Written answers
Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Local Authorities
Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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501. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of any pilot funding schemes offered by his Department to local authorities; the local authorities that each pilot scheme is offered to; his plans to extend these schemes to other local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63730/22]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the pilot funding schemes offered by my Department, including details of participating local authorities are set out in the table.
| Scheme | Local Authority | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Caravan Loan Scheme Pilot | All Local Authorities | The pilot Caravan Loan Scheme was introduced to support the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation through local authorities, to provide preferential loans to Travellers to purchase their own caravan or mobile home for use as their primary residence. In 2022, the pilot scheme was limited to the provision of up to 75 caravans or €3 million, whichever is the lesser, across all local authorities, until the end of 2022. Following completion of the pilot, the Department will review the operation of the pilot scheme with input from the local authorities and other stakeholders. A report will be prepared for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and options for an enduring scheme will be considered at the conclusion of this process. |
| Midlands Retrofit Pilot | Galway County, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath. | In 2020 funding of €20 million was made available for an energy efficiency retrofitting programme to fund upgrades to approximately 750 dwellings in the midlands, under the 'Just Transition' programme, as part of the Programme for Government and Climate Action Plan. This Midlands Retrofit Pilot was established as a pilot programme to provide economic stimulus to the counties most affected by the cessation of peat harvesting for electricity generation, and it centres on upgrading larger batches of homes in distinct, compact geographical areas. The pilot is expected to be completed in 2023 with the retrofit of 750 dwellings over the lifetime of the pilot |
| Pilot Conservation Advice Scheme | All Local Authorities | Under this pilot, owners of protected structures in any local authority area could apply directly to the Department for a grant to pay for conservation advice from a qualified architect. 370 applications were received of which 100 were chosen by lottery to participate in the scheme; 72 of these in turn availed of funding. Participants selected a conservation architect who then billed the Department directly on completion of a conservation advice report. The Department will review the success of this pilot in 2023, specifically by looking at whether owners who received expert advice were more likely to invest in appropriate conservation works. |
| Pilot programme for Local Authorities regarding delivery methods/efficiencies for Affordable Housing and an examination of differing construction options on a live sample basis. | Carlow County Council; Cork City Council; Cork County Council; Dublin City Council; Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council; Fingal County Council; Galway City Council; Galway County Council; Kildare County Council; Kilkenny County Council; Laois County Council; Limerick City and County Council; Louth County Council; Meath County Council; South Dublin County Council; Waterford City and County Council; Westmeath County Council; and Wicklow County Council | An open call for this one-off pilot scheme, co-ordinated by the Housing Agency, was circulated to all 18 local authorities with an affordability constraint in December 2022 and will select 3 sample projects to support on-going research into construction efficiencies and innovation in affordable housing delivery. Subject to eligible submissions being received, projects will be selected by the Housing Agency towards the end of January 2023 based on specific award criteria outlined in the Call. A concluding analysis of same will be prepared by end Q2 2023. |
| Repair and Leasing Scheme expansion | All Local Authorities | A review of the Repair and Leasing Scheme is expected to be carried out mid-2023 |
| Virtual inspections of private rental accommodation for compliance with the minimum rental standards | All Local Authorities | Enforcement of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 rests with the relevant local authority (LA). Given the need for inspectors to enter tenants’ homes, Covid-19 pandemic restrictions greatly impacted on private rental inspections from March 2020 and saw a substantial drop in the number of inspections conducted. In response, Dublin City Council commenced trialling virtual inspections in May 2020 which entailed landlords completing a self-assessment checklist and submitting photographic/video evidence by email, and the inspector engaging with the tenant by phone about the condition of the dwelling. The Department supported this initiative by providing the same level of Exchequer subvention as that for traditional on-site inspections and encouraged other LAs to get involved. Five local authorities joined the pilot in 2020 and undertook 1,388 virtual inspections. A further 14 joined in 2021. A total of 5,109 virtual inspections were conducted that year. The County and City Management Association permitted a return to on-site inspections from July 14th 2021. In August 2021 the Department issued an online survey questionnaire to gauge LA attitudes to virtual inspections and learn from their experiences and any problems encountered. Many respondents expressed the opinion that while virtual inspection systems presented certain challenges and limitations, they offered a way of improving the standard of rental accommodation despite the pandemic. Some saw a role for virtual inspections post-pandemic alongside traditional on-site inspections. Housing for All commits to supporting the implementation of virtual inspections with the ultimate aim of them being part of the mainstream inspection regime in LAs. The Department has continued to provide a subvention for virtual inspections. With pandemic restrictions fully lifted, 2022 saw circa 36,000 inspections undertaken by the end of Q3. Of these 844 were virtual inspections and were conducted by a total of 10 LAs. |
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