Written Answers Nos. 447-456
447. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding allocated to capital projects in Bishopstown, Wilton, Glasheen and Model Farm Road area of Cork, from his Department for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the list of projects allocated funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43034/24]
View answer448. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding allocated to capital projects in the Ballinora area of Cork, from his Department for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the list of projects allocated funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43035/24]
View answer449. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding allocated to capital projects in the Ballinhassig area of Cork, from his Department for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the list of projects allocated funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43036/24]
View answer450. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding allocated to capital projects in Togher/Lehenaghmore area of Cork, from his Department for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the list of projects allocated funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43037/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 447 to 450, inclusive, together.
My Department has a wide and diverse business agenda, covering a broad range of functions, including local authority housing, voluntary housing, homeless services, estate regeneration, energy efficiency retrofitting, housing grants, rural water schemes, urban regeneration, peatlands conservation, national parks and wildlife services, and fire services. In order to achieve its business objectives, my Department provides significant resources to an extensive range of organisations, including local authorities, dedicated agencies, and other bodies; some allocations, depending on the programmes concerned, are made on a national or other non-county basis.
However, as regards contracts for which local authorities are responsible and for which funding is provided from my Department, information on expenditure and multi-annual capital commitments are set out in the Department's Appropriation Accounts (Vote 34) for the relevant years. These are published by the Comptroller and Auditor General and are available at: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/. My Department's 2024 Appropriation Account will be published next year when the audit is completed.
Details in relation to specific projects (which are being advanced primarily by local authorities and Uisce Éireann) under my Department's range of capital programmes as part of Project Ireland 2040: National Development Plan 2021-2030 are set out in the Investments Projects and Programmes Tracker published by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on their website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/f828b-myprojectireland-interactive-map/ .
In addition, MyProjectIreland, a citizen-focused interactive map developed as part of Project Ireland 2040 in partnership with Ordnance Survey Ireland, provides details of projects around the country. This is available to be viewed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/09022006-project-ireland-2040/?referrer=/2040 .
In terms of Social Housing delivery, my Department publishes the Construction Status Report on a quarterly basis, and contains detailed information on the status and scale of the social housing construction programme by local authority. The most recent report is available at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/
With respect to water services projects, the prioritisation and progression of individual projects is a matter for determination by Uisce Éireann. Uisce Éireann has established a team to deal with queries from Oireachtas members on issues arising in relation to its activities. The team may be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number 0818 578 578. Alternatively, Uisce Éireann provides full details of their projects and plans to improve water and wastewater services on their website at the following link: www.water.ie/projects-plans/.
451. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department can provide any additional funding to a conservation grant award to a person (details supplied) as the grant awarded is far too little to defray that cost of the project. [43056/24]
View answerThe Historic Structures Fund (HSF) aims to support owners of heritage buildings in maintaining the fabric of their structures. It is funded by my Department and administered by the Local Authorities in a manner consistent with the terms of the relevant circular, including that works are undertaken within the required timeframe and adhere to the required conservation standards.
Where a project seeks additional funding under the scheme beyond their initial allocation, the matter should be raised with the relevant local authority in the first instance, who will engage with my Department if deemed appropriate. It is my understanding that, to date, no request for additional funding has been made to the relevant local authority in respect of this project. I would note that all funding available under the HSF for 2024 has already been committed.
452. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will address the discrepancies in pay for local authority workers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43057/24]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which they are responsible. Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions.
The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR) has overall responsibility for public pay policy. Public service pay has been governed by a system of collective agreements which have helped to ensure that public pay is managed in a sustainable, affordable and orderly manner. The current pay agreement is the Public Service Agreement 2024 – 2026, under which, the pay adjustments from 1 October 2024, were recently notified to local authorities.
453. 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. [43080/24]
View answerUnder Housing For All, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) working in close collaboration with Housing Authorities, play a large role in delivery across different delivery streams.
One of those streams is the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF).
CALF funding is capital support provided to AHBs by local authorities to facilitate the funding of social housing units. This loan facility can support between 25% and 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project, with the homes provided to local authorities for social housing use under long-term lease arrangements known as Payment and Availability Agreements.
The development referred to 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 eighteen of the homes within the development, and a further five properties have recently completed the nomination process with tenants due to move in shortly. All tenants have been nominated by Carlow County Council from their housing list, in accordance with Carlow Council allocation policy. The remaining five properties are approximately four weeks from completion.
My Department publishes a quarterly Social Housing Construction Projects Status Report, which sets out the continuing progress being made in advancing the national local authority and AHB new-build pipeline. The latest reports, setting out the position at end Q2 2024, can be accessed at the following link:
gov.ie - Overall social and affordable housing provision (www.gov.ie)
454. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties completed in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown in the years 2020 to date in 2024, in tabular form; the breakdown of these properties, if available, for example, house, apartment, for sale, social housing, affordable purchase, cost rental or rental; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43081/24]
View answerData on new dwelling completions are published on a quarterly basis by the CSO on its website at the following link: data.cso.ie/table/NDQ06. The data are disaggregated by local authority and dwelling type i.e. single houses, scheme houses and apartments. A breakdown of the number of these homes likely to be available for sale or rent is not provided.
Separately, my department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on affordable housing delivery activity in each local authority. Data for the period to the end of Q2 2024 can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery
My department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report. The report provides details of social housing developments, and their location, that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The Quarter 2 2024 report is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/
455. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes under construction currently in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, in tabular form; the number of planning permissions currently granted for the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43082/24]
View answerMy department does not collect data on the overall number of homes under construction at any one time.
That said, combined quarterly data on new residential planning permissions and construction activity are captured by the four Dublin local authorities in the '4Dublin Housing Supply Pipeline Monitor'. While the monitor doesn't capture the full extent of planning and construction activity across the four authorities - as it is limited to developments of ten or more units and excludes local authority own developments, social housing units and student accommodation - it gives a good indication of activity in the four areas. This data is published on a quarterly basis by my department at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/ca75e-planning-initiatives/.
Separately, my department publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report. The report provides details of social housing developments, and their location, that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The Quarter 2 2024 report is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/.
456. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the total number of full-time equivalent staff funded by his Department working in each local authority planning department and in An Bord Pleanála, in tabular form. [43102/24]
View answerMy Department is currently working on a number of measures to increase staffing levels in the local government planning sector. In this regard, my Department is working in conjunction with the Local Government Management Agency on a programme of support to provide planning authorities, on a phased basis, with the requisite level of staffing resources and expertise to perform efficiently and effectively their planning functions.
My Department wrote to planning authorities in October 2023 conveying approval to the filling of an initial 100 posts, subsequently increased to 101 posts, in the local authority planning service under the first tranche of the program. Of these 101 posts, 80 positions have been filled to date, with the remainder expected to be filled by the end of the year (a breakdown of posts filled by local authority is provided in Table 1 below). Engagement is ongoing with the local government sector on the scope of further tranches, with sanction having recently been sought and expected for a further 112 planning posts for the sector.
It should be noted, that under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible. It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities, including taking account of payroll costs in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
With regards to An Bord Pleanála (the Board), which 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, since October 2021, my Department has agreed to 117 new staffing posts. These are to provide for the efficient processing of cases before the Board. It is intended that when all the approved posts are filled, 313 people will be employed by the Board. There are currently 286 staff members, including Board Members, working in An Bord Pleanála (as provided in Table 2 below).
In addition, in recognition of the demands on the planning system Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Alan Dillon TD and I recently published a Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources. This Action Plan provides a detailed roadmap to increase the pool of planning and related expertise needed to ensure a planning system fit for future needs. It sets out 14 high-level actions that provide a coordinated pathway to ensure a sustainable pipeline of planning and related expertise into the future, addressing the areas of education, recruitment and retention, as well as measures to encourage greater innovation and efficiency. I secured funding in Budget 2025 to support delivery of the Action Plan and working groups will be formed in the coming weeks to progress grouped actions of the plan on a priority basis. A copy of the Action can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: [www.gov.ie/en/publication/51194-ministerial-action-plan-on-planning-resources-october-2024/]
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Table 1: Breakdown of Additional Posts in Local Authority Planning Sections by Local Authority |
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|
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Local Authority: |
Count: |
|
|
Carlow County Council |
2 |
|
|
Cavan County Council |
1 |
|
|
Clare County Council |
3 |
|
|
Cork City Council |
3 |
|
|
Cork County Council |
3 |
|
|
Donegal County Council |
3 |
|
|
Dublin City Council |
3 |
|
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council |
4 |
|
|
Fingal County Council |
5 |
|
|
Galway City Council |
2 |
|
|
Galway County Council |
3 |
|
|
Kerry County Council |
3 |
|
|
Kildare County Council |
2 |
|
|
Kilkenny County Council |
3 |
|
|
Leitrim County Council |
2 |
|
|
Limerick City and County Council |
5 |
|
|
Longford County Council |
1 |
|
|
Louth County Council |
3 |
|
|
Mayo County Council |
3 |
|
|
Meath County Council |
4 |
|
|
Monaghan County Council |
2 |
|
|
Roscommon County Council |
2 |
|
|
Sligo County Council |
2 |
|
|
South Dublin County Council |
5 |
|
|
Tipperary County Council |
3 |
|
|
Waterford City and County Council |
2 |
|
|
Westmeath County Council |
1 |
|
|
Wexford County Council |
3 |
|
|
Wicklow County Council |
2 |
|
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Grand Total: |
80 |
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Table 2: Total Staff (Including Board Members) Working in An Bord Pleanála |
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|
Total |
286 |
