Written Answers Nos. 220-226
220. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of all changes to the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme that have come into effect since February 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62893/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra221. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has issued revised guidelines to local authorities in respect of the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme, to take into account the changes to the scheme that came into effect in 2022; if these guidelines are publicly available; if not, his plans for their publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62894/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra222. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to update the application form for the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme, in light of recent changes made to the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62895/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra223. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the 2021 review of the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is publicly available; if not, his plans to publish the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62896/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 220 to 223, inclusive, together.
The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments. Amendments on foot of the review came into effect on 1st February 2022.
The amendments include a reduction in the minimum reckonable income required to be eligible under the scheme from €15,000 to €12,500. This means older tenants, whose only income might be the contributory or non-contributory State pension, can qualify to buy their homes if they have the financial means to do so.
The time an applicant is 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.
Decisions regarding several of the review's recommendations will be made in due course. I will consider publishing the review thereafter, as appropriate.
The revised scheme guidelines, and a Ministerial Direction, were issued to local authorities on 29 September 2022, while an updated sample application form was provided on 17 October 2022. The guidelines are available online at the following link:www.gov.ie/en/publication/f7fda-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-incremental-tenant-purchase-scheme-2016/
224. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure that there will be a substantial financial allocation for the 2023 housing voids programme in view of its success since 2020 and the value of such works in bringing back to habitable use unoccupied homes; if he will ensure that additional support is given to local authorities, such as those in County Cavan, which have a very low rates base and have very limited revenue-raising capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63024/22]
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.
Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to supplement the local authority funding available for the preparation of vacant properties for re-letting. The 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. Local authorities also provide significant funding from their own resources to address the level of vacancy within the social housing stock.
Under the 2022 Voids Programme, funding of €25 million has been made available across the local authorities for the remediation of 2,273 properties.
My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. Funding allocations under the 2023 Programme will be announced early in 2023. Notwithstanding the voids funding being provided by my Department, local authorities have a responsibility to provide adequate housing maintenance budgets for 2023 and this parallel work by local authorities is essential for the development of the planned maintenance approach, which is an objective of Housing for All.
Given the very significant investment into the Voids Programme over recent years, 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. This process has started this year as a further €5 million in funding has been ring-fenced for Planned Maintenance under this year's Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme to support the implementation of an ICT asset management system for the local authority sector and to provide a funding contribution for the commencement of stock condition surveys.
225. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to issue a call for larger properties for the housing of refugees, as was issued in respect of pledged accommodation in individual residential homes. [63059/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is the Department with lead responsibility for the provision of accommodation for refugees and International Protection applicants.
My Department is supporting the whole of government response to the war in Ukraine and has taken responsibility for some elements, in order to provide support and assistance to DCEDIY as it continues to lead the initial humanitarian response, including the provision of accommodation and related supports.
One of these measures includes the call for unoccupied homes, which is being led by local authorities, with oversight from my Department. My Department has also taken responsibility for the refurbishment programme, which aims to bring multi-occupancy buildings that are vacant back into use as accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Accommodation from Ukraine. Notwithstanding this, any proposal for a call for further types of accommodation would require guidance from DCEDIY and a decision of the relevant cabinet committee.
226. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his reason for proposing to block residents' associations from taking High Court actions against planning decisions; if he will provide details of the research undertaken to support the need for such a measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63073/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe review of planning legislation, which was led by the Attorney General, and the draft Bill it has produced represents the most comprehensive review of planning since the current Planning and Development Act was first drafted.
The structures of planning have also been reviewed to ensure alignment and consistency, both with our European and environmental obligations and in relation to the various tiers of national, regional and local plan making. Users of the planning system will benefit from greater certainty through the introduction of a range of statutory and mandatory timelines across the various consenting processes.
Taking account of the Aarhus provisions, clarity is being brought to the role of different parties in accessing justice.
The provisions in the draft Bill require an applicant for Judicial Review to have sufficient interest by being directly or immaterially affected by the matters to which the applicant relates.
Where a judicial review relates to a decision on a development requiring an Environment Impact Assessment or Appropriate Assessment, an NGO or an association will be regarded as having sufficient interest where it has been incorporated as a company, with at least 10 members, and have a constitution that has protection of the environment as an object and has been pursuing these objects for at least one year. It also needs to have passed a resolution authorising the bringing of the Judicial Review.
Residents Associations can still take Judicial Review proceedings but they must comply with these requirements. If they do not comply, the individual residents can either sue individually or collectively as the provisions in the draft Bill do not prevent this.
Costs protection will also be introduced for those taking Judicial Reviews and the details of this will be clarified over the coming months.
The draft Bill, which was approved by Government on 13 December, will be sent for pre-legislative scrutiny once it has been published in January and I hope it will be enacted in Spring 2023, subject to the Oireachtas timetable.
