Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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287. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason that applicants for local authority housing can include a preference for another local authority area while persons who go on the housing assistance payment scheme in one local authority area and can only get a property in an adjacent local authority area and cannot seek to get a transfer to the local authority area in which they are now living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3257/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended, set down a standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing support. Under this procedure, a household may apply for support to one housing authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it has a local connection, or the authority that agrees, at its discretion, to assess the household for support. A household, meeting either the residence or local connection condition, may specify up to three areas of choice for receipt of support in the areas of all housing authorities in the county and city concerned and, if qualified, will be entered on the housing waiting list of each of those housing authorities.

Consistent with the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is considered to be a social housing support and consequently households in receipt of a payment under the HAP scheme are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, have expectations that they would receive a more traditional form of social housing support, Ministerial directions have issued to ensure that, should they so choose, HAP recipients can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support through a transfer list.

Furthermore, local authorities are also directed that HAP recipients who apply to go on the transfer list should get full credit for the time they spent on the waiting list and be placed on the transfer list with no less favourable terms than if they had remained on the waiting list.

Guidelines on inter-authority movement were issued to local authorities to facilitate the movement of HAP households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP tenant wishes to access rented accommodation, with HAP support, in another local authority area. Inter authority movement is, however, subject to certain conditions, such as the relevant Social Housing Income Eligibility Bands and confirmation that the applicant's income is below the threshold in the new local authority.

In order to maintain equity between all tenants in receipt of social housing support, inter-authority movement for HAP will be facilitated without reference to Social Housing Eligibility Income Bands in areas that offer shared areas of choice in their allocation schemes, as no change to existing treatment is involved in such areas. For example, in Dublin, the four local authority areas currently offer shared areas of choice in their allocation schemes.

However, HAP tenants who avail of inter-authority movement, can only be offered access to the transfer list of the originating local authority.

The practical operation of transfer lists is a matter for each local authority to manage, on the basis of their own scheme of letting priorities. The making of such schemes is a reserved function of the local authority and as such is a matter for the elected members.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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288. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider a review of the income threshold to qualify for social housing given that low to middle earners are struggling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3263/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland was published in September 2021 and, as part of a broad suite of social housing reforms, committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing.

The review, which examined inter aliathe efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, was completed in Q4, 2021. I expect to make a decision on proposed changes and recommendations shortly.

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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289. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will allow flexibility for the recoupment of engineer fees to facilitate emergency accommodation for urgent housing needs and other hard cases such as health issues prior to the introduction of the defective concrete block grant scheme and the revised mica redress scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3297/22]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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290. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the mica legislation will be published; if he will provide an indicative timeframe for completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3298/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together.

I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on 30 November 2021 and it included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn. The comprehensive changes include:

- The current 90% maximum grant will be increased to a 100% grant for all remediation options 1-5.

- The maximum grant cap for option 1 (demolition and rebuild) will be increased from €247,500 to €420,000.

- The grant calculation methodology in respect of option 1 remediation will be based on a cost per square foot with costings to be set by my Department in consultation with the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). An indicative rate of €145 per square foot for the first 1,000 sq foot with a sliding scale thereafter has been announced by my Department and this will be subject to review as required in line with construction cost changes. In the case of remediation options 2-5 a similar but necessarily different approach will be taken to inform the appropriate rate for blockwork removal and replacement following consultation with SCSI.

- A revised application process will be introduced which will only require the homeowner to submit an initial ‘Building Condition Assessment’ at minimal cost recoupable on entry to the Scheme. The Housing Agency will take over testing, sampling and categorisation of homes on behalf of homeowners and local authorities and will thereafter recommend the appropriate remediation option and grant amount for each home.

- Alternative accommodation and storage costs are to be included, subject to a maximum of €20,000.

- €5,000 will be available for essential immediate repair works recommended by a building professional as part of the Building Condition Assessment process.

- In relation to works carried out under remediation options 2-5, a second grant option, will be available for such a home in the future if blockwork which was not removed as part of the initial remediation work subsequently proves defective in accordance with the IS:465 standard.

- A new independent appeals process will be introduced.

- The Scheme will be extended beyond the current scope of Principal Private Residences only, to also cover Residential Tenancies Board registered rental properties, subject to the introduction of a clawback mechanism upon re-sale within a set time period depending on the remediation option used. Opportunities for the State to acquire such rental properties for social housing purposes will also be examined.

Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link;

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/

I aim to bring the required primary legislation to give effect to the enhanced scheme before the Oireachtas as soon as possible with Spring 2022 being the indicative target timeline.

In the immediate term I intend making amendments to the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 which will allow for the recoupment of Engineer fees to homeowners who have applied for entry into the scheme. Furthermore, as part of these amended regulations, €5,000 will be recoupable as an allowable cost under the scheme for essential immediate repair works which are deemed necessary by a homeowners engineer under a Building Condition Assessment report.