Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I neglected to answer Deputy Ó Broin on the affordable housing legislation. That is well advanced and will be introduced in this session. I did not get round to answering that.

I will say a couple of things to Deputy McAuliffe. There is a change of direction on housing with a clear focus on public homes on public land and the delivery of affordable housing for working people, both rental and purchase. Next year we have an allocation in the budget which means that for the first time with the agreement of all of the Government parties we will deliver affordable rental homes, which have been talked about for a long time, and a national affordable rental scheme. The allocation is to get that up and running and to partner with approved housing bodies. They have been helpful in that regard and open to it.

On rates, I take the Deputy's points that some local authorities may have made 95%-96% rate collection. In this year, that would not have been the case because businesses have shut down. We are putting up 100% of the rent rebate.

To give local authorities and Members here some comfort, everything we have done by way of the Supplementary Estimate and the additional funding for local government we have done in step with each of the local government managers. All of the chief executives, the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and the County and City Management Associations, CCMA, are fully in tune with this.

After this meeting, each of the local authorities will receive correspondence from me and the Ministers of State, Deputies Peter Burke and Noonan, outlining what we are doing, showing good cause for this year and showing that we will be there to support local government next year. As Deputy Murnane O'Connor has said, the local authorities are extremely important to us. They are the front line of government and the boots on the ground. I come from a local government background. I was a councillor. I see the work that is being done. We will not be found wanting and they know that. The Supplementary Estimate today, once passed, is significant for them and that will be done.

On the delivery of public homes on public land, I am looking at the serviced sites fund, how we can improve the delivery of it and how that might deliver some flexibility with regard to pricing on State-owned land. I am fully aware of the issue that is in front of Dublin City Council next week and I do not want to say too much more on that.

I will get Deputy Murnane O'Connor the figures with regard to the drawdown of grants. Members of this committee brought to my attention the last time we met that some works were not happening because, once we went into levels 4 and 5, it was deemed they could not happen. That was clarified. I got on to the chair of the CCMA and I issued as Minister a further circular to all the local authorities to the effect that these works are essential works and can be carried out, with the permission of the householder. That is the one complication. If adaptation work is required or new bathrooms put in, if the householder does not want someone or does not feel safe for someone to come into their house during Covid, that is understandable. The drawdown is reduced and I will get the Deputy the exact amount. That money will be carried over.

On non-domestic customers, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, has a plan to issue for next year a standardised tariff. Some 98% of businesses will either have a reduction in their water payment or a very slight increase. I welcome the fact that they have delayed and it is a the decision they made. They are completely independent so I cannot direct them but they have made the correct decision because of where we are and where businesses are right now. That was to happen earlier this year and again in November. Letters would have been going out this month to businesses. They have taken the correct course of action, in my view, to delay that until next year. It is not for me to make suggestions to the committee, but I have met with the CRU on a couple of occasions about this and it might be worthwhile for it to do likewise. Nothing will be happening between now and next May in relation to non-domestic charges on water. As part of the new arrangement, a substantial number of businesses will see a substantial decrease in the water bills they are paying.