Written Answers Nos. 501-521
501. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of funding requests that his Department has received from Meath County Council seeking additional funding to purchase additional fire appliances for Meath fire service in the years of 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and the number of the requests received that were approved in each of the years in question, in tabular form. [39975/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts, 1981 and 2003.
My Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects and the procurement of essential front-line fire appliances, ancillary vehicles and equipment.
Under Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003, 31 local authorities provide fire prevention and fire protection services for communities through 27 service delivery structures. Local authority fire services are delivered by approximately 3,300 local authority staff engaged at 217 fire stations nationwide, with 16 of these stations staffed by full-time firefighters, a further 4 are mixed full-time and retained, and 197 are staffed by retained firefighters.
As detailed in the following requested table, in 2021 Meath County Council were allocated a new Class B Fire appliance under my Departments OGP Framework Agreement framework. In 2022 Meath County Council sought and were approved funding for the purchase of two Water Tankers. To date in 2023 no requests for additional funding have been received by my Department to support the purchase of fire appliances. My Department will continue to work closely with Meath County Council to progress the funding of priority projects as identified by the Council from the fire services capital programme.
|
Year |
2021 |
2022 |
2023(To 18 September) |
|
Meath County Council Appliance funding requests |
(1) X Class B Fire Appliance |
(2) x Water Tankers |
n/a |
502. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will extend the croí cónaithe grant timeframe from 13 to 18 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40007/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra527. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has any plans to review the 13-month limit on drawing down funds from croí cónaithe, in light of the current delays in getting tradespeople affecting the construction sector. [40318/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 527 together.
Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use.
From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has been previously used for commercial and public use heretofore, subject to appropriate planning permission being in place.
Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.
A maximum of two grants are available to any applicant, of which one must be in respect of a home they intend to occupy as their principal private residence and the other may be in respect of a property which will be made available for rent.
In order to support the timely delivery of properties, from May 2023, once a grant application receives approval, applicants must complete works applied for within a period of 13 months. Currently payment of grants is issuing some 12 months from date of approval.
When the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund was launched, a commitment was given that the schemes funded by it would be kept under ongoing review. A comprehensive review and evaluation of the schemes under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, including the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, will be undertaken by mid-2024.
503. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify who is responsible to pay the legal fees incurred by the local authority as part of the croí cónaithe grant scheme regarding the legal charge/clawback on the property receiving the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40009/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential heretofore, subject to appropriate planning permission being in place.Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000. As part of the conditions associated with the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, there is a requirement that the applicant(s) will live in the qualifying property for a period of at least five years from the date of payment of the Grant. If at any time they sell the property or it ceases to be their principal private residence within ten years, they must reimburse the local authority an element of the full value of the Grant, as follows:• Up to 5 Years – 100% of the monetary amount of the Grant• Over 5 Years and less than or equal to 10 years – 75% of the monetary amount of the Grant• Over 10 Years – No ClawbackIn the event of a fall in the value of the property, the full monetary amount, subject to the percentage clawback above will be repayable to the local authority. An agreement must be concluded between the local authority and the applicant which contains the clawback agreement, including a charge on the property, which shall be binding on the applicant upon drawdown of the grant. The cost of the registration of the charge is to be covered by the local authority who issues the grant payment. Support to local authorities for the administration of the grant is provided by my Department.
504. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 888 of 11 September 2023, the date the comprehensive set of queries were sent to the Office of the Attorney General; and the date the subsequent extensive legal advices were received. [40021/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., received by my Department in June, 2017, remains under consideration. The Report is a scoping report and as such it does not make findings as to the truth or otherwise of allegations that have been made by an individual against named persons.Following an initial analysis and assessment of the Report’s findings and recommendations, the advices of the Attorney General's office on a comprehensive set of queries, including the potential dissemination or publication of the Report, were sought and have been taken into account. I continue to consider the Report and the extensive legal advices received, given that the Report details unproven allegations against named persons. This advice was formally sought on 2 October 2017 and received from the Attorney General's office on 31 July 2018.This matter is extremely complex and requires very careful consideration. My Department continues to engage with various stakeholders on this matter, namely the Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Planning Regulator. Following this engagement I hope to be in a position to bring a Memo to Government regarding my proposed next steps by the end of the year.
505. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, following the Cabinet decision in May 2023 to extend the rent-a-room scheme to all housing types, including local authority council housing units, he will outline if this includes housing units under approved housing bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40022/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra506. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, following the Cabinet decision in May 2023 to extend the rent-a-room scheme to all housing types, including local authority council housing units, he will state, in the case of a council tenant renting out a room under this scheme, who will be responsible for dealing with tenant-landlord disputes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40023/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra507. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, following the Cabinet decision in May 2023 to extend the rent-a-room scheme to all housing types, including local authority council housing units, he will outline if a tenant renting a room from a council tenant can take a dispute to the RTB for dispute resolution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40024/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 505 to 507, inclusive, together.
The Government has agreed to extend the Rent-a-Room Relief scheme disregard to social welfare recipients, extend the disregard into medical card criteria, and permit local authority tenancies access the scheme. The commitment to extend the Rent-a-Room Relief Scheme was included as a supplementary action in Housing for All, as reported in the Q1 2023 Housing for All Report available on my Department's website here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/9d2ee-housing-for-all-quarterly-progress-reports/#2023
An initial scoping exercise to determine how the scheme may apply to social housing tenancies has been completed. My Department has been giving detailed consideration to the specific details necessary to provide for the initiative including addressing the range of practical, operational, and legal matters arising and has been consulting with local authorities in that context.
I am currently considering proposals in this regard.
508. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to carry out a review into the management of Part V social housing, given the management of Part V social housing in a development is carried out after completion of the overall development, and that major changes are often required to make units suitable for tenants with mobility issues, causing delays and increased cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40025/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 local authorities are independent in the performance of their functions. The management of the local authorities' social housing stock, whether acquired through Part V or elsewhere, is among these functions and is part of the day to day management of the social housing system. I have no function in this regard and I have no plans to conduct a review of the local authorities management of Part V social housing.
Detailed Guidelines and a range of funding mechanisms are made available to local authorities by my Department to maximise the benefit of Part V in meeting their range of housing needs locally. It is emphasised that when Part V agreements are negotiated with developers, preferably prior to a planning application, that individual characteristics of developments and local context are considered so that the requirements of the local authority from a housing perspective can be met to the fullest extent possible.
509. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current decision time for appeals to An Bord Pleanála for single housing projects; the current decision time for appeals on small retention developments; the current decision time on appeals on commercial applications; the current decision time on appeals on public infrastructure projects; the current decision time on roads infrastructure projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40032/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts.
Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Bord Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.
In order to be of assistance, my Department requested the information from the Board who have provided the following information.
The Board have advised that normal planning appeal case disposals for the year 2023 to 31st August 2023 was 1,204 cases disposed, with 27% of those disposals within the 18 week statutory objective period and the average time taken for these disposed cases being 47 weeks .
An Bord Pleanála have advised that at present the ICT system utilised by the Board cannot generate the further specific information requested by the Deputy. One of the key actions of my Ministerial Action Plan is to recruit a Director of Transformation and Digital Services for the Board. The recruitment competition to fill this post is now underway. This new position has been created to provide senior leadership in the creation and implementation of a Digital Transformation Strategy for An Bord Pleanála. The strategy will include setting out a vision for the future delivery of services, which will require the redesign of business processes to improve efficiencies and efficient decision making.
The Board publishes case statistics on a quarterly basis on the Board website which is available at the following link: www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/statistics/quarterly-statistics. The Board have advised that they are working to address the backlog of all case types on hand with the continued filling of staff vacancies and the imminent appointment of a 15th Board Member to the Board. The Board have addressed the delays to determining cases via a statement on their website which is available at the following link: www.pleanala.ie/en-IE/BacklogInformation.
510. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will confirm plans to open an enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme for local authority houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40044/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The new scheme is now open to applications in four counties: Clare, Donegal, Limerick and Mayo with comprehensive information of all aspects of the Scheme available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/8002e-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/ .
Section 36 of the Act provides that the Government may make a further Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an approved housing body to remedy damage caused to dwellings by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction. The grant rates for this local authority and approved housing body DCB scheme shall be the same as the enhanced DCB grant scheme.
In order to inform the necessary administrative and governance arrangements to be put in place prior to the roll out of this local authority and approved housing body scheme, my Department is developing a pilot scheme. This will include the four designated local authorities under the 2022 Act and my Department is also in discussions with a view to involving homes from the Approved Housing Body sector in the pilot.
511. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish with the National Standards Authority of Ireland when it will issue a clear directive on the acceptable levels of deleterious materials and compressive strength in concrete blocks that will allow sellers and buyers of second-hand homes to have full clarity on their transaction. [40104/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra512. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will establish with the National Standards Authority of Ireland when it will issue a clear directive on the acceptable levels of deleterious materials and structural strength in concrete foundations to assist homeowners who have to rebuild their homes under the enhanced defective block grant scheme. [40105/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 511 and 512 together.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) as Ireland’s Official standards body, created and developed the appropriate standards that currently apply in determining whether a building has been damaged by concrete blocks containing certain excessive amounts of deleterious materials (such as mica). That standard is I.S. 465 and dates originally from 2018 with a further amendment made in 2020.
The Government decision made in November 2021 relating to the enhanced Defective Concrete Block (DCB) Scheme called for a number of technical reviews to be completed in parallel with the commencement of the enhanced scheme. The NSAI technical reviews comprise:
• a review of the I.S. 465:2018+A1:2020 Standard and its application, including a consideration of the potential impact of deleterious materials on foundations and the consideration of deleterious materials other than pyrite or mica, e.g. pyrrhotite;
• a review by the NSAI Masonry Committee of Irish Standard for Concrete Blocks (including aggregates);
• a review of the pumped cavity wall insulation on cavity wall construction and within homes susceptible to or impacted by defective concrete blocks.
I have asked the NSAI to identify the necessary research required to support the review of the applicable standards, as a matter of priority. An interagency Defective Concrete Blocks – Technical Matters Steering Group has been established to support and inform the NSAI Standardisation Program about technical issues. The Steering Group includes representatives from the Department, NSAI, Geological Survey Ireland, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and the Housing Agency. The Steering Group has agreed on a process to specify, procure, fund, and manage research projects. In this context, Geological Survey Ireland has established a procurement framework for the Provision of Laboratory Analysis Services to support Geological Survey Ireland's "Irish Construction Materials" Project: Concrete Products. Geological Survey Ireland project manages research projects under the framework.
Research proposals developed by the relevant NSAI Technical Committees, including research to investigate pyrrhotite oxidation in concrete blocks and the potential impact of deleterious materials on foundations, have been commissioned and are making good progress.
My Department and NSAI are also working closely with Construct Innovate - Ireland's National Research Centre for Construction Technology and Innovation on several research topics to inform the technical advancement of standards relevant to concrete blocks.
As the relevant research progresses and interim learnings are evaluated, the NSAI will consider the possibility of issuing interim guidance, should this be considered useful or proportionate, prior to the publication of any revised standard by the NSAI.
513. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in a housing development with developer-provided infrastructure for wastewater treatment plants that cannot be connected to a public mains in order that Uisce Éireann can take these over, if there are plans for this to be addressed by his Department to alleviate the burden that is been placed on residents of the estates that have this infrastructure or if there is any funding available for same apart from the multi-annual programme. [40137/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that funding of €68.5 million has been allocated, under the National Development Plan, for the period 2021-2025, to address legacy water services issues. My Departments’ Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme (DPI) is focused on housing estates which do not have their water services connected to the public network and are not in the charge of local authorities but rely instead on infrastructure provided by developers.
The aim of the DPI programme is to provide funding for solutions that progressively resolve the issues in the estates involved. To date, the funding provided has been to estates where the resolution is to connect their water services to the public networks. A study completed by Uisce Éireann in 2022, will inform and assist in developing solutions for estates that, due to distance, it is not viable to connect them to the public network.
My Department is committed to resolving DPI issues, however it will take a number of funding programmes.
515. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the rules or guidelines issued to the Housing Agency for the cost rental tenant-in-situ income eligibility test; and to explain how these rules or guidelines take into account an applicant's change of income in the previous 12 months from the date of application. [40140/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) Scheme was introduced as an interim measure, developed on an administrative basis, to address the immediate circumstances of the ending of the 'Winter Emergency Period' on 31 March 2023. This temporary scheme is available where a tenant faces the termination of a tenancy due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property.
On 31 March 2023, a circular was issued to the Housing Agency and Local Authorities in relation to Cost Rental Tenant in Situ (CRTiS) Scheme. The circular scheme included detail on income assessment. This included that under the CRTiS Scheme a household must have a net annual household income of no more than €53,000. This was subsequently revised to €66,000 for Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere in line with the revised income limits for Cost Rental which I announced in July.
The Housing Agency conducts the same assessment of household income that is currently undertaken by Approved Housing Bodies letting standard Cost Rental homes funded by the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL).
The guideline issued noted that income must be assessed by using the Statement of Liability from Revenue, for the relevant previous tax year.
The assessment period is the 12 months prior to the CRTiS application. For people in paid employment applying this year, this will be by way of Statement of Liability for 2022 and Payslips for the current year. Where a person is self-employed their income will be assessed for the previous year using their self-assessment details.
516. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date of the past six regional homeless consultative forum meetings for the Munster region. [40154/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services including emergency accommodation under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988. While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each of the nine homeless regions in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. Decisions on the range of emergency accommodation services, funding required and operational matters such as the number of homeless consultative forum meetings in each region are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
However, my Department has contacted the relevant Regional Lead Authorities and has been provided with the following information regarding the meeting dates of the regional homelessness consultative fora:
|
Consultative Fora Meeting Dates |
||
|
Mid West |
South East |
South West |
|
26 May 2023 |
18 September 2023 |
6 September 2023 |
|
10 February 2023 |
29 March 2023 |
21 June 2023 |
|
9 December 2022 |
27 February 2023 |
20 April 2023 |
|
9 September 2022 |
10 December 2019 |
15 February 2023 |
|
25 March 2022 |
24 September 2019 |
20 December 2022 |
|
23 July 2020 |
10 December 2018 |
17 December 2021 |
517. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the annual funding provided to the regional homeless consultative forum for the Munster region. [40155/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual local authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to local authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988. Under Exchequer funding arrangements, local authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Furthermore, local authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Exchequer funding arrangements provided by my Department.
While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. It is a matter for the management group of the consultative forum to determine the type and range of homeless services to address homelessness in each region. The exact amounts spent by local authorities on homeless services, as well as the type and operation of emergency accommodation including number of emergency accommodation units are a matter for individual local authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
Exchequer funding for homeless services is provided through my Department to local authorities on a regional basis. The following table sets out the Exchequer funding provided to the homeless regions in Munster to date in 2023 with further funding payments to be made in the coming months based on recoupment of local authority expenditure to year end;
|
Exchequer funding provided to homeless regions to date in 2023 |
|
|
Mid West |
8,175,258 |
|
South East |
4,018,870 |
|
South West |
12,054,913 |
Financial reports from each of the homeless regions including the Mid West, South East and South West homeless regions, setting out total expenditure on homeless services including on emergency accommodation are published on my Department's website at the following link;
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
519. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average allocation per house under the EERP funding scheme; if local authorities are required to submit an overall spend receipt; and if so, the average spend, by local authority, on houses under this scheme. [40172/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra520. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes targeted under the EERP funding scheme in Cork to 2030. [40173/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra521. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason EERP funding is not allocated on a multi-annual basis. [40174/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 519 to 521, inclusive, together.
In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme (EERP), designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2 (BER)/Cost Optimal Equivalent standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes, with grant funding provided by my Department for those local authority housing retrofits.
An annualised breakdown of the funding and number of properties completed by each local authority since 2013 is available at the following link:
gov.ie - Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme - Expenditure & Output (www.gov.ie)
In 2023, my Department announced that funding of €87 million will be provided for the upgrade of approximately 2,400 social homes. Of this, Cork City Council's target is to retrofit 160 properties with an allocation of €5,780,000 including project management fees (PMF). Cork County Council’s target is to retrofit 173 properties with an allocation of €6,249,625 including PMF.
Each year the target number of units and funding provided under the EERP are subject to the funding availability as part of the national development plan and annual estimates process. However, in advance of this year’s programme, local authorities were advised they could complete work up to 65% of the previous year’s allocation in advance of formal approval. This ensures that work in relation to the programme is progressing on a multi-annual programme basis. My Department will provide the same assurance this year.
Costs of up to €48,850, plus project management fees, on individual local authority homes are supported under the EERP. The actual cost of retrofitting works on each home will depend on its pre-works BER. Local authorities are asked to ensure that the average cost per home drawn down under the programme is circa €36,500, including project management fees. Adhering to this average will ensure that the maximum number of homes can be retrofitted with the available budget.
