Written Answers Nos. 443-455
444. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will amend the Local Government Act 2014 to allow the chair of municipal areas to be named mayor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8237/16]
View answerThe law relating to alternative titles to Cathaoirleach within the local government system is set out in section 32 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended by section 37 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014). There are no proposals for amending legislation to provide for use of the title “Mayor” on the general basis referred to in the Question.
445. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if prescribed bodies or stakeholders are permitted to lodge objections to planning applications outside the five-week period for submissions and observations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8290/16]
View answerArticle 29(1) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to 2015 provides that any person or body, on payment of the prescribed fee, may make a submission or observation in writing to a planning authority in relation to a planning application within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the authority of the application. Article 29(3) of the Regulations provides that where a submission or observation is received after the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of the application, the planning authority shall return to the person or body concerned the submission or observation received and the fee and notify the person or body that their submission or observation cannot be considered by the planning authority.
Article 28(6) of the Regulations provides that where a prescribed body to whom notice of a planning application has been sent by a planning authority does not make a submission or observation in relation to the application within a period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning authority of the application, the authority may determine the application without further notice to that body. However, in contrast to the position in relation to submissions or observations made by persons or bodies other than prescribed bodies, there is no statutory prohibition on the submission by prescribed bodies of submissions or observations on a planning application following the expiry of the 5-week period referred to above, or on the planning authority taking into consideration after that 5 week period any submissions or observations from a prescribed body in relation to a planning application where it has not already made a determination on the application in question.
446. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a change in status in a county development plan of a settlement from small town to moderate and sustainable growth town without any actual increase in population has any impact on the allocation of funding from his Department or its agencies for that settlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8324/16]
View answerUnder the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, each planning authority’s development plan must set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area concerned and be consistent with all relevant and up to date national plans, policies and strategies.
Designation of settlements as a small town or moderate and sustainable growth town or other designations within the local authority development plan must reflect the policy and objectives contained within certain statutory Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) which consider such matters, for example those dealing with the Greater Dublin area.
Where such enhanced designations are proposed within the RPGs, these would be generally linked to an increased scale of development and population and would be subject to further consideration and detailed local policies in the development plan process.
As regards the specific issue raised in the Question, a change in designation alone without a commensurate change as regards future development expectations would be unlikely to have any implications as regards funding from my Department. It should be noted that funding of local services and infrastructure is also derived from a wide variety of other sources, including other Departments and agencies and the private sector.
In the case of my Department and its broad business agenda, a range of factors influences allocation of funding for local projects in the housing, environmental, community development and other areas depending on general sectoral priorities and the merits of individual cases, taking local planning policies into account, where relevant.
447. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount, in planning development contributions, owed to each local authority at the end of 2015; and the comparative figures for 2007 and 2011. [8395/16]
View answerLocal authorities are obliged to include data on current and long-term development contribution debtors in their Annual Financial Statements. As the audited figures for 2015 are not yet available, figures from the audited Annual Financial Statements for 2014 for the City and County Councils are set out in the following table. Included also are comparative figures, where available for 2011 and 2007. Figures and local authority breakdowns for 2014 reflect the new local authority structures in place since 2014, while figures for 2011 and 2017 are the 88 county, city and town councils as per the local authority structures at that time.
Current debtors are debts due within a year and are shown before any adjustment for bad debt provisions in the Annual Financial Statements. Total bad debt provisions for all current debtors are reported within the notes to the Annual Financial Statements but do not separately identify the portion relating to current development contribution debtors.
Long term debtors are debts due in respect of periods greater than one year. Long-term development contribution debtors are matched in the Annual Financial Statement by deferred income. This acknowledges that the debts of long term debtors are not income in the current period, and are thus deferred to future periods and may or may not become due depending on the progress of the development.
Development Levy Debtors as at 31 December 2014
|
County Council |
Current Development Levy Debtors € * |
Long Term Development Levy Debtors € ** |
|
Carlow |
2,635,050 |
1,764,674 |
|
Cavan |
547,616 |
4,431,773 |
|
Clare |
4,910,305 |
3,082,563 |
|
Cork City |
4,453,666 |
1,110,023 |
|
Cork County |
13,328,868 |
42,313,089 |
|
Donegal |
680,346 |
5,693,772 |
|
Dublin City |
17,966,035 |
15,161,373 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
37,243,585 |
36,639,299 |
|
Fingal |
53,678,246 |
5,455,117 |
|
Galway City |
3,400,810 |
3,057,605 |
|
Galway County |
2,026,372 |
14,104,000 |
|
Kerry |
3,403,503 |
348,005 |
|
Kildare |
4,386,298 |
9,834,620 |
|
Kilkenny |
7,557,569 |
0 |
|
Laois |
1,162,454 |
2,398,644 |
|
Leitrim |
465,252 |
1,864,624 |
|
Limerick City & County |
29,645,524 |
455,235 |
|
Longford |
4,386,035 |
191,000 |
|
Louth |
9,144,769 |
8,057,029 |
|
Mayo |
10,019,224 |
1,005,318 |
|
Meath |
21,957,691 |
3,728,088 |
|
Monaghan |
923,951 |
2,930,895 |
|
Offaly |
2,822,050 |
715,563 |
|
Roscommon |
11,890,138 |
853,057 |
|
Sligo |
405,333 |
1,088,239 |
|
South Dublin |
5,279,763 |
12,445,038 |
|
Tipperary |
3,150,383 |
4,336,748 |
|
Waterford City & County |
1,147,179 |
1,208,424 |
|
Westmeath |
3,264,575 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
12,931,180 |
5,985,090 |
|
Wicklow |
8,411,476 |
2,018,267 |
|
Total |
283,225,246 |
192,277,171 |
*Current Development Levy Debtors - Source audited local authority Annual Financial Statements 2014 Note 5.
**Long Term Development Levy Debtors - Source audited local authority Annual Financial Statements 2014 Note 3.
Development Levy Debtors as at 31 December 2011
|
County Council |
Current Development Levy Debtors € * |
Long Term Development Levy Debtors € ** |
|
Carlow |
1,615,331 |
11,624,274 |
|
Cavan |
1,765,836 |
3,721,879 |
|
Clare |
7,837,202 |
0 |
|
Cork |
7,340,102 |
39,754,807 |
|
Donegal |
835,666 |
3,941,841 |
|
Fingal |
115,144,987 |
642,274 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
45,513,232 |
61,724,154 |
|
Galway |
1,582,895 |
15,500,000 |
|
Kerry |
1,414,918 |
367,120 |
|
Kildare |
4,846,046 |
36,826,424 |
|
Kilkenny |
4,828,476 |
0 |
|
Laois |
826,046 |
2,722,434 |
|
Leitrim |
1,638,305 |
1,427,632 |
|
Limerick |
37,921,656 |
35,382 |
|
Longford |
2,063,647 |
1,655,000 |
|
Louth |
3,491,644 |
2,743,565 |
|
Mayo |
10,759,094 |
532,933 |
|
Meath |
13,249,426 |
7,841,241 |
|
Monaghan |
446,778 |
5,120,524 |
|
North Tipperary |
1,494,729 |
632,584 |
|
Offaly |
3,162,351 |
186,937 |
|
Roscommon |
14,666,283 |
776,010 |
|
Sligo |
209,425 |
803,736 |
|
South Dublin |
30,664,521 |
0 |
|
South Tipperary |
1,112,729 |
1,590,005 |
|
Waterford |
2,420,817 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
3,447,033 |
69,002 |
|
Wexford |
11,149,819 |
12,067,022 |
|
Wicklow |
4,382,246 |
0 |
|
City Council |
- |
- |
|
Cork |
9,226,919 |
704,359 |
|
Dublin |
38,470,033 |
48,456,370 |
|
Galway |
4,213,201 |
6,231,100 |
|
Limerick |
1,082,733 |
1,169,082 |
|
Waterford |
1,202,889 |
0 |
|
Town & Borough Council |
- |
- |
|
Clonmel |
176,517 |
295,032 |
|
Drogheda |
4,103,062 |
276,043 |
|
Kilkenny |
2,075,776 |
0 |
|
Sligo |
154,530 |
586,249 |
|
Wexford |
2,614,625 |
0 |
|
Arklow |
836,467 |
1,235,723 |
|
Athlone |
3,354,606 |
0 |
|
Athy |
63,849 |
323,371 |
|
Ballina |
431,106 |
0 |
|
Ballinasloe |
717,417 |
1,109,790 |
|
Birr |
278,708 |
0 |
|
Bray |
1,062,104 |
150,019 |
|
Buncrana |
203,245 |
0 |
|
Bundoran |
155,757 |
0 |
|
Carlow |
1,820,456 |
2,575,381 |
|
Carrick on Suir |
162,483 |
766,628 |
|
Carrickmacross |
11,351 |
57,234 |
|
Cashel |
116,212 |
96,835 |
|
Castlebar |
861,450 |
0 |
|
Castleblayney |
357,221 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
150,000 |
238,307 |
|
Clonakilty |
685,982 |
91,977 |
|
Clones |
44,625 |
0 |
|
Cobh |
160,115 |
0 |
|
Dundalk |
1,159,720 |
7,455,897 |
|
Dungarvan |
241,785 |
0 |
|
Ennis |
1,221,345 |
0 |
|
Enniscorthy |
176,245 |
238,309 |
|
Fermoy |
373,702 |
0 |
|
Kells |
118,396 |
0 |
|
Killarney |
220,515 |
139,540 |
|
Kilrush |
4,719 |
0 |
|
Kinsale |
296,178 |
0 |
|
Letterkenny |
720,219 |
0 |
|
Listowel |
180,816 |
0 |
|
Longford |
2,224,181 |
1,007,000 |
|
Macroom |
33,174 |
519,552 |
|
Mallow |
420,820 |
123,826 |
|
Midleton |
279,907 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
997,561 |
131,160 |
|
Naas |
131,503 |
1,305,525 |
|
Navan |
559,286 |
0 |
|
Nenagh |
710,245 |
0 |
|
New Ross |
526,726 |
238,815 |
|
Skibbereen |
186,579 |
0 |
|
Templemore |
0 |
0 |
|
Thurles |
843,581 |
191,744 |
|
Tipperary |
12,902 |
434,847 |
|
Tralee |
613,476 |
0 |
|
Trim |
292,633 |
0 |
|
Tullamore |
129,613 |
5,888 |
|
Westport |
613,129 |
0 |
|
Wicklow |
970,678 |
0 |
|
Youghal |
348,713 |
0 |
|
Total |
425,233,025 |
288,462,383 |
*Current Development Levy Debtors - Source audited local authority Annual Financial Statements 2011 Note 5.
**Long Term Development Levy Debtors - Source audited local authority Annual Financial Statements 2011 Note 3.
Development Levy Debtors as at 31 December 2007
|
County Council |
Current Development Levy Debtors € * |
|
Carlow |
8,190,849 |
|
Cavan |
0 |
|
Clare |
583,028 |
|
Cork |
27,794,015 |
|
Donegal |
9,815,799 |
|
Fingal |
120,780,747 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
31,367,849 |
|
Galway |
7,500,000 |
|
Kerry |
1,045,842 |
|
Kildare |
10,329,169 |
|
Kilkenny |
0 |
|
Laois |
19,556,571 |
|
Leitrim |
2,738,225 |
|
Limerick |
0 |
|
Longford |
7,303,068 |
|
Louth |
10,047,232 |
|
Mayo |
12,504,248 |
|
Meath |
38,577,805 |
|
Monaghan |
2,806,552 |
|
North Tipperary |
3,099,042 |
|
Offaly |
3,404,846 |
|
Roscommon |
17,324,703 |
|
Sligo |
2,207,395 |
|
South Dublin |
14,311,948 |
|
South Tipperary |
0 |
|
Waterford |
4,684,445 |
|
Westmeath |
6,104,267 |
|
Wexford |
22,600,860 |
|
Wicklow |
2,472,942 |
|
City Council |
- |
|
Cork |
17,303,858 |
|
Dublin |
67,290,965 |
|
Galway |
9,319,433 |
|
Limerick |
3,230,723 |
|
Waterford |
4,990,213 |
|
Town & Borough Council |
- |
|
Clonmel |
0 |
|
Drogheda |
4,976,381 |
|
Kilkenny |
0 |
|
Sligo |
1,225,024 |
|
Wexford |
3,335,491 |
|
Arklow |
0 |
|
Athlone |
5,116,694 |
|
Athy |
118,764 |
|
Ballina |
540,312 |
|
Ballinasloe |
2,085,436 |
|
Birr |
634,242 |
|
Bray |
380,143 |
|
Buncrana |
151,619 |
|
Bundoran |
87,052 |
|
Carlow |
4,268,163 |
|
Carrick on Suir |
0 |
|
Carrickmacross |
108,171 |
|
Cashel |
0 |
|
Castlebar |
1,404,623 |
|
Castleblayney |
320,913 |
|
Cavan |
137,505 |
|
Clonakilty |
302,588 |
|
Clones |
6,985 |
|
Cobh |
109,944 |
|
Dundalk |
12,147,306 |
|
Dungarvan |
778,883 |
|
Ennis |
941,225 |
|
Enniscorthy |
255,846 |
|
Fermoy |
119,610 |
|
Kells |
198,279 |
|
Killarney |
521,024 |
|
Kilrush |
0 |
|
Kinsale |
356,759 |
|
Letterkenny |
1,361,168 |
|
Listowel |
16,021 |
|
Longford |
6,658,081 |
|
Macroom |
354,905 |
|
Mallow |
582,934 |
|
Midleton |
416,364 |
|
Monaghan |
1,434,417 |
|
Naas |
1,057,877 |
|
Navan |
1,850,984 |
|
Nenagh |
0 |
|
New Ross |
1,014,371 |
|
Skibbereen |
516,371 |
|
Templemore |
0 |
|
Thurles |
0 |
|
Tipperary |
0 |
|
Tralee |
1,115,298 |
|
Trim |
179,245 |
|
Tullamore |
116,331 |
|
Westport |
668,961 |
|
Wicklow |
147,308 |
|
Youghal |
214,409 |
|
Total |
547,620,664 |
*Current Development Levy Debtors - Source audited local authority Annual Financial Statements 2007 Note 5.
Long Term Development Levy Debtors not separately disclosed in Annual Financial Statements for 2007.
448. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the findings of any comparative analysis carried out by his Department, into the levels of fly-tipping and illegal dumping, reported by local authorities since the start of the economic downturn in 2008. [8396/16]
View answerEnforcement action against illegal waste activity is a matter for the local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Enforcement. My Department provides the legislative framework under which both local authority and EPA enforcement action is initiated and also continues to provide significant financial support to a network of local authority waste enforcement officers, as well as to the Office of Environmental Enforcement.
I would draw the Deputy’s attention to a range of reports and data on waste enforcement that is publicly accessible. For example, the Local Government Management Agency’s (LGMA) series of annual reports on Service Indicators in Local Authorities provide data on a range of services including environmental complaints and enforcement and are available from the publications section of the LGMA’s website: www.lgma.ie.
For an overview of the national picture, the publications and downloads section of the EPA’s website: www.epa.ie contains the latest data in the form of Waste Factsheets and the National Waste Reports. In particular, the EPA published a report in 2014, entitled Focus on Environmental Enforcement in Ireland 2009 – 2012, which sets out the details of Ireland’s enforcement of environmental law, in the period 2009 to 2012, by local authorities and the EPA, and the role of the enforcement Network for Ireland’s Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (NIECE) in improving the effectiveness of enforcing environmental law. The report noted that almost 15,000 local authority inspections relating to waste facility permitted sites, waste collection permits, and vehicle checkpoints were completed by local authorities between 2009 and 2012. Excluding litter inspections, local authorities conducted in total over 105,000 waste inspections between 2009 and 2012.
449. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of rateable commercial premises registered in Waterford city and county in the years 2008 to 2015, inclusive. [8397/16]
View answerLocal authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation pursuant to the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority.
My Department does not hold any data on the number of rateable properties in individual local authorities.
450. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the options available to a person (details supplied) who has been refused a Housing Adaptation grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8406/16]
View answerOn 5 February 2016, I announced total funding of €56.25 million for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. At local level, the detailed administration and processing of these grants, including the assessment, prioritisation, approval and payment of individual grants to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. I understand that there is an appeals procedure available to those applicants dissatisfied with the decision of the local authority and such appeals are adjudicated upon by the Director of Services of the Housing Section of the local authority or an official designated by the Director for such purpose.
451. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to bring about a reduction in CO2 emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8441/16]
View answerThe extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with our EU and international commitments, is well understood by Government, as reflected in the National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, published in April 2014, and now underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, which was enacted in December 2015. The National Policy Position provides a high-level policy direction for the adoption and implementation by Government of plans to enable the State to move to a low-carbon economy by 2050. Statutory authority for the plans is set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015.
In accordance with Section 4 of the Act, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government must submit a National Mitigation Plan to Government for approval by June 2017. Work is well underway on the development of the National Mitigation Plan, the primary objective of which will be to track implementation of measures already underway and identify additional measures in the longer term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and progress the overall national low carbon transition agenda to 2050. The first iteration of the National Mitigation Plan will place particular focus on putting the necessary measures in place to address the challenge to 2020 but also in terms of planning ahead to ensure that appropriate policies and measures will be in place beyond that. In this context, key sectors in the low carbon transition process (electricity, transport, built environment and agriculture) are currently developing sectoral mitigation measures in tandem with Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) processes during which measures will be further developed and prioritised.
Development of the National Mitigation Plan is being guided by a long-term vision of low carbon transition, as set out in the National Policy Position, based on;
- an aggregate reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of at least 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050 across the electricity generation, built environment and transport sectors; and
- in parallel, an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production.
The ultimate objective of successive National Mitigation Plans is to incrementally achieve this vision by 2050. In that context, the National Mitigation Plan now being developed will have regard to Ireland’s obligations under the current 2009 Effort Sharing Decision and any likely future EU and international obligations that may arise, including new targets to be agreed under the 2030 climate and energy package.
It is expected that a draft National Mitigation Plan will be made available for public consultation during 2016.
452. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when Leader funding will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8467/16]
View answerI expect the first LEADER contracts to issue to local action groups this week. The remainder will issue on a rolling basis in the coming weeks as LEADER strategies are evaluated and selected by the Independent Selection Committee. Funding will commence under the programme as contracts are signed with the respective local action groups.
At this stage, 32 strategies have been received from the 28 designated LEADER areas, of which 21 have been evaluated and 15 have reached the standard necessary to allow discussions on contracts and implementation arrangements to proceed. The remaining 11 strategies will be evaluated by the Selection Committee in two tranches in April and May, while work will also continue in the coming weeks with the six local action groups whose strategies have not reached the required standard to date.
453. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons in rent arrears, per local authority, divided up by number of weeks in rent arrears, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8470/16]
View answer455. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the local authority social housing rent arrears per local authority, detailing the length of time and amounts of these arrears, for example, four to six weeks, seven to 12 weeks, 12 weeks or more, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8472/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 453 and 455 together.
The management of local authority housing, including the collection of rents from tenants, is a matter for individual local authorities. My Department does not hold the detailed data on rent arrears in the format requested. My Department does gather data on the total local authority rent arrears, on a local authority by local authority basis. The most recent data available shows the position as at 31 December 2014 and is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-rented-sector-activity.
The data in respect of 2015 will be available on my Department’s website shortly.
454. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will establish a pilot scheme in the County Louth local authority area to examine the way in which vacant private houses could be usefully brought back as housing stock for families on the social housing lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8471/16]
View answerThrough the Social Housing Strategy 2020 I have put in place the necessary framework, targets and funding to increase the supply of social housing by 110,000 additional units by 2020. The Strategy has been supported by two successive budgets, with €1.7 billion allocated to social housing in 2015 and 2016.
Under the Strategy, local authorities can acquire suitable private housing with funding support from my Department and this is an important component of social housing supply while the construction programme develops increased momentum. In this regard, local authorities acquired over 1,000 units in 2015, 41 of which were acquired by Louth County Council. A full breakdown, by local authority, of social housing units acquired in 2015, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1c1-la-acq-by-area_0.xlsx.
Local authorities may also identify opportunities to acquire and remediate private properties where this can provide appropriate and value-for-money social housing units. Louth County Council has already been given funding approval from my Department for such projects; those announced in January last are at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/housing/social-housing/ministers-kelly-coffey-announce-further-1000-social-housing-units.
In addition, the 2015 National Housing Development Survey and the Annual Progress Report illustrate that good progress is continuing to be made in resolving unfinished developments and the reactivation of sites is now evident throughout the country. The detailed findings of the annual surveys, annual progress reports and other useful publications and information in relation to Unfinished Housing Developments are available on the Housing Agency’s website at: http://www.housing.ie/Our-Services/Unfinished-Housing-Developments.aspx.
Since 2010, an annual national housing survey of unfinished housing developments has been conducted during the summer months to monitor progress. In that period, the number of unfinished housing developments has decreased by approximately three-quarters, from nearly 3,000 in 2010 to 668 in 2015.
As can be seen, local authorities already have the means and support to acquire suitable private properties for social housing use and I am pleased to see, in particular, that Louth County Council is using such opportunities in their delivery of new social housing acquisition and construction projects.
In the broader context of the implementation of the Social Housing Strategy, my Department is open to working with local authorities, approved housing bodies and other stakeholders to develop innovative delivery models that represent good value for money and deliver good quality dwellings. The work streams and Project Board established for the implementation of the Strategy are best placed to examine new and innovative delivery solutions. Local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are represented on these implementation groups.
