Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Estimate for 2022 in planning and local government. I also have responsibility for Traveller accommodation and support and housing for people with disabilities and older people. As the Minister noted, significant capital and current funding has been provided to the Department in 2022 and we are all firmly focused on ensuring the maximum output from this State investment.

Regarding Traveller accommodation and supports, it is important to note that some €15.5 million in capital funding was fully drawn down by local authorities in 2021. A total of €1.33 million was also provided to local authorities for Covid-related measures such as the provision of additional accommodation, halting site cleaning, additional sanitation and isolation units. There will be some Covid-related expenditure in 2022. Our objective is to ensure that services provided to halting sites will be maintained. To that end, funding will be provided for any additional services deemed necessary by local authorities. Overall, some €18 million is being provided in capital funding for 2022 representing a 16% increase over 2021. In addition, some €6.5 million in current funding will be provided in 2022 bringing the total funding to €24.5 million.

The committee will be aware of the recommendations of the expert group on Traveller accommodation. The programme board overseeing the implementation of these recommendations met on six occasions last year and the board has agreed to report progress on the recommendations on the Department website. This will be available shortly.

Turning to housing for people with a disability and older people, over €2.7 million will be provided under subhead A14 in 2022. The review of the national housing strategy for people with a disability was completed in 2021. The implementation group for housing options for our ageing population joint policy statement also completed its work in 2021. Work on a number of key actions will continue into 2022. The Housing Agency is working with local authorities to ensure their strategic plans for housing for people with disabilities are updated and implemented. The mental health tenancy sustainment project, which is jointly funded by the Department and the Department of Health, is continuing and will be expanded in 2022.

Funding for the Age-Friendly Ireland shared services supporting the implementation of the actions set out in the Housing Options for Our Ageing Population policy statement will also continue in 2022. Complementing this strategic work is subhead A18, which makes funding provision for the payment to local authorities of expenditure incurred on the suite of housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability. Three separate schemes are available. The housing adaptation grant for people disability scheme provides grants of up to €30,000 to assist people with a disability to have necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works carried. 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. The mobility aids grant scheme is available to fast-track grants of up to €6,000 to cover a basic suite of works to address the mobility problems of a member of a household. Some €65 million is being made available in 2022 to deliver on these schemes.

The Local Government Fund's primary purpose is to channel local property tax to local authorities following collection by the Revenue Commissioners as well as certain local authority initiatives. This programme includes a contribution to the Local Government Fund of €225 million in 2022 to support the local government sector in providing a range of essential services at local level, including assistance towards increased pay and pensions, costs arising under national pay agreements, local property tax equalisation payments and important local government initiatives across the country, including supporting shared services. In 2022, income sources to the Local Government Fund are estimated to be local property tax of €520 million as well as a payment from the Vote of some €225 million. The payment from the Vote includes the Exchequer contribution of local property tax equalisation of €34.3 million. The total local property tax allocation for 2022 is just under €524 million, which includes the impact of all local variation decisions.

Over the past two years, the Department has worked closely with local authorities to provide an essential lifeline to local businesses in the form of a rates waiver. By the end of 2021, more than €1.1 billion had been routed through the Local Government Fund for this purpose, with an additional €62.3 million that will issue in respect of quarter 4 of last year. It was recently announced that the targeted rates waiver for quarter 4 would be extended to quarter 1 of 2022. However, this does not form part of today's Estimate and Covid-19 supports for 2022 will be kept under review. Further supports are not currently anticipated.

A significant number of activities are under way or in planning. A few key programmes merit mention. The largest area of planned expenditure is the urban regeneration and development fund, for which a total of €159 million is being provided this year, including a €25 million capital carryover from 2021. The immediate focus is on ensuring early progress on the programme of 132 transformative regeneration and development projects and the Department is in regular contact with local authorities to assist their advancement. The next call for proposals under the urban regeneration and development fund will be arranged later. The focus of the call will reflect the experience of the funding calls to date, the objectives of Housing for All and tackling vacancy in towns, which is reflected in our town centre first approach.

A total of €7.1 million in current and capital funding is being provided towards the cost of activities of the Land Development Agency in 2022 ahead of the imminent capitalisation through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF.

There has been more than €45 million funding for the operational budgets of An Bord Pleanála, the Office of the Planning Regulator and Ordnance Survey Ireland.

I thank members for their time.