Written answers

Thursday, 9 July 2009

Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Local Authority Housing

12:00 pm

Photo of Emmet StaggEmmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 759: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason Kildare County Council's allocation for local authority housing has been reduced by 44% in 2009, when nationally there was a 27% reduction. [29630/09]

Photo of Michael FinneranMichael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2009, to facilitate local authorities in planning for and managing projects, provisional allocations were notified to authorities. Following this, my Department held Housing Action Plan meetings with all housing authorities during which the direction and content of social housing supply and improvement programmes were discussed. The final allocations which issued to all housing authorities, including Kildare County Council, took into account housing need and the information received during the course of this round of Action Plan meetings. While the intention was to ensure that the final allocations would be as close as possible to the provisional allocations, adjustments had to be made to reflect each authority's existing commitments, as agreed during the Housing Action Plan process and the funding available under the Revised Estimates for 2009. All housing authorities including Kildare County Council plan their social housing investment programmes having regard to the specific social housing priorities in their areas, to the Exchequer funding allocations and the suite of social housing supply options available to them. In recent years, the supply options have been expanded, and in addition to construction, include an increased number of acquisitions, in particular under Part V agreements, new arrangements with private landlords under the Rental Accommodation Scheme and, more recently, the long-term leasing initiative, for which €20 million has been set aside in 2009. At the same time there has also been an expansion in the scale of accommodation provided through the voluntary and co-operative housing sector. Kildare County Council is provided with a specific allocation of €1.945 million in respect of the Rental Accommodation Scheme for 2009 as part of their final housing allocation of €37.7 million. No proposals have yet been received from the Council under the long-term leasing initiative.

Photo of Emmet StaggEmmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 760: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason County Leitrim, with a population of 28,837 people according to census 2006, received €1,790,000 for house grants for older people and people with a disability, whilst County Kildare, with a population of 186,075 people according to Census 2006 only received €1,870,000. [29631/09]

Photo of Michael FinneranMichael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The annual allocations to local authorities under the schemes concerned are calculated on foot of detailed discussion between my Department and individual authorities and on the basis of a number of criteria, including the level of applications on hand that have been assessed as eligible, applications yet to be assessed and projections for new applications to be received during the year. It is a matter for each local authority to decide on the specific level of funding to be directed towards each of the individual schemes, from within the combined allocation notified to them by my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areas from within their allocation.

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