Written Answers Nos. 21-35
21. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to ensure that older working people who do not own their own home and are currently above social housing limits will be protected on retirement or able to seamlessly transition to social housing on retirement. [33034/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment policy in relation to housing for older people, as set out in Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, is to support people to live with dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, to allow them to ‘age in place’ close to their families, friends and in their community.
Pathway 2 of Housing for All commits to expanding the housing options available for Older Persons, building on the work done under the 2019 Joint Policy Statement, Housing Options for our Ageing Population, which has the objective of providing housing options for older people to facilitate ageing in place, in their own homes and communities, with dignity and independence, and deliver an appropriate range of housing and related support services, in an integrated and sustainable manner.
Where an older person is renting in the private sector, they may qualify for social housing supports or rent supplement when they reach retirement. In addition, local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies are encouraged to bring forward social homes specifically designed for older people in their area and my Department funds this principally through the Capital Assistance Scheme.
Where older persons are above the income thresholds for social housing, they are protected, as are all private renters, by RPZs which limit rent increases and the improvements this government has already made regarding security of tenure. They may also qualify for cost rental housing and this government is working on scaling up the supply of cost rental homes to meet the needs of those who are experiencing affordability challenges in the private rental sector.
22. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he intends taking to encourage more house building, particularly by reviewing the NDP and streamlining the planning process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32075/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Development Plan (NDP) is the rolling capital programme linked to the National Planning Framework (NPF), the overarching spatial strategy for the development of Ireland to 2040.
The NPF includes a range of objectives to support the delivery of housing to meet population targets, as informed by independent modelling undertaken by the ESRI. Government commenced the process to revise the NPF on 20 June 2023. Results from Census 2022 will be taken into account in the updating of the ESRI Structural Housing Demand methodology.
Through Housing for All, Government has introduced a number of measures to support those wishing to purchase or securely rent a home, as well as increasing the overall supply of new homes, with a target of 300,000 new homes up to 2030.
Measures introduced include the RZLT to activate land for housing, proposals to prioritise infrastructure provision and active land management through LVS/UDZ, in addition to funding schemes to encourage the increased supply of housing. We are also working with the LDA, AHBs and local authorities to deliver affordable housing for sale and for rent.
The Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 will increase clarity and certainty in the planning system by bolstering the ‘plan-led’ approach, with statutory timelines for consenting processes. This streamlining of legislation will aid the timely delivery of housing, building on the introduction of LRD legislation and exempted development provisions for the conversion of vacant commercial premises to housing.
23. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the action he is taking to improve sewage schemes for small towns and villages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33144/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraUisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for Uisce Éireann and is approved through its own internal governance structures.
The Programme for Government supports the uptake of Uisce Éireann's Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme (STVGP), which will provide growth capacity in smaller settlements that would otherwise not be provided for in Uisce Éireann’s capital investment plan.
I understand from Uisce Éireann that an allocation of almost €100 million for this programme was approved by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Uisce Éireann is working with local authorities across the country in ensuring the investment supports the growth of identified settlements where these are prioritised in line with the local authority development plans.
The programme was launched in summer 2021, and Uisce Éireann has announced 39 projects under the programme to date, which are at various stages of development.
The delivery of capital projects is not dependent solely on funding and resources. Uisce Éireann must comply with the planning and consenting regime and as a body in receipt of public funding, with the relevant requirements of the Public Spending Code. While Uisce Éireann allocates the necessary funding and resources to projects, it takes on average around 5-7 years to bring a wastewater project through from selection to completion.
Uisce Éireann continues to work with local authorities across the country in ensuring the investment supports the growth of identified settlements where these are prioritised in line with the local authority development plans.
Uisce Éireann has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 0818 578 578.
24. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the review by his Department of public homes in the pipeline; and the number of these that have been stalled for over 12 months. [33089/23]
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 and 54,000 affordable 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 the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) on a quarterly basis. The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 4 2022. All Construction Status Reports are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/.
Since 2020, there have been significant challenges to the construction sector. Arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, measures introduced by the Government to protect public health required most construction activity to halt during periods in 2020 and 2021. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 also raised significant challenges in relation to supply chain constraints, construction materials inflation and rising energy costs, resulting in delays to some projects. These issues resulted in delays to a large number of projects.
My Department has been working closely with local authorities to increase social housing delivery. There has been a strong improvement in the delivery environment, supported by measures introduced by this Government to address material inflation and energy costs, through the introduction of the Inflation/ Supply Chain Delay Co-operation Framework.
Housing for All also contains a number of measures to support the capacity of local authorities to deliver housing projects. In this regard, I have approved an additional 250 staff specifically to support the delivery of social housing. Last year saw the highest level of new build social housing delivered since 1975, with a 7,433 new social homes built.
25. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable housing units delivered via the Cost-Rental Equity Loan, the Affordable Housing Fund and Project Tosaigh in County Monaghan in 2022, and planned to be delivered in 2023, with a breakdown of units per scheme and average price of units by unit size. [33001/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra56. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the provision of both social and affordable housing in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32972/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra85. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the delivery of affordable, social and cost rental housing in Dublin 9 and 11; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33000/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra93. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the provision of both social and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33117/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026. 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 in all local authorities. The most recent data available relates to 2022 delivery 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/
With 2022 representing the first full year of delivery under the schemes introduced under the Affordable Housing Act 2021, my Department also publishes progress updates on Affordable Housing Delivery, based on local authority returns, in a similar manner as for social housing. The 2022 progress report on affordable housing provision across all delivery streams has been published on the Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked all local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans to address social and, where appropriate, affordable housing needs in their areas over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. 18 local authorities, including Dublin City Council and Carlow County Council, were asked to include affordable housing delivery projections in their Plans, in line with the five-year Affordable Housing delivery targets assigned in March 2022. A copy of each Council’s Housing Delivery Action Plan is available on their individual websites.
Monaghan County Council does not have a specific affordable housing delivery target as the assessed new housing need with affordability constraint is not high and average house price levels in the county are still well below the national median.
Circular 06/2023 issued to all local authorities on 21 February 2023 and provides guidance on preparing an application for Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) assistance for suitable affordable purchase or cost rental schemes in circumstances where localised need with affordability constraint has been identified. No application for AHF assistance has been submitted by Monaghan County Council to date. Further assistance with developing schemes is available from my Department, the Housing Agency and the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office within the Local Government Management Association.
In addition, the First Home Scheme, which was launched in July 2022, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. Full information on the scheme, which is available nationwide, may be found on the dedicated website, www.firsthomescheme.ie.
Significant progress is being made to deliver the ambitious targets contained in Housing for All and my Department is working closely with the local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the LDA and other stakeholders to accelerate the delivery of social and affordable housing.
26. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he intends to set affordable housing targets for each local authority without official targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33094/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government approved the commencement of the process to revise the National Planning Framework (NPF) last month. An Expert Group has been appointed to undertake a high-level review of the NPF and it is expected that the work of the group will conclude with the submission of their report to the Minister over the summer.
As part of the revision process, the full suite of results from Census 2022 published by the CSO over the coming months will be taken into account in the updating of the ESRI Structural Housing Demand methodology.
The revised NPF strategy, to be approved by Government in Q1 2024, will also allow for the updating of the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool. The HNDA tool assists local authorities to develop long-term views of housing need and demand and provides a robust evidence base to support decisions about new housing supply, wider investment and housing related services that inform an overall national housing profile.
Housing for All is a long-term plan which is building towards 40,000 homes per year by 2030 as capacity grows in the residential construction sector. A review of overall housing targets has commenced which will have regard to the Census data and the NPF review and will be underpinned by independent, peer-reviewed research by the ESRI.
This work will, collectively, form the basis of revising the affordable housing targets for local authorities and the matter of setting targets for Local Authorities without current official targets will be considered.
It is important to note that the Affordable Housing Fund is open to all local authorities to assist in the development and delivery of affordable housing schemes where appropriate to do so, whether or not an authority has been set an affordability target. A number of local authorities who do not have targets have already successfully developed appropriate schemes to deal with identified localised affordability challenges within their areas, and a number of other such schemes are currently being planned or under assessment.
My Department, the Housing Agency and the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office within the Local Government Management Association are engaging proactively with all local authorities to respond effectively to affordability challenges nationwide.
27. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are provisions in planning law to ensure that communities have critical water and wastewater infrastructure (details supplied); if this is the responsibility of the local authority or the developer; if there are plans to update the provisions in planning law to ensure critical water and wastewater infrastructure is put in place in advance of the construction of residential and commercial development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32913/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with Section 10(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities are required to include objectives in their development plans for the provision of infrastructure including water supplies and waste water services. In practice such objectives are informed by consultation with Uisce Éireann as part of the development plan preparation process. Uisce Éireann is the national authority for water services pursuant to Section 5(1A) of the Water Services Act 2013 and is a statutory consultee for development plans under Article 13 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. As part of its role, it publishes water and wastewater capacity registers which enable planning authorities to monitor available water services capacity within specific settlements, which in turn assists those authorities in their development planning function.
Water services are also an important consideration in the development management process. Schedule 3 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 prescribes a statutory planning application form which requires applicants for permission to provide details of the proposed water supply source that will service the planned development, in addition to details regarding waste water treatment proposals. Planning authorities consider this information, together with any submission received from Uisce Éireann under Article 28 of the Regulations, prior to making a decision on a planning application.
A planning authority may decide to refuse permission where proposed development would be premature by reference to a deficiency in the provision of water supplies or sewerage facilities, or the capacity of existing or prospective services. Permission may also be refused where the proposed development would cause serious water pollution. In other instances, further information may be required from the applicant, or permission may be granted conditional on certain requirements being complied with. This may include a condition that the developer enter into a connection agreement with Uisce Éireann where it is proposed to connect to its network.
Prospective developers are encouraged to engage with Uisce Éireann prior to making a planning application by utilising the pre-connection enquiry facility. This enables the potential water services impact of proposed development to be examined and where applicable, confirmation of feasibility to be provided subject to any necessary infrastructure upgrades or works that may be required to facilitate the development.
The Programme for Government commits to funding Uisce Éireann’s capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. The National Development Plan 2021-2030 highlights that almost €6 billion in capital investment will be undertaken by Uisce Éireann in the period 2021-2025. This commitment is reflected in Budget 2023, with almost €1.6 billion of funding available to the utility in 2023.
The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects at particular locations is a matter for Uisce Éireann. Its capital investment plan sets out a clearly defined set of priorities to deliver improvements to water and wastewater services throughout Ireland where they are most urgently required. This investment is intended to deliver significant improvements to public water and wastewater services, meet the needs of customers and support new development, while also delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area.
The draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 was published in January last and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage has completed a comprehensive process of pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill. My Department continues to work closely with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to finalise the Bill, taking account of the Committee’s report and submissions received from other interested parties on the draft Bill. This process will include examination of any necessary improvements to the planning and delivery of water services as part of a reformed and more efficient planning system.
28. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how the social housing waiting list in Offaly now compares with that in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32974/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra57. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how the current social housing waiting list in Longford compares with that in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33148/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra96. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated number of people on the Mayo local authority housing list at present; the likelihood of having housing needs met in the short-term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33095/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 57 and 96 together.
Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
SSHA reports since 2016 are available at www.gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-assessments/ including the most recent summary conducted in November 2022.
The following table details the number of households on the social housing waiting list for Offaly County Council, Longford County Council and Mayo County Council in 2019 and 2022. For each local authority there has been a decline.
|
Local Authority |
No. of households on Social Housing Waiting List 2022 |
No. of households on Social Housing Waiting List 2019 |
Difference |
|
Offaly County Council |
442 |
627 |
-185 |
|
Longford County Council |
272 |
496 |
-224 |
|
Mayo County Council |
836 |
1,205 |
-369 |
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 (AHBs).
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data 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/. This provides information for a number of categories of social housing delivery in terms of the various delivery streams and also contains the targets for each local authority during each year of the programme.
While the oversight and management of the housing waiting list, including the allocation of tenancies, is a matter solely for each local authority, I expect the delivery of these homes to contribute significantly to meeting the accommodation needs of households on each of the waiting lists.
30. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the regulations of the new defective concrete blocks scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33172/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra65. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will comment on the significant delays with the opening of the online application process for the enhanced grant scheme for the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete Blocks in their Construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32724/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Regulations for the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the 2022 Act) were subject to a consultation process that began in 2022 with key stakeholders, including with homeowners’ action groups. My Department has continued to engage with a number of stakeholders in the finalisation of the Regulations and Guidelines in recent weeks.
I commenced the 2022 Act on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.
The enhanced grant scheme is now open to applications with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available online for all existing and potential applicants.
31. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has any data as to how many new build homes are being purchased by first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33141/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraData on purchase of homes by household buyers, including fist time buyers, are available on the CSO website. The most recent data published by the CSO for the period to April 2023 are available at Data - CSO - Central Statistics Office.
The CSO data show almost 50,000 dwelling purchases by households at market prices for the year to end-April 2023, up 6% year-on-year. The data also show, on a par with the period to end-March 2023, that almost 17,000 or 34% of homes purchased by household buyers were purchased by first-time buyers in the period. These included some 5,200 new homes, or 32% of new homes built, a share consistent with that purchased by first-time buyers for several years now.
There were 1,134 first-time buyer purchases in April 2023, an increase of 2.7% on the 1,104 purchases in April 2022.
Housing for All is working and delivery is increasing - close to 31,000 homes were completed in the 12-months to end-March 2023, the first time since 2009 rolling 12-month home completions surpassed 30,000. I am optimistic, given recent upward trends in planning permissions, commencements and completions, the number of new homes in 2023 will be close to the target of 29,000 and the recent substantial uplift can be sustained into 2024 and 2025.
32. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the Public Consultation on the Review of Part B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations; if there is a timeline for the report to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33184/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe public consultation on proposed amendments to Part B of the Building Regulations and the associated Technical Guidance Document relating to fire safety closed on 21 April 2023.
Work is underway in my Department to examine each submission made and to consider if an amendment to the proposed Part B of the Building Regulations relating to fire safety and/or the associated draft Technical Guidance Document is warranted or required. In line with Action 21.1 of the Housing for All Action Plan Update, the review of Part B of the Building Regulations (Fire Safety) is due to be completed and published in Q4 2023.
33. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on social housing provision in Longford from 2020 to 2022; the target in place for same in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33147/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department publishes programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data 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/. This provides information for a number of categories of social housing delivery and also contains the targets for each local authority during each year of the programme.
Longford County Council’s Housing Delivery Action Plan, which sets out details of their proposed social housing delivery for the period 2022-2026, is available on the Council’s website at www.longfordcoco.ie/services/housing/lcc-housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026.docx. The Council has a social housing delivery target of 391 units over the period 2022 to 2026 and 74 units for 2023.
In addition to the aforementioned social housing delivery targets, for 2023 the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter to all local authorities in March, setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional target for social housing acquisitions in 2023. Under these arrangements, Longford County Council has a target to acquire at least 10 social homes in 2023 and this will be kept under review.
34. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will direct all local authorities to record all presentations from homeless individuals and families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32723/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. These quarterly performance reports include details of the numbers of individuals prevented from entering emergency accommodation, and those exiting emergency accommodation into tenancies and the duration of stay in emergency accommodation. The quarterly progress report summarises the data submitted to the Department.
The most recent published data is in respect of Q1 2023 and the report is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/. Furthermore, at this link you will find the collated regional quarterly performance reports that include details of the number of new family/new single presentations and repeat family/repeat single presentations on a daily basis.
35. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm the number of housing completions in Cork in 2022; the projected number for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33125/23]
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 and 54,000 affordable 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.
With regard to social housing delivery activity, my Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis. This data is available to the end of Quarter 4 2022. This data 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/
With 2022 representing the first full year of affordable housing delivery under the schemes introduced in the Affordable Housing Act 2021, local authorities, including Cork City Council and Cork County Council, have completed and submitted to my Department, data returns on delivery of affordable homes in their respective areas, in the same manner as is done for social housing. The 2022 statistical data is published on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
In addition, the Central Statistics Office publishes data on all new dwelling completions, which is available on the CSO website at the following link: New Dwelling Completions Q1 2023 - CSO - Central Statistics Office
Finally, a key action of Housing for All required local authorities to develop a Housing Delivery Action Plan, to include details of social and affordable housing delivery, as appropriate, over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. The Plans have been published on the respective local authority websites. A copy of the Cork City Council Plan and the Cork County Council Plan can be accessed at the respective links:
www.corkcity.ie/en/media-folder/housing/cork-city-council-housing-delivery-action-plan.pdf
www.corkcoco.ie/en/resident/housing/housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026
