Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

482. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department investigates the salary scales in housing bodies and charities before awarding them public funds; and if there are any criteria in terms of wage caps which are expected or required. [50697/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 enables housing authorities, inter alia, to provide assistance to approved housing bodies in respect of the provision of housing. Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) consist mainly of voluntary or co-operative organizations registered under the Companies Acts, societies registered under the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts and/or Trusts incorporated under the Charities Acts.

The salaries payable to employees of AHBs are first and foremost a matter for the Boards of Management of the bodies concerned. My Department’s involvement with voluntary and co-operative housing bodies relates primarily to the provision of funding under specific schemes. The detailed administration of the schemes, the certification that projects comply with the terms and conditions of those schemes and the processing of applications for funding, are the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

My Department is currently developing a regulatory framework for the sector. A landmark first step in this regard was the publication on 15 July 2013 of Building for the Future, a voluntary regulation code for the sector that is available on my Department’s website at . It is a clear governance objective that bodies signing up to the code must be financially viable and have adequate resources to meet both current and future business and financial commitments.