the data collection. The scheme will cost €35m per year (€105m in total). The scheme is a pilot research scheme and is operating within a limited budget and it is not possible to fund more than 2,000 participants on the pilot scheme.
My Department received just under 9,100 applications for the scheme. Just over 8,200 of these were eligible, and all of these, including the application of the person referred to, were included in the anonymous randomised selection process to select the 2,000 recipients and the 1,000 control group members. As set out in the Guidelines for the scheme, eligibility was not a guarantee of a place on the BIA. The selection process was overseen by EY acting as an independent verifier.
27 applicants who were selected decided not to accept the offer of the BIA grant. Those places were reallocated using a random selection process, overseen by EY. All eligible applicants, including the application referred to, who had not already been selected (including those invited to the control group) were included in this further selection process to fill the places.
I understand that those who applied and were not successful are disappointed, however, as a pilot scheme the BIA is operating with a limited fund and only 2,000 places were available.
Research findings on the impact of the pilot on the individuals and their practices, the sector and ecology of the arts in Ireland will form part of the pilot also. While I have no plans to increase the number of participants in the pilot scheme, the research involved will inform future Government policy in the arts and has the potential to change the landscape of the arts in Ireland and how we fund it.
228. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the funding that was provided to Limerick from her Department in 2022, broken down by project in tabular form. [61586/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of expenditure in Limerick from my Department in 2022 to date is outlined in the table below.
|
Scheme/Programme |
Funding Provided € |
|
Commercial Entertainment Capital Grant Scheme 2022 |
98,199 |
|
Live Performance Restart Grant Scheme |
341,620 |
|
Local Live Performance Programming Support Scheme (Phase 3 & 4) |
274,516 |
|
Live Performance Support Scheme – Phase 3 |
331,617 |
|
Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme 2022 |
15,785 |
|
Cultural Schemes: Annual operational funding |
700,000 |
|
Regional Museum Exhibition Scheme 2022 |
34,635 |
|
Cultural Schemes: Category E Funding (Cultural projects) |
5,398 |
|
Creative Ireland Programme |
414,250 |
|
Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) |
153,091 |
|
TOTAL |
2,369,111 |
With specific reference to the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP), as the Deputy is aware, a list of all allocations, arranged on a county basis, under all recent rounds of the SCEP is published on my Department's website at: - www.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/. This includes capital allocations under the 2020 round which were announced earlier this year. Details of payments under the SCEP, these are published on an annual basis at www.gov.ie/en/collection/efc6c4-sports-capital-programmes-payments.
Information in relation to the allocation of funding under schemes administered by my Department are made available on my Department’s website at: www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/.
229. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding and or grant assistance that may be available for the restoration, renovation and-or refurbishment of churches and cathedrals; if she will outline the qualifying criteria and application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61511/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides financial support for the protection of eligible heritage buildings and historic structures through two grant schemes which are, in the main, administered by the local authorities. These are the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).
The HSF is for conservation and enhancement of eligible heritage structures and historic buildings, in both private and public ownership, for the benefit of communities and the public. The BHIS is a scheme for the repair and conservation of structures on the local authority Record of Protected Structures (RPS). It is designed to leverage private capital for investment in small-scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled conservation professionals. Further details of both schemes, including guidance material and application forms, can be found on the website of all local authorities and on my Department’s website.
I announced both schemes for 2023 on 16 November and the application process is now open. All applications should be made to the local authority. It should be noted that the deadline for applications to my Department is 31 January 2023, however the local authority deadline will be in advance of this date.
Generally speaking, many historic churches and cathedrals are eligible to apply to these schemes. However, it is advised to contact the Architectural Conservation Officer or Heritage Officer in the relevant local authority for more information on the schemes in relation to the context of a particular building or historic structure, as they would be best placed to advise.
230. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the local authorities that have an online choice based lettings system in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61405/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMore than half of local authorities currently operate a Choice Based Letting system. While several offer paper-based systems, others offer both paper-based and online services.
Currently, 14 local authorities use an online system including Clare, Cork City, Cork County, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin, Galway City, Galway County, Kildare, Leitirm, Louth, Meath, Tipperary and Waterford.
Local authorities are generally helpful in assisting applicants to apply for their services and anyone who has difficulty in accessing should contact their local authority.
Given the benefits offered by Choice Based Letting, my department continues to liaise with the local authorities to ensure it is implemented as widely as possible across the country and to explore the feasibility of a national online system.
231. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he plans to increase the means threshold for cost rental, in view of the recent increase in the threshold for social housing. [61461/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe policy intent of developing a new Cost Rental sector in Ireland is to assist those on moderate incomes who are facing affordability pressures in the private rental market and may not qualify for social housing supports. The social housing sector already caters for a significant cohort of people and it is not intended for Cost Rental to overlap with or replace traditional social housing for low-income households, which remains a priority for the Government. Cost Rental is a fundamentally different proposal and represents a new tenure option. The main eligibility condition for leasing a Cost Rental dwelling is that a household’s annual income, less income tax, PRSI, USC and superannuation contributions, must not be greater than €53,000, as per the Cost Rental Letting and Eligibility Regulations: www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/si/755/made/en/print
Cost rents are set to cover the costs of providing, financing, managing and maintaining each home. In order to reduce these costs, thereby making the rent lower and more affordable for the tenant, upfront State capital subsidies are being deployed including the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme for Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) for Local Authorities. As such, income limits are important in targeting these limited State resources at those who fall within the moderate income cohort and are considered most in need of support.
This net income limit of €53,000 for Cost Rental is equivalent to gross incomes in the region of €80,000 per year for single and dual-income households. This limit targets the Cost Rental homes that are available at moderate-income households, who are currently facing inflated private sector rents without any State assistance. This income eligibility limit was informed by considering affordability and the cost rents achievable under CREL and with data on median income levels. The parameters for Cost Rental eligibility will be kept under review to ensure the scheme best targets the support provided.
232. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of accessible units built for persons with disabilities in County Mayo in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61467/22]
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. 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.
In January 2022, I launched the second joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027. This strategy operates within the framework of Housing for All which is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including those with disabilities and older people.
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/ . While the data does not include specific details on the numbers of units delivered or acquired on behalf of people with disabilities, this data may be available from Mayo County Council directly.
The Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), provides that funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies to provide accommodation for priority categories on the housing waiting list including elderly, persons/families who are homeless and people with a disability. No CAS units have been built in Q1 or Q2 2022 in Co. Mayo for people with a disability. However in collaboration with an approved housing body, Mayo County Council have acquired five CAS units in Q1 and Q2 in 2022 to provide homes for people leaving care settings and the necessary care takers/support workers.
233. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the section 254 licensing system for telecommunications infrastructure; if he will consider amending the relevant legislation to ensure that applications for this infrastructure go through the standard planning process, thereby facilitating public consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61477/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOverground electronic communications infrastructure and any associated physical infrastructure was inserted into section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) via legislative measures introduced by the then Minister with responsibility for Communications through the Communications Regulation Act 2002 (20/2002). This was then enhanced with measures provided through the European Union (Reduction of Cost of Deploying High-Speed Public Communications Networks) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 391 of 2016) which is also under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications.
Further amendments to these provisions would be a policy matter for the current Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to consider.
It should also be noted that exemptions from planning also apply to certain forms of telecommunications infrastructure under Class 31 of Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended. This provides that certain classes of development carried out by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a telecommunications service are, subject to specified conditions, exempted development from the requirement to obtain planning permission. Where the conditions and size thresholds specified in the exemption class are not complied with or are exceeded in respect of a particular form of telecommunications infrastructure, planning permission is required.
