Protocol for the Provision of Information to Members of the Oireachtas by State Bodies under the aegis of Government Departments/Offices

Date

Oireachtas Member

Summary of Questions and Answers

Responded to within deadline

4 February 2021

Holly Cairns T.D.

Question

Could you please provide details on absolute and relative number of persons with disabilities employed by your organisation/company as of the 1st of Feb 2021?

Answer

Please note in relation to your query that there are no persons with disabilities employed by the Housing Finance Agency as of 1st of February 2021.

Yes

10 February 2021

Holly Cairns T.D.

Question

Can you confirm the total number of people employed by the HFA?

Answer

HThe Housing Finance Agency currently employs 15 full time equivalent (FTE) staff.

Yes

23 March 2021

Louise O’ Reilly T.D.

Question

To ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of students who undertook work experience or internships with State and semi-State agencies under his aegis in 2019; the cost in terms of wages and allowances; and the estimated numerical capacity of State and semi-State agencies to provide work experience and internships on an annual basis.

Answer

In response to your PQ , I can confirm that the HFA did not take on any students for work experience or internships in 2019. The HFA currently has a full staff complement of 15 employees and has no requirement for temporary positions.

Yes

29 March 2021

Mairéad Farrell T.D.

Question

I am seeking information on the use of Social Clause provisions in Public Procurement contracts. Your body is in receipt of public monies and operates under the aegis of a government department. I am seeking the following information regarding procurement contracts which I would be grateful if you could furnish me with. I am seeking the full list of contracts issued by your organisation in the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 which would have contained a social clause. A social clause is a provision in a procurement contract which seeks to promote a certain goal be it environmental, labour activation, gender balance, etc. In 2019 the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, jointly issued Circular 20/2019: Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement. Certain bodies have already included such provisions in recent contracts and I am attempting to ascertain whether yours has done the same. In the event such contracts are identified I am seeking the following information in tabular form:

Answer

The HFA is a semi-State body whose mission is to facilitate the successful delivery of social and affordable housing in Ireland. This it does by raising finance on the market and onlending to local authorities, approved housing bodies and universities for housing-related purposes. While the HFA is a self-financing body not in receipt of Exchequer funds and which does not issue procurement contracts, as such, nonetheless the Board and the HFA is keen to support the Government position in relation to promoting the wider use of environmental and social considerations with specific regard to the Climate Action Plan 2019. In this respect I can confirm that all financing issued by the HFA for new-build projects are in accordance with current regulatory standards.

Yes

14 May 2021

Matt Carthy T.D.

Question

I wish to inquire as to any funding allocated by your organisation, or a subsidiary thereof, to An Taisce in each of the years 2015 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the expected allocations to An Taisce for 2021; and the purposes of such funding.

Answer

Thank you for your enquiry. I can confirm that the HFA did not allocate any funding to An Taisce in any of the years 2015 to 2021, nor expects to allocate any such funds in 2021.

Yes

25 June 2021

Noel Grealish T.D.

Question

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has advised me, in reply to a Parliamentary Question I submitted, to contact you directly for a reply to my query, which is: Has your organisation been charged interest on money held on deposit in Irish banks since negative interest rates were introduced; and how much has that amounted to, to date?

Answer

In response to your query below, I can confirm that the Housing Finance Agency has been charged interest on monies held on deposit in Irish banks as follows:

Yes

13 September 2021

Carol Nolan T.D.

Question

To ask the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the measures he is taking to promote or facilitate remote working for staff in his Department or bodies under the aegis of his Department; the costs this has generated in terms of the provision of laptops, desktop computers or contributions to wi-fi costs or phone-related expenses; the number of staff who have applied for permission to work from home on a permanent or hybrid-model basis (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Answer

Thank you for your enquiry. I can confirm that the HFA offices remain closed at this time and all HFA staff continue to work remotely. Staff members were provided with the equipment needed to work from home safely and securely, and total costs incurred were €20,341. The HFA has no immediate plans yet on a return to the office and, as such, has not received any applications from staff seeking to work from home permanently or on a hybrid-model basis.

Yes

23 November 2021

Rose Conway Walsh TD

Question

Would you be able to provide details on all loan applications to the Housing Finance Agency from higher education institutions that have not been approved in each year since 2016? Details such as which institutions, proposed number of beds and reason the loan was rejected.

Answer

I can confirm that there have been no loan applications from higher education institutions to the HFA that have not been approved.

Yes