Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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310. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if rent reviews were carried out in each county in 2020 and to date in 2021; and the local authorities that undertook rent reviews during this period. [45201/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The right of local authorities to set and collect rents on their dwellings is contained in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such schemes, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department, is an executive function and each local authority makes its own differential rent scheme.

The various differential rent schemes provide for rents that are linked to income. Tenants are required to notify their local authority of changes to their income so that the rent can be adjusted accordingly and local authorities also carry out periodic reviews of tenant incomes.

As I have no function in relation to the setting or reviewing of rents for individual local authority tenancies, my Department does not collate data on rent reviews that may be carried out by individual local authorities. Such information is available directly from the local authorities.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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311. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider issuing a ministerial policy direction to local authorities in terms of a minimum percentage of social housing allocation being reserved for persons accommodated in emergency accommodation in order to ensure parity across the State. [45202/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The oversight and practical management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations.

Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households qualified for social housing support and to households approved for a transfer, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the accommodation needs and requirements of the households.

It is the local authority which assesses housing applicants, taking into account factors such as the condition and affordability of existing accommodation, medical and compassionate grounds, etc. The authority then prioritises the needs of approved applicants in accordance with its allocation scheme.

Decisions on the allocation of social housing support are a matter solely for the local authority concerned. Each application must be considered on its own merits and the individual circumstances taken into account.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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312. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on funding being made available for a scheme to allow local authorities to take-in-charge estates with legacy wastewater infrastructure issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45206/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department introduced a multi-annual capital investment programme in 2019 to facilitate the progressive resolution, in a sustainable manner, of developer provided water services infrastructure in housing estates and to enable the taking in charge of these estates by local authorities.

The programme is focused on housing estates which are not taken in charge by local authorities and do not have their water services connected to the public water services network but rely instead on infrastructure, often temporary in nature, which was provided by developers.

In September 2020, I announced allocations for the first round of funding covering the years 2019-2021 inclusive. The announcement followed an independent Expert Panel review of all valid bids. The Panel’s recommendations are based on criteria set out in the Framework document issued to local authorities when requesting bid proposals.

The relevant circular for the first funding cycle is available on my Department's website at the link:

www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/circular-ldpi01-2020-approval-projects-residential-estates-under-developer

The Expert Panel recently examined bids for a proposed second round of funding. I am awaiting a submission from my Department on this and a decision will be made on it as quickly as possible.

The focus of the first multi-annual programme is on estates in towns and villages where the resolution is to connect their water services to the public networks. The programme will also support a number of pilot projects where connection is not feasible in the immediate future. These pilot projects, together with a major study currently being undertaken by Irish Water, will inform future policy considerations on resolving sub-standard developer provided infrastructure with sustainable solutions.