Written Answers Nos. 462-475
462. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is any policy to ensure that approved housing bodies repair any damage done to neighbouring properties as a consequence of insufficient maintenance (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6211/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe ongoing management and maintenance of Approved Housing Body (AHB) properties is a matter for the each AHB in conjunction with the relevant local authority, in this instance South Dublin County Council. AHBs are regulated by the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority and fall under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board.
AHBs are subject to the Residential Tenancies Acts which (as amended) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and the AHB sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants in this regard. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants and it also provides third party dispute resolution services. It is open to tenants or neighbours to contact the RTB and avail of its dispute resolution service. Further information regarding making a complaint may be obtained from the RTB’s website, www.rtb.ie/images/uploads/general/Guide_to_Making_a_Complaint_%28Revised_Aug_2021%29.pdf
AHBRA is an independent body tasked with the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies. AHBRA regulates the AHB sector on four Standards: Tenancy Management, Financial Management and Reporting, Asset and Property Management, and Governance. It is open to any individual to raise a concern about an AHB with AHBRA concerns@ahbregulator.ie. Further information is available on the AHBRA website www.ahbregulator.ie
As both AHBRA and the RTB are independent statutory Bodies, I, as Minister am not in a position to comment on individual cases and concerns that tenants may have should be raised with the relevant Body.
463. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homeless HAP applications received in 2024 and to date in 2025, broken down by each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6212/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP. Eligible households can source their own accommodation in the private rental sector which should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority.
Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it, or up to 50% in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. It should be noted that it is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the discretion is warranted on a case by case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case.
Additional supports are available under HAP for homeless households or households at risk of homelessness nationwide. While eligible households or individuals may source accommodation for themselves under the Homeless HAP scheme, a dedicated resource, the Place Finder Service, has been established nationwide to provide assistance.
The Place Finder service assists households in or at immediate risk of homelessness primarily by providing access to deposits and advance rental payments. These elements are the core financial supports and are available to prospective tenants in all local authority areas. To qualify for specific additional supports available to homeless households, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988.
The operation of local homeless services, including the Place Finder Service, is a matter for each local authority. Data in relation to the number of new Homeless HAP tenancies set-up in 2024 is set out below. Data for 2025 will be available in due course.
Table: Homeless HAP Unit Set-ups in 2024
|
Local Authority |
HHAP Set-ups 2024 |
|
Dublin City Council |
1,030 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council |
127 |
|
Fingal County Council |
295 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
520 |
|
DRHE Total |
1,972 |
|
Carlow County Council |
11 |
|
Cavan County Council |
36 |
|
Clare County Council |
14 |
|
Cork City Council |
48 |
|
Cork County Council |
69 |
|
Donegal County Council |
32 |
|
Galway City Council |
76 |
|
Galway County Council |
24 |
|
Kerry County Council |
21 |
|
Kildare County Council |
55 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
14 |
|
Laois County Council |
47 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
2 |
|
Limerick City & County Council |
44 |
|
Longford County Council |
7 |
|
Louth County Council |
162 |
|
Mayo County Council |
17 |
|
Meath County Council |
92 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
10 |
|
Offaly County Council |
7 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
5 |
|
Sligo County Council |
23 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
44 |
|
Waterford City & County Council |
90 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
52 |
|
Wexford County Council |
50 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
82 |
|
Other local authorities total |
1,134 |
|
Overall Total |
3,106 |
* DRHE is operating the HAP Homeless on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities.
464. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the length of time it is taking for homeless HAP applications to be processed from the date the application is received until the application is put into payment, broken down by each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6213/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraHomeless HAP is an adjunct to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme rather than a separate scheme in itself. It comprises additional financial supports and access to the Place Finder service. The administration of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a matter for the relevant local authority and HAP application processing times may vary across local authorities.
Once a HAP application has been received and confirmed as valid by the relevant local authority, it is entered on the system by the local authority and then submitted for processing and payment by the HAP Shared Service Centre (HAP SSC). Payments are made to landlords on the last Wednesday of each month.
If there are delays at the processing stage within a local authority, payment to the landlord will be backdated to the date on which a complete and valid application form was received by the local authority. The landlord is therefore not penalised for any delay. The average HAP processing time at end 2024 was 30 days, this compares to an average of 35 days at end 2023.
Since 1 March 2024, tenants and landlords can apply for HAP via an online portal www.hap.ie/apply/. This online application form will provide efficiencies for tenants, landlords and local authorities.
My Department and local authorities are aware of the importance of minimising HAP processing times and the critical need to keep this under review at a local level.
466. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to supply additional funding for priority-3 adaptation grants to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6222/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, are funded by my Department with a contribution from the local authority.
The detailed administration of the scheme including assessment, approval, prioritisation and budgetary apportionment is the responsibility of local authorities. Local authorities receive an overall allocation, with the responsibility for the apportionment between the three schemes being a matter for each authority given their knowledge of local need.
Budget 2025 provided for an increase of €25m in the funding provision for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, with almost €100 million allocated for 2025, continuing the year on year increase in funding for the scheme since 2014.
467. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of the empty buildings, by county, in his Department’s portfolio; the value of the property; the length of time they have lain empty; and the physical status of each building, in tabular form. [6234/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
468. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of undeveloped sites, by county, in his Department’s portfolio; the value of the property; the length of time they have lain undeveloped; and the reason for the lack of development, in tabular form. [6252/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is available to local authorities and approved housing bodies to deliver new build social housing stock through direct construction or in partnership with developers through 'turnkey' projects.
My Department does not hold undeveloped sites. As independent corporate entities, local authorities have the power to acquire land for the purposes of performing any of their functions, including, for example, to facilitate the implementation of their development plan or housing strategy. The acquisition of land is therefore a core function of a local authority and not something my Department would be directly engaged in.
State entities that own vacant or underutilised land, which may be suitable for housing and is intended for disposal are required to offer that land to the Land Development Agency in the first instance or relevant local authority in the second instance for development.
469. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the lack of emergency accommodation available in Cork south west; whether it is his intention to work with the local authority to improve supply; and if so, to provide details of his plans to do so. [6260/25]
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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities.
While responsibility for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis, with nine administrative regions in place. The South West region includes Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Kerry County Council, for the purposes of homeless administration, with Cork City Council as lead authority.
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, in the first instance, to determine the services and the funding required to address homelessness in each region, and to bring forward proposals to my Department that meet the needs of homeless individuals in their administrative area and the funding requirements will be considered in this context.
An allocation of €303 million, an increase of €61m on the 2024 provision, has been made under Budget 2025 to provide homeless prevention services, emergency accommodation and other services for households experiencing homelessness. This is a 25% increase on the 2024 budget allocation. This funding will support the provision of emergency accommodation and supports that households require to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy.
Furthermore, €25m in capital funding has been provided under Budget 2025 to support the delivery of high quality emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness.
My Department will ensure sufficient funding is made available for all required homeless services, including the provision of emergency accommodation, to support those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
470. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 852 of 9 September 2024, if the review of the working group has been completed; if a Level 8 BSc in Construction Project Management is to be included in the list of approved qualifications for engineering roles within Local Authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6264/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe declaration of qualification for posts in the local government sector is a power given to me as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage under section 160 (1) (a) of the Local Government Act. The declared qualifications for engineering posts in the local government sector specify that a candidate must hold an honours degree (level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications) in Engineering. Section 160(1)(c) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that a person is not to be appointed to any employment under a local authority for which qualifications are for the time being declared under section 160 unless he or she possesses those qualifications.
My Department keeps existing qualifications under review and will, where necessary, and in consultation with the local government sector and unions, propose changes to existing qualification and / or identify new qualifications.
A Working Group was established by my Department in April 2024 to undertake a review of the existing suite of engineering qualifications in the local government sector and to propose changes to those qualifications where necessary.
The Working Group has now concluded its work and has recommended a number of changes. My Department is currently in the process of consulting with the relevant public sector unions about these proposals and it is expected that these consultations will conclude in the coming weeks. It is intended to finalise revised qualifications as soon as possible thereafter. It would not be appropriate to comment on the proposed changes pending the outcome of the employee engagement process currently underway with the relevant unions.
471. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of appeals for County Clare have been assessed by the Housing Agency under the defective concrete block scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6301/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) was commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.
The Appeals Panel has been established to assess appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete (DCB) Blocks Grant Scheme.
The establishment of this Panel offers those affected by decisions made by the Housing Agency and Local Authorities an opportunity to have their cases assessed by an independent group of industry experts.
The points of appeal that are available to a DCB applicant include the validation stage by the local authority, the damage threshold determination made by the Housing Agency, the remediation option, and the grant amount approved and where a local authority refuse to make a grant payment pursuant to grant approval.
The Panel has begun the process of assessing appeals made under the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the use of Defective Concrete (DCB) Blocks Grant Scheme, with the Chair of the Appeals Panel allocating appeals to constituent appeals boards for them to review.
At time of writing 12 appeals have been received from homeowners in Clare.
The first set of determinations by the Appeals Panel are expected to issue from the Chair of the Appeals Panel in the coming weeks.
472. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has taken advice in respect of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within his Department in 2024 and to date in 2025; if any section of his Department currently makes use of artificial intelligence; if he will outline the purposes it is utilised for and costs associated with same; if he has consulted with any consultancy firms in respect of the use of AI; if he will provide a schedule of consultants engaged and costs of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6341/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2024 my Department consulted with Ernst and Young Business Consultants on the potential use of a Microsoft AI product, specifically Copilot for Power BI, to assess if this could enhance the flexibility and capability of the Housing For All reporting service that is available through the Insights data platform.
My Department does not currently conduct any operations using artificial intelligence tools, but in 2025 it is intended to test the Copilot for Power BI product on key publicly available datasets in a secure test environment. This will involve a robust assessment of the results to identify any potential opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence tools.
There is no decision on the use of AI beyond this initial testing and there is no associated financial cost to my Department
474. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions he will take to ensure that single parent families that do not qualify for any existing housing scheme or payment can be supported in finding suitable accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6404/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraHousing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023. The thresholds thus increased to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The review further recommended the commissioning of research to develop options for a revised or new social housing income eligibility model. My Department received this detailed research, commissioned by the Housing Agency. The scope of the research included examining the existing income limits in the context of current market and population conditions and the suitability or otherwise of the current framework having regard to the significantly changed landscape since the standardised income limits were introduced.
My Department is now undertaking a detailed examination of the report, in order to develop a new social housing income eligibility model in line with the Housing for All Action Plan update. This detailed examination will include consultation with stakeholders and will look at, inter alia, how the social housing income limits system interacts with other housing supports and ensure that they continue to target households correctly.
In terms of affordable housing options, a number of affordable housing supports are in place under Housing for All. Information on these schemes is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/0d279-doors-open/, which also contains further links to each specific scheme. Please note, a number of these schemes can be combined, thereby providing additional affordability support.
475. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a detailed breakdown and a full disclosure on several matters relating to the curlew conservation programme in operation since 2017 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6413/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Curlew Conservation Programme was established in 2017 to pioneer Curlew conservation efforts in Ireland. The programme was funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Annual reports are published on the NPWS website on the link below:
www.npws.ie/farmers-and-landowners/schemes/curlew-conservation-programme
The scope, range and depth of the Question requires data, information, analysis and an allocation of research resources that are appropriate to a full forensic review of the programme and this cannot be undertaken in the reply timeline of a Parliamentary Question. I have asked my Department to arrange a briefing for the Deputy on the programme in early course.
