Written Answers Nos. 449-468
449. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the projected funding provided for the family income supplement scheme in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33520/17]
View answerThe Family Income Supplement (FIS) is an in-work support, which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. FIS is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. There are currently almost 57,000 families with more than 126,000 children in receipt of FIS. The Revised Estimates for Public Services 2017 provides for expenditure of €422.5 million on the Department's Family Income Supplement scheme in 2017.
There has been a steady growth both in the number of families supported by FIS over recent years and in associated expenditure, with numbers in receipt of FIS rising from around 32,000 families with more than 73,000 children in 2012 to almost 57,000 families and over 125,000 children by the end of 2016.
Expenditure on FIS has more than doubled from €224 million in 2012 to an estimate of more than €422 million for this year.
A number of factors have led to the increase in take-up including a substantial increase in the numbers in employment, demographic factors and increases in the FIS thresholds in 2016.
The Department’s information strategy has promoted the benefits of FIS and increased overall awareness of the scheme. This includes the use of the Department’s Better Off in Work ready reckon as an effective means of promoting in work supports such as FIS.
Some of the increase in FIS numbers is also due to transfers from the One-Parent Family Payment arising from the reduction of the age threshold of the youngest child to 7 years, which occurred over the past four years.
Finally substantial improvements in customer service and processing times for FIS customers have also significantly contributed to the increased numbers of FIS recipients.
All the evidence shows that families are better off in work and FIS helps them to continue in work and build towards financial independence.
450. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for carer's allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33546/17]
View answerAn application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 28 March 2017.
The application was awarded to the person concerned on 29 June 2017 and the first payment issued to their bank account on 29 June 2017. The person concerned had previously been in receipt of carer’s benefit until 28 June 2017.
The person concerned was notified on 9 June 2017 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
451. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for carer's allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33548/17]
View answerI confirm that my Department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 12 April 2017.
The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) on 23 June 2017 to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. Once the SWI has reported, a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
452. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 481 of 21 March 2017, the rates of all weekly payments; the resulting rates if they were to be increased in line with the harmonised index of consumer prices for 2018; and the estimated cost of this increase per scheme identifying the full and partial year effect if relevant, in tabular form. [33549/17]
View answerThe information that the Deputy is looking for is detailed in the following table. The costs are based on the 1.8% Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices rate for 2018, forecast in the Department of Finance’s 2017 Budget Day publication.
|
Scheme |
Total Full Year Cost - €m |
Rate of Payment 2017 |
Proposed Rate of Payment 2018 |
|
Social Insurance Schemes |
|
|
|
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
€ 85.74 |
€238.30 |
€242.50 |
|
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension - Under 66 |
€ 5.45 |
€198.50 |
€202.10 |
|
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension - 66 and Over |
€ 17.74 |
€238.30 |
€242.50 |
|
Deserted Wife's Benefit - Under 66 |
€ 0.75 |
€198.50 |
€202.10 |
|
Deserted Wife's Benefit - 66 and Over |
€ 0.47 |
€238.30 |
€242.50 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
€ 11.46 |
€198.50 |
€202.10 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
€ 0.17 |
€176.00 |
€179.20 |
|
Death Benefit Pension - Under 66 |
€ 0.08 |
€223.50 |
€227.50 |
|
Death Benefit Pension – 66 and Over |
€ 0.07 |
€242.70 |
€247.00 |
|
Disablement Pension |
€ 0.99 |
€224.00 |
€228.00 |
|
Illness Benefit |
€ 9.86 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Injury Benefit |
€ 0.28 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
€ 5.74 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Carer's Benefit |
€ 0.62 |
€210.00 |
€213.80 |
|
Health and Safety Benefit |
€ 0.01 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit |
€ 4.71 |
€235.00 |
€239.20 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
€ 0.15 |
€235.00 |
€239.20 |
|
Social Assistance Schemes |
|
|
|
|
State Pension (Non Con) |
€ 20.04 |
€227.00 |
€231.00 |
|
Blind Person's Pension |
€ 0.23 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Widow/ers or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Con) |
€ 0.25 |
€198.50 |
€202.10 |
|
Deserted Wife's Allowance |
€ 0.02 |
€198.50 |
€202.10 |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
€ 7.07 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Carer's Allowance - Under 66 |
€ 8.09 |
€209.00 |
€212.80 |
|
Carer's Allowance – 66 and Over |
€ 0.54 |
€247.00 |
€251.40 |
|
Half Rate Carer's Allowance - Under 66 |
€ 2.22 |
€104.50 |
€106.40 |
|
Half Rate Carer's Allowance – 66 and Over |
€ 1.30 |
€123.50 |
€125.70 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) |
€ 0.08 |
€176.00 |
€179.20 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance – 26 and Over |
€ 35.18 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance – Under 25 |
€ 2.01 |
€102.70 |
€104.50 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance – Aged 25 |
€ 0.51 |
€147.80 |
€150.40 |
|
Pre-Retirement Allowance |
€ 0.01 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Disability Allowance |
€ 25.47 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Farm Assist |
€ 1.68 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA) |
€ 3.29 |
€193.00 |
€196.40 |
|
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.) |
€ 7.72 |
€215.50 |
€219.30 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
€ 3.14 |
€191.00 |
€194.40 |
|
TOTAL |
€ 263.16 |
|
|
The costings listed above include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant. It should also be noted that these costings are subject to change over the coming months in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2018.
455. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of each €1 increase to the age reduced back to education weekly rate in 2018; and the full year effect. [33552/17]
View answerThe Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme is one of a range of activation supports and policies administered by my Department. The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their qualifications and, therefore, improve their prospects of returning to sustainable employment. The objective of the scheme is to raise the educational and skill levels to enable jobseekers better access to the emerging needs of the labour market.
The number of new participants under 25 years of age who were supported under the BTEA at the end of the 2016/17 academic year was 2,948. From September 1st 2017, all students participating on BTEA will be paid at the maximum weekly rate applicable to their underlying scheme of entitlement. The removal of the age-related rate of €160 per week for these students would cost €3.8m for a full academic year. The full cost will be known once all of the applications for the upcoming 2017/18 academic year are received and approved.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
456. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal for a disability allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33556/17]
View answerFollowing a successful appeal, the person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 25 January 2017. The first payment will be made by her chosen payment method on 9 August 2017.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments or in respect of outstanding overpayments (if applicable).
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
457. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a domiciliary care allowance by a person (detail supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33558/17]
View answerThe Department is currently experiencing delays in the processing of Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) claims. We are extremely sorry for any worry or concern this may cause to parents/guardians of children with additional care needs. At present it is taking 20 weeks on average to finalise an application. Applications are processed in date of receipt order. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the extended time required to process claims.
First, there is a significant increase in the volume of applications being received. The numbers applying for DCA have increased significantly since 2009, when the Department took over administration of the scheme from the HSE. The year on year increase in volumes over recent years has consistently been in the 15-20% range due to an increase in population and more awareness of the scheme. Over 1,000 claims were received in May, along with a further 700 in June; whereas the average would have been 400 per month a few years ago.
Secondly, following a High Court ruling in 2016, there is now a need for the Department’s medical assessors to provide the deciding officer with a more detailed opinion on the child’s eligibility for the scheme and for the deciding officer in turn to provide more detailed reasons for their decision when communicating this to the customer. These factors have resulted in the time taken to finalise applications increasing significantly and as a result the numbers being processed have reduced and the timescale to finalise each application has increased
Corrective actions are being taken, with additional deciding officers assigned to work on the scheme. Once these deciding officers become fully operational, the increase in claim processing capacity should allow for an improvement in processing times.
An application for DCA in respect of this child was received in the Department on the 24th April 2017. The applications current being finalised were received in February 2017. This application will be considered by a Deciding Officer and the decision notified as soon as possible.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
458. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a domiciliary care allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33561/17]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received from this lady on the 1st September 2016. The application was not allowed as it was considered that the child did not meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance. A letter issued on 8th December 2016 outlining the decision.
A request for a review of this decision was received on the 22nd February 2017 and additional information was supplied. The application and all supporting documentation was re-examined by a deciding officer who did not consider a revision of the original decision to be warranted. The child’s medical diagnosis is not disputed, neither is the fact that the child has additional care needs. However, in the view of the deciding officer, the evidence provided does not indicate that the level of additional support required is substantially in excess of that required by other children of the same age without this disability. The lady concerned was notified of the outcome of this review in a letter dated 15th June 2017.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
459. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal for a domiciliary care allowance for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33563/17]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received in respect of this child on the 20th October 2016. This application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 2nd February 2017 outlining the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance and advising of the right to appeal the decision.
An appeal was registered on 2nd March 2017 and additional information on the child’s condition/care needs has since been supplied, with the most recent information received on the 27th June. The application and all the supporting evidence provided to date will be re-examined by a deciding officer and a revised decision will be made if warranted, or alternatively, the case will be referred for consideration by the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
The person concerned will be notified of the outcome of the deciding officer’s review as soon as it is completed. Currently, such reviews are taking approximately 18 weeks to complete.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
460. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on a media report by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33173/17]
View answerThis Government recognises the housing access and affordability pressures faced by many households, particularly in certain parts of the country. It is for this reason that the overarching objective of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is to increase the supply of new homes to 25,000 per annum by 2020 and, in particular, to boost the supply of high quality social and affordable homes, to buy or rent, as quickly as possible, in areas where demand is greatest.
With particular regard to the needs of those on the social housing waiting lists, Rebuilding Ireland set a target of delivering 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisition and leasing over the period to 2021, alongside an accelerated roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme to some 80,000 households.
This activity is being supported through a significantly increased investment programme of €5.35 billion, comprising €4.5 billion in capital funding and €844 million in support of programmes funded from current expenditure. A further €226 million is provided for the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund for investment in key enabling infrastructure to open up lands for early development.
While still at an early stage of implementation, there is already strong evidence that the focus on increasing and accelerating housing supply in Rebuilding Ireland is yielding results. In terms of social housing, in 2016, the housing needs of over 19,000 households were met through a range of social housing programmes, supported by expenditure of over €935 million. A further €1.3 billion has been provided in 2017 to support the accelerated delivery of social housing and the achievement of the 2017 target to meet the housing needs of over 21,000 households.
In terms of housing more broadly, a suite of measures have been put in place to make housing construction viable at more affordable price points, including the €226m Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund; leveraging the value of State-owned lands to deliver a more affordable rental offering in Rent Pressure Zones; streamlined planning systems for housing developments; and other planning reforms to provide flexibility to deliver viable housing schemes and apartment developments in the right locations. In addition, analysis of vacant dwellings data from the Census 2016 provides strong evidence for targeted policies to maximise the number of vacant properties that can be brought back into use, especially in our cities and large towns where demand is greatest.
While we are coming from a low base, all recent key indicators show that the house-building sector is continuing to gather strength and pace. Planning permissions for 17,934 new homes were granted in the twelve-month period to end March 2017, representing a 39% increase year on year. Commencement Notices for 15,579 new homes nationwide were submitted in the twelve-month period to end May 2017, a 42% increase year on year. ESB connections for the twelve-month period to end May 2017 reached 16,340 across the country, showing a 19% increase year on year. Furthermore, the recently published RTB Rent Index shows a significant moderation in the rate of rent increases, with rents virtually flat during the first quarter of 2017.
While this is encouraging, considerable further progress is needed and we will continue to closely monitor trends in that regard. In addition, a focused review of Rebuilding Ireland is now underway, targeted for completion in September. The aim of the review is to build on the significant progress already being made, strengthen the measures in place and identify additional measures to underpin further momentum in the months and years ahead.
461. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the measures taken by his Department to ensure no conflicts of interest arise in the foreshore lease licence application system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33175/17]
View answer462. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the sequence of steps for both the applicant and the competent authority in the statutory process application for a foreshore lease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33176/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 461 and 462 together.
My Department places a high priority on public participation during the assessment of foreshore applications.
At the initial stage in the process, the pre-application stage, the developer initially discusses the project with my Department and is encouraged to engage in pre-application consultations with stakeholders including the local community.
The formal application and supporting document when received from the applicant for a foreshore licence/lease is reviewed for completeness prior to the commencement of the foreshore consultation process. The extent of the consultation undertaken is determined by the size, nature and scale of the project and whether the application is accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In general, non EIS cases are the subject of a 21 day public consultation period whereas the consultation period for EIS cases is two months.
The following steps are undertaken as part of the Prescribed Body consultation process:
- Write to the prescribed bodies inviting observations on the application and supporting documentation;
- Accept receipt of submissions from the prescribed bodies;
- Provide all submissions to the applicant;
- Accept responses from the applicant in relation to the issues raised under the public consultation;
- Facilitate further discussion/correspondence where necessary between the applicant and the prescribed bodies in relation to observations received from the prescribed bodies;
- Publish the submissions (in batches) and the applicant’s responses on my Department’s website.
In terms of public consultation, the following steps are undertaken;
- Announce public consultation through advertisement in a number of publications;
- Receive submissions from public and other interested parties;
- Acknowledge receipt of submissions;
- Provide all submissions to the applicant;
- Receive responses from the applicant in relation to the issues/concerns raised under the public consultation;
- Publish the submissions (in batches) and the applicant’s responses on my Department’s website.
In order to determine whether the proposed works are of a class that would require a mandatory EIS under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, my Department as the competent authority is required to undertake an EIA Screening. Similarly, an Appropriate Assessment (AA) screening is undertaken to determine whether the proposed development requires a Natura Impact Statement (NIS).
All the application documentation including submissions received and environmental screening reports are then considered by the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC), a multi-disciplinary advisory body that provides an assessment and recommendation on the proposal.
In accordance with foreshore legislation, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is the Minister with responsibility for making the decision on this application. A decision will only be made following the careful examination and consideration of the application and supporting documentation and all views/comments received including those of the prescribed bodies and the public.
My Department would expect that the robust foreshore procedures and application process steps outlined above would identify any potential conflict at an early stage in the foreshore consent process and appropriate steps would be taken to address any conflict arising. If there is a particular case in which it is considered a potential conflict of interest has arisen, if the Deputy provides the relevant details, I will be happy to provide further information.
463. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the details of the funding allocation of housing grant aids, including mobility aids housing grant scheme, housing adaptation grant for people with a disability and housing aid for older people, by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33238/17]
View answerOn 29 May 2017, funding of €59.8m million was announced by my Department for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, which is an increase of some 6% on the previous year's allocation. Some 8,000 households benefitted under the Scheme in 2016, and with this additional funding, it is hoped to increase this to 10,000 in 2017.
Details of the allocations for 2017 are available on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/rebuilding-ireland/older-people/minister-coveney-announces-eu598million-improve-homes-older.
464. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the regulation that governs the setting of rents by voluntary housing agencies and the rights tenants of such bodies have in appealing new rents set by such bodies; the guidelines his Department has for the setting of rents by voluntary housing bodies. [33250/17]
View answerThe normal legislative provisions of the Residential Tenancies Acts governing rent setting, rent reviews and notices of changed rents for private rented tenancies, do not apply to Approved Housing Body (AHB) tenancies. Instead, these matters are governed by the tenancy agreements, leases or financing arrangements in place.
Where social housing units are provided by AHBs under Payment and Availability (P&A) arrangements with local authorities, it is a condition of such funding that rents must be determined in accordance with the differential rents scheme of the housing authority in which the house is situated. This mechanism accounts for a significant element of the housing currently being delivered by AHBs.
Where housing is provided by AHBs under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), my Department’s historical guidance states that rents should be at levels which are reasonable having regard to the tenant’s income and the outlay of the AHB on the accommodation, including the ongoing property management costs. AHBs are also required to consult with the local authority in relation to the setting of rents.
It should be noted that provision has been made in the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 for the Residential Tenancies Board to have a dispute resolution role in relation to AHB tenancy rent setting and reviews. In summary, an AHB tenant may refer a dispute to the RTB for resolution as to whether the initial rent set for their tenancy or a rent arising from a rent review is in line with the provisions of tenancy arrangements, leases or financing arrangements in place. This provides an important protection for AHB tenants in situations where a dispute arises in relation to these matters.
Notwithstanding this, it is timely that the overall approach to rents in the AHB sector would be subject to review and my Department will be considering this matter later this year, in consultation with the AHB sector and local authorities, taking account also of work being undertaken in relation to the development of a national framework of differential rents.
465. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for additional resources to fund home extension projects for local authority tenants through the overcrowding extensions; his views on whether this will help alleviate the housing lists and stop the increasing trend in over crowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33251/17]
View answerMy Department provides capital funding to Local Authorities to undertake adaptations and extensions to their existing social housing stock. The scheme supports local authorities to provide extensions needed to address over-crowding and can be hugely beneficial to the families concerned, while also alleviating the need for new social housing units to be provided.
In 2017, my Department is making €12 million available to local authorities to enable them to undertake adaptations and extensions under this scheme and is currently working with each local authority in terms of their funding requirements and local needs under the Scheme.
466. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to set up a building regulations advisory authority to allow broader input from industry experts (details supplied) that wish to have input into the area of planning control; his views on whether this would be beneficial in improving an imperfect system. [33252/17]
View answerI understand the body referred to in the Deputy's question is the Building Regulations Advisory Body (BRAB). Section 14 of the Building Control Act 1990 provides for the establishment, at the Minister's discretion, of a BRAB to advise the Minister on matters relating to building regulations.
The term of office of the last BRAB expired on 1 October 2012. The members of that BRAB were appointed for a term of office of five years from 14 June 2007 to 13 June 2012. A temporary extension to 1 October 2012 was granted to the existing members in light of the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations which were at an advanced stage of development at that time.
In accordance with Appendix IIb of the Government’s Public Service Reform Plan, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in November 2011, the BRAB was listed as one of the forty six “Candidate Bodies for Critical Review by end June 2012”. The outcome of that review process was that the work of the BRAB was to be absorbed into my Department.
I have no plans to establish a new BRAB at this time.
467. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to review the policy of relying on the private sector to build homes and instead give local authorities more of a central role in building in order to address housing lists in view of expert views, as well as the fact that supply does not equate to more affordable homes. [33253/17]
View answerThe Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness includes a clear intent to increase the level and speed of delivery of social housing, as part of the Government’s approach to addressing the current challenges in the housing sector. The target to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisition and leasing over the period 2016 to 2021 envisages a central role for local authorities, through their own development programmes and working co-operatively with the approved housing body (AHB) sector. In addition, local authorities have a lead role in the roll out of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme in meeting the needs of some 80,000 households.
This development activity for social housing is being supported through a significantly increased investment programme of €5.35 billion. While still at an early stage of implementation, there is already strong evidence that the focus on increasing and accelerating housing supply in Rebuilding Ireland is yielding results. In 2016, the housing needs of over 19,000 households were met through a range of housing programmes, supported by expenditure of over €935 million. A further €1.3 billion has been provided for 2017 to support the accelerated delivery of social housing and the achievement of the 2017 target to meet the housing needs of over 21,000 households.
While the delivery of social housing through the Part V process will be utilised to the fullest extent, this will be far exceeded by the activity of local authorities and AHBs who already have large scale social housing development programmes underway. This can be seen in the Status Reports on Social Housing Construction Projects which my Department has published, the latest of which is for the period to end Quarter 1 2017 and is available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/.
The report provides details of over 600 social housing projects, involving the construction of over 10,000 new social homes across the 31 local authority areas. The scale of the construction pipeline represents a major escalation in the social housing build programme and more projects are being added on an ongoing basis, to ensure we deliver on the Rebuilding Ireland targets.
In addition, a focused review of Rebuilding Ireland is now underway, targeted for completion in September. The aim of the review is to build on the significant progress already being made, strengthen the measures in place and identify additional measures to underpin further momentum in the months and years ahead.
468. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way in which to address the matter of substandard work carried out in the past by developers who are already building new developments. [33254/17]
View answerUnder the Building Control Acts 1990 to 2014, primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the owners, designers and builders of buildings. Enforcement of the Building Regulations is a matter for the 31 local building control authorities who have extensive powers of inspection and enforcement under the Acts. Neither I nor my Department has any direct role in relation to enforcement matters and cannot interfere in individual cases.
In general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved: the homeowner, the builder, the developer and/or their respective insurers, structural guarantee or warranty scheme. It is important to note that while my Department has overall responsibility for establishing and maintaining an effective regulatory framework for building standards and building control it has no general statutory role in resolving defects in privately owned buildings, including apartments, nor does it have a budget for such matters.
In response to the many building failures that have emerged over the past decade, my Department introduced the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 9 of 2014), which require greater accountability in relation to compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory certification of design and construction by registered construction professionals and builders, lodgement of compliance documentation, mandatory inspections during construction and validation and registration of certificates.
A Certificate of Compliance on Completion is jointly signed by the builder and the assigned certifier. This must be accompanied by plans and documentation to show how the constructed building complies with the building regulations and also the inspection plan, as implemented.
At the end of May 2017, the Government approved the draft heads of a Bill to place the Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) on a statutory footing and this Bill has now been referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government for pre-legislative scrutiny. Once it is enacted the Bill will provide consumers who engage a registered builder the assurance that they are dealing with a competent and compliant operator and will complement the reforms which have been made through the Building Control Amendment Regulations and contribute to the development of a culture of competence and compliance in the construction sector.
