Written Answers Nos. 383-402
383. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide, in tabular form, a detailed update on the completion of social and affordable housing units in the east Cork area, including unit size, cost, rent levels if not on set council rates, or unit-cost for the purchaser in the case of to-buy schemes for the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024. [24785/24]
View answer384. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on planned new social and affordable housing units for east Cork over the next five years, including expected unit size, cost, completion deadline and any additional details. [24786/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 383 and 384 together.
Following the adoption of the Housing for All Plan, each local authority was required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan setting out details of its planned social and affordable housing delivery programme over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set and need identified.
The Plans include details of the locations and delivery streams for social housing schemes along with known plans for affordable delivery by the local authority (in line with the specific target allocated), the Land Development Agency and Approved Housing Bodies. Cork County Council’s Plan is available at this link: www.corkcoco.ie/en/resident/housing/housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency in each local authority area. This data is available to the end of 2023 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/. Data for Quarter 1 2024 is currently being collated and will be published shortly.
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). 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. This includes details of which local authority or AHB delivered or is delivering the development. The most recent publication was for Quarter 4 2023. The Quarter 1 2024 CSR will be published in tandem with the Quarter 1 statistics. All Construction Status Reports are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/.
A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis by local authority, funding stream etc. at this link: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q4-2023.
Question No. 384 answered with Question No. 383.
385. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will expand the powers of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in respect of investigating failures by Uisce Éireann to provide an adequate service. [24791/24]
View answer386. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the adequacy of powers of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in respect of service provision by Uisce Éireann, particularly in respect of the prohibition on investigation until such a time as Uisce Éireann has completed the complaint process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24792/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 386 together.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) as the economic regulator of Uisce Éireann also has a role to protect customers by setting quality of service standards and ensuring customers are treated fairly.
The CRU approves the Uisce Éireann Codes of Practice through its publication of the Domestic and Non-Domestic Customer Handbooks. The standards set in the Handbooks must be met by Uisce Éireann’s. If CRU has reason to suspect that Uisce Éireann has failed to adhere to its Codes of Practice, it may initiate an investigation. Where the CRU finds such a failure to have occurred, it can direct Uisce Éireann to comply.
The CRU has wide-ranging “customer dispute resolution” powers as provided for under section 8 of the Water Services Act 2014. Where a customer completes the Uisce Éireann complaints process and is not satisfied with the outcome, the complaint can then be escalated to CRU who may commence an investigation of the complaint.
The legislation provides that Uisce Éireann “shall comply with all reasonable requests for information by the Commission in carrying out an investigation into a complaint”. The legislation also provides that “Uisce Éireann shall comply with any requirement made of it in a determination”. These legislative provisions are consistent with the equivalent legislation in relation to energy disputes.
I am satisfied that the CRU have the relevant statutory powers to allow them to carry out their role in protecting Uisce Éireann customers.
387. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the need for a compensation scheme for businesses forced to close on a continued basis due to water outages. [24795/24]
View answerUisce Éireann is focused on providing water that is fit for human consumption, with the objective of providing this service uniformly to its customers across the country. Uisce Éireann has a strong customer service focus through their Customer Charter, which outlines the standard of service customers should expect to receive.
The Water Charges Plan outlines the manner and method by which Uisce Éireann charges its non-domestic customers. The Water Charges Plan is approved by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) following a public consultation process and sets out a compensation mechanism when water quality is compromised and unfit for human consumption such as when Boil Water and Drinking Water Restriction Notices apply. Business customers who pay charges are entitled to a rebate as agreed with the CRU.
I do not have a role in the development and implementation of the Water Charges plan. These are matters for Uisce Éireann. Any issues, which cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann to the satisfaction of the customer can be referred, under a free complaints resolution service, to the CRU.
388. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what financial assistance, if any, is available to assist with the cost of works on a house due to rising damp in the home of an individual who is registered blind, living alone, in full-time employment and owns their own home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24797/24]
View answerMy Department does not have any grant available specific to the remediation of rising damp in private homes.
My Department provides funding to local authorities in respect of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist eligible people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (max grant €30,000), the Mobility Aids Grant (max grant €6,000) and the Housing Aid for Older People (max grant €8,000). A means test applies to each grant scheme.
The Housing Aid for Older People scheme provides grants of up to €8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out. Grant qualifying works comprise essential works which make a property habitable including structural repairs or improvements, upgrade to electrical wiring, repair or replacement of windows and doors, provision of heating (where there is no central heating or it is broken beyond repair), etc. The detailed administration of the schemes is the responsibility of the local authorities, therefore the qualifying works is a matter for consideration and decision on a case-by-case basis by the local authority within the scope of the grant scheme.
Further details on these schemes are available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/.
Grants are also available to improve the energy efficiency of a property. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administer these grants and further details are available on the SEAI website at the following link: www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/.
389. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason local authorities are now seeking P21s for pensioners in relation to housing adaption and housing aid grants (details supplied); and his views on whether this is waste of resources across various Departments and that local authorities need to be instructed to cease seeking this information. [24801/24]
View answerMy Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, which are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. The detailed administration of these schemes, including assessment, approval and prioritisation, is the responsibility of local authorities.
The schemes are means tested and operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. Evidence of household income must be submitted to local authorities with all applications under the scheme. This documentation is not shared with my Department.
Income from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) is usually included on a Statement of Liability or Income Tax Assessment. While some applicants only source of income may be from DEASP, guidance issued by my Department to local authorities recommends that a statement from DEASP stating weekly/annual payments will be sufficient.
390. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to consider extending the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board to cover all tenants under the rent-a-room scheme; to detail any work undertaken by his Department on this issue to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24810/24]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (the RTA) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The RTA apply to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. The dwellings to which the Act does not apply are set out in section 3(2) of the RTA, and include for example, a dwelling within which the landlord also resides.
The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the RTA to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.
Where a dwelling is occupied by a person under an arrangement or agreement which is not a tenancy covered by the RTA, for example, where a bona fide licensing arrangement exists, the RTB does not have any jurisdiction or function. It is a private contractual matter between the parties as to type of agreement/arrangement to put in place. If a dispute arises as to whether a purported license is in fact a tenancy, the RTB can determine on the matter and if it is a tenancy, the RTA applies.
Traditionally, rent-a-room arrangements are entered by students residing in ‘digs’ or family homes where goodwill exists to ensure that both students and home owners are happy with the arrangement. It is possible for rent-a-room arrangements to be formalised by way of a licence agreement between the parties to a rent-a-room arrangement, including in respect of student digs, but this is a matter of choice for the parties themselves to agree on.
I do not consider that there is a need for a legal regulatory framework in this area. Digs accommodation and licence arrangements, generally, are an integral housing solution for students and other renters as well as an important source of revenue and, in some circumstances, social interaction for homeowners. Any attempt at regulating ‘digs’ or licence arrangements is highly likely to impact negatively on the supply of this traditional and important source of accommodation for students and others.
Section 37 of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019, as amended, extended the application of the RTA to cover licence arrangements in student specific accommodation, where the rented property is not occupied by the owner. I have no plans at this time for the RTA to cover other licence arrangements but I will keep the matter under review.
391. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when a development (details supplied) will be given to a local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24812/24]
View answerSli na Ri, Bagenalstown is a P&A-CALF funded project consisting of 23 homes which is being delivered by Cooperative Housing Ireland in collaboration with Carlow County Council.
To date Carlow Council has fully allocated tenants to ten of the homes within the development, a further eight properties have recently completed the nomination process with tenants due to move in shortly. All Tenants were nominated by Carlow County Council from their housing list in accordance with Carlow Council allocation policy. The remaining five properties are approximately 6 weeks from completion.
My Department publishes a quarterly Social Housing Construction Status Report which provides the details of the new build social homes across various schemes. This report is published on my Department's website:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/.
392. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of residences that the NPWS currently owns; and the number of those residences that are currently occupied, unoccupied and uninhabitable, in tabular form. [24890/24]
View answerI can confirm that my Department owns 46 residential properties, all of which are controlled by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), in connection with their functions in the management of our National Parks and Nature Reserves.
|
- |
Occupied |
Unoccupied/Uninhabitable/Heritage ruins |
|
Residential Properties |
39 |
7 |
393. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is an official pause on the cost-rental tenant-in-situ scheme; if such a pause exists, how long it is intended to last for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24924/24]
View answerThe Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2023 for tenants in private rental homes who do not qualify for social housing supports and are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination due to an intention to sell the property. The primary tenant eligibility condition for accessing Cost Rental housing also applies for eligibility for the CRTiS scheme, which is a maximum net annual household income (less income tax, PRSI, USC and superannuation contributions) of €66,000 for Dublin and €59,000 in the rest of Ireland.
The Local Authority conducts the initial assessment for eligibility of the tenant for this scheme and refers potential cases to the Housing Agency, which is responsible for administering and managing the scheme on behalf of my Department on a temporary administrative basis, pending further policy development over the longer term, with the intention of transitioning these homes to the standard Cost Rental model over time and moving it to being an Approved Housing Body led scheme. My Department is currently completing the relevant policy work to ensure that the transition to the standard Cost Rental model has the required legal and financial framework in place and it is intended to bring forward necessary amendments to the Affordable Housing Act 2021 in due course to enable that transition.
In tandem with this work, the Housing Agency continues to accept and review referrals from Local Authorities for the CRTiS scheme and I am informed that the Housing Agency are engaging with more than 140 landlords across all Local Authority areas, with a view to the purchase of those homes.
Data for affordable housing delivery is published on a quarterly basis, similar to social housing delivery. This data is published up to Quarter 4 2023, including CRTiS figures, and is available on my Department's website: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
394. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason some local authorities clarify what position applicants for social housing are on the housing list; the reason some do not provide that information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24932/24]
View answerThe oversight and management of the lists of qualified households awaiting accommodation, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant housing authority in accordance with Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
While there is no obligation on local authorities to inform those seeking local authority accommodation of their position on any waiting list, I understand that many local authorities do routinely provide such information, on request. This is entirely a matter for the local authority concerned.
396. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will resource the Private Residential Tenancies Board to take a proactive role in investigating improper conducts by landlords, rather than placing the onus on tenants to highlight this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24956/24]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as quasi-judicial, independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA ) to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. Tenants and registered landlords may refer a matter for dispute resolution under Part 6 of the RTA, where the RTB may award up to €20,000 in damages.
Since 1 July 2019, the RTB is empowered under Part 7A – Complaints, Investigations and Sanctions – of the Residential Tenancies Acts to investigate improper conduct by landlords and to impose sanctions, where appropriate. The RTB has the power to impose sanctions if improper conduct by a landlord is found to have occurred, ranging from a formal written caution and/or a fine of up to €15,000 and/or costs up to €15,000.
Following recommendations in the RTB Workforce Plan , and engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the RTB received sanction for significant additional staff over the past five years. My Department continues to work with the RTB to ensure that it is sufficiently resourced to deliver on its mandate.
The operation of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022, the residential rental market and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) are kept under constant review by my Department to ensure that they are fit for purpose.
397. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will amend the waiver scheme for developments where the planning is for retention and completion and where utility connection charges apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24983/24]
View answerOn 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges.
The schemes applied for 1 year initially to all permitted residential development that commenced on site between 25 April 2023 and 24 April 2024, and is completed not later than 31 December 2025.
On 23 April 2024, the Government approved an extension for the waiving of the development contributions in respect of residential development commenced not later than 31 December 2024 and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges in respect of residential development commenced not later than 30 September 2024. The date for the completion of development works on qualifying houses under the schemes was extended from 31 December 2025 to 31 December 2026.
My Department’s Circular Letter PL 02/2024 refers. The Department’s earlier Circular Letter PL 08/2023 and the associated supplementary Guidance Note on the detailed operational arrangements in relation to the waiver and refund schemes still apply, and are available at the following link - www.gov.ie/en/circular/9b113-circular-pl-082023-temporary-time-limited-waiver-in-respect-of-development-contributions-operational-guidance-for-local-authorities/.
The principal parameters of the scheme remain as notified by way of this Circular and associated guidance document. It is not proposed to extend the terms of the scheme beyond those as approved by the Government in its decision of 25 April 2023.
398. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the hoarding around the canal will be removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25001/24]
View answerWaterways Ireland is a North/South Implementation Body established under the British Irish Agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by my Department and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.
The information requested is not held in my Department.
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 Waterways Ireland is ceoffice@waterwaysireland.org.
399. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Uisce Éireann’s delivery programme has been truncated because of inflation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25010/24]
View answer400. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is going to increase Uisce Éireann’s budget to account for inflation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25012/24]
View answer401. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, in light of water quality reports and need for sewage treatment plants upgrade and new builds due to extra housing, he will increase the budget that is required for these works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25014/24]
View answer402. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if future infrastructural projects that are required to accommodate the housing that is required are properly funded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25015/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 399 to 402, inclusive, together.
The Programme for Government is committed to funding Uisce Éireann’s capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. There will be record levels of investment in water services by Uisce Éireann in the period 2021-2025, with commitments of almost €6 billion in capital investment of which over €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding for domestic water services.
This commitment is reflected in Budget 2024, with almost €1 billion of capital funding available to Uisce Éireann.
This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine area.
Uisce Éireann are currently revising its Strategic Funding Plan (SFP) for 2025-2029. This is being undertaken in the context of the recent NDP review, which sets out the competing demands for capital expenditure across various sectors and highlights the risks posed by capital expenditure plans exceeding the capacity of our economy to deliver projects in a supply constrained and full employment economic environment.
The SFP will set out a defined set of priorities to deliver improvements to water and wastewater services throughout Ireland for the next five years. It will specify the measures Uisce Éireann proposes to take to meet the policy objectives of the Water Services Policy Statement, incorporating its estimated funding requirements for capital investment.
