Local Authority News Vol 34. No 6.

FRONT COVER LAN Dec. 2015 05/12/2015 12:17 Page 1

LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS

• EU introduces more Efficient monitoring of Drinking water for better Protection of Public Health • Local Government Wins Esri’s SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN GIS AWARD

• Quality Standard first for Clare County Council • Ireland's Air Quality Compares favourably with other EU countries

FRONT COVER LAN Dec. 2015 05/12/2015 12:17 Page 2

CONTENTS VOL. 34 No 6

FEATURES KELLY WELCOMES ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO TACKLE HOUSING NEEDS 3 EPA DRINKING WATER REPORT 2014 7

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ISSN NO. 1393-0394 LAN is available FREE OF CHARGE to all Local and Central Government Bodies throughout Ireland.

Published bi-monthly it is disseminated to Local Authority Managers, Assistant Managers, County Secretaries, Finance Officers, Principal Officers, Department Heads, County Engineers, City Engineers, Chief Quantity Surveyors, Senior Architects, Plant Superintendents, Senior Executive Engineers, Town Clerks, Purchasing Officers, Administrative Officers, Inspectors, Park Superintendents, County Librarians, etc. in all Government Departments, County Councils, Corporations, Office of Public Works, Urban District Councils, StateSponsored and Development Bodies and Agencies.

EU INTRODUCES MORE EFFICIENT MONITORING OF DRINKING WATER FOR BETTER PROTECTION OF PUBLIC 9 HEALTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT WINS ESRI’S SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN GIS AWARD

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PREFERRED OPTION’ FOR DEVELOPING A NEW SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER SUPPLY FOR THE EASTERN AND 12 MIDLANDS REGION THE INDOOR AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM WHICH MANY EUROPEAN BUSINESSES 17 DON’T KNOW ABOUT IRELAND'S AIR QUALITY COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH OTHER EU 19 COUNTRIES QUALITY STANDARD FIRST FOR CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL 20 MINISTER HUMPHREYS LAUNCHES FOUR YEAR STRATEGY FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY MUSEUMS NETWORK 21

REGULARS DEPARTMENT BREIFS PRODUCT INFORMATION CLASSIFIEDS

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Kelly welcomes additional funding to tackle housing needs In excess of €1.7 Billion being invested in Social Housing 2015-2016 €135 Million to be invested Community Programmes over 1,000 which compares to 285 units as recently as 2014. Approved Housing Bodies also continue to play a vital role in meeting housing need and combined with local authoritiesʼ activities the total number of units to be provided in 2016 will be over 1,500 – almost 2.5 times the 2014 output.

he Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Alan Kelly and Ministers Paudie Coffey & Ann Phelan welcomed the significant additional funding that will be available to tackle housing needs in 2016.

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The Departmentʼs Vote for 2016 is some €1.495 billion - €539m Capital and €956m Current. This compares to a total of €1.328 billion in 2015 - an increase of €167m or nearly 12% on 2015 and an increase of 83% on 2014.

The housing capital programme will also allow for some 1,500 additional vacant housing units to be brought back into productive use. “This year and next year more than €800 million will be spent on building, buying & refurbishing homes for people on the housing waiting lists. This is real investment that will make a difference to peopleʼs lives.

Contrary to what the opposition parties are saying, this funding is being and will continue to be invested in homes for families,” said Paudie Coffey, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment with Special Responsibility for Housing, Planning and Coordination of the Construction 2020 Strategy Current spending on housing will grow by €69m to €379m which will be used to finance increased local authority housing services, including through the Rental Accommodation Scheme, the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP In total, over 7,100 additional housing units will be delivered from a range of measures which, combined with a target of 10,000 for transfers to the Housing Assistance Payment, will deliver a total of over 17,100 housing units in 2016.

The Minister also stressed his determination to tackle homelessness.

The housing capital spend will come to €432m in 2016, up from €376m million this year; providing €56m extra capital spending. This will see the continued acceleration of local authority direct build and acquisition of properties. The number of housing units to be delivered through this mechanism will be

“I am allocating a further €17 million for the specific purpose of addressing homelessness. The total amount available for this purpose in 2016 will be €70m – a 55% increase since 2014.The availability and supply of secure, affordable and adequate housing is essential in ensuring sustainable

Speaking after Budget 2016 was announced, Minister Kelly said: “I welcome the fact that investment in housing infrastructure has again been given priority in this Budget and that over 17,000 housing units will be delivered in 2016. Over 50% (€811m) of my Departmentʼs 2016 budget will go directly to support a range of housing programmes, and the continued delivery of the Social Housing Strategy 2020. In addition some €112m funding will be provided directly by Local Authorities to meet housing needs.”

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tenancies and ending long-term homelessness. I am also increasing the rent limits for the Homeless HAP Pilot in order to allow significant numbers of homeless families in Dublin to move out of hotel and emergency accommodation and find homes” Minister Kelly added.

provision of monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence.

Speaking about the new LEADER programme 20142020, which will assist projects that improve quality of life and promote growth and diversification of the rural economy, Minister Kelly said: “LEADER is addressing many of the challenges facing rural communities, including through increasing economic activity and generating employment. It is a key multi-annual programme which will continue to be supported in 2016 with the provision of €40m.”

The Minister also welcomed the provision of funding for two new schemes in his Department - €30m in funding over 6 years under the new Village Renewal Scheme, with €5m to be provided in 2016.

“I am also providing €5m for a new scheme that will assist homeowners in addressing the issue of lead in their drinking water.”

The Minister confirmed that additional funding is also being provided under the Pyrite Remediation scheme with a total of €19m being made available under the scheme in 2016.

Funding for libraries has also been increased by 83% for 2016.

Additional funding is also being made available to support increased activity under the Mortgage to Rent Scheme, giving a provision of €17 million in 2016 to address the mortgage arrears challenge.

Significant resources are also being made available through the Departmentʼs Vote to support the development of strong and vibrant local communities. €135m will be invested in Community programmes in 2016, which includes funding under the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and LEADER programme. In 2016, some 40,000 people will receive direct one-to-one labour market training and supports through the SICAP. “SICAP is well placed to create opportunities and provide supports to ease the transition into meaningful employment for the harder to reach in the most disadvantaged areas in society. €46 million will be invested in 2016 to increase access to formal and informal educational activities and resources and to increase peopleʼs work readiness and employment prospects,” said Ann Phelan, Minister for Rural Economic Development.

In light of the importance of the haulage industry to our export led growth and to ensure that Ireland remains competitive, the rates of commercial motor tax on larger goods vehicles are being reduced.

Funding will continue to be made available to support a range of initiatives in the community and voluntary sector, including support to strengthen and foster volunteerism and philanthropy as well as increased funding for Seniors Alert of 10%, which supports the

Other areas of Department spend in 2016 include Water Services (€151m); Environment and Waste Management (€44m) and Fire Services capital investment (€8.2m).

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EPA Drinking Water Report 2014 Environmental Enforcement said, “The number of consumers that are served by water supplies subject to a boil water notice has reduced from over 23,000 consumers to fewer than 6,000 currently. This reduction is due to prioritising investment in key ʻat riskʼ supplies in County Roscommon and other vulnerable areas in 2015.

onitoring of public drinking water in Ireland shows that: 99.9% of samples comply with the microbiological standards 99.4% of samples comply with the chemical standards. There are 6,000 people on a long term boil water notice today, down from a peak of 23,000 in early 2015.

There are 112 “at risk” supplies on the EPA Remedial Action List. Of these, 30 lack adequate treatment to prevent Cryptosporidium entering the supply.

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“Despite this welcome, large reduction in boil water notices, Irish Water needs to press ahead now with remedial works on the outstanding 16 public water supplies so that the threat of long-term boil water notices is eliminated.”

David Flynn, Programme Manager of the EPAʼs Office of Environmental Enforcement said, “The EPA Remedial Action List identifies 112 supplies serving 770,000 consumers - that are in need of improvement to ensure the safety and security of these supplies.

Thirty supplies on the Remedial Action List are in County Kerry alone.

Overall, the pace of investment in water treatment must continue to increase so that we eliminate the risk of Cryptosporidium and the risk of long term boil water notices.”

Comprehensive national strategies will be necessary to address key priorities such as disinfection, disinfection by-products, lead, pesticides and water safety planning The EPA Drinking Water Report 2014, shows a high level of compliance with the microbiological and chemical standards. While this indicates that the majority of our water supplies are safe, further improvements are necessary to improve the security of our supplies and avoid long term boil water notices into the future.

The EPA Drinking Water Report 2014 and the complete list of public water supplies currently on the Remedial Action List (RAL) - including details of the proposed remedial measures and associated timeframes - is also available .

Infographics explaining the report and public water supplies at risk are also available.

Commenting following the release of the report, Mr. Gerard OʼLeary, Director of EPAʼs Office of

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Your donation, however small, can make a crucial difference in the lives of vulnerable young people who through no fault of their own find themselves in need of help.

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EU introduces more ef ficient monitoring of drinking water for better protection of public health plan approach laid down in the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.

ew EU rules to improve the monitoring of drinking water across Europe come into force, improving access to wholesome and clean drinking water in Europe

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Member States have two years to apply the provisions of this new legislation.

As a first step following the European Citizens' Initiative Right2Water, new rules adopted by the Commission today provide flexibility to Member States as to how drinking water quality is monitored in around 100 000 water supply zones in Europe.

This will allow for more focused, risk-based monitoring, while ensuring full protection of public health.

The Commission is also currently evaluating the Drinking Water Directive. Results of the public consultation are available at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/water_ drink_en.htm.

Commissioner Vella said: "Highquality, safe drinking water is essential for well-being and public health, so we need to ensure high standards across the Union. This new monitoring and control system allows us to reduce unnecessary analyses and concentrate on controls that really matter."

This amendment of the Drinking Water Directive is a response to calls by citizens and the European Parliament to adopt legislation ensuring a better, fair and comprehensive water supply. It allows for an improved implementation of EU rules by Member States as it removes unnecessary burdens. Member States can now decide, on the basis of a risk assessment, which parameter to monitor given that some drinking water supply zones do not pose any risk for finding hazardous substances. They can also choose to increase or reduce the frequency of sampling in water supply zones, as well as to extend the list of substances to monitor in case of public health concerns.

Background The Drinking Water Directive, introduced in 1998, requires a regular review of its Annexes. This amendment has been the first and essential adaptation to scientific and technical progress to date.

The Evaluation of the overall Directive is included in the Commission's Working Plan "A new Start" 2015 as part of the wider response to the European Citizens' Initiative Right2 Water. The evaluation study will be finalised by the end of 2015.

Flexibility in the monitoring of parameters and the frequency of sampling is framed by a number of conditions to be met, to ensure protection of citizens' health. The new rules follow the principle of 驶hazard analysis and critical control point始 (HACCP), already used in food hygiene legislation, and the water safety

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Local Government Wins Esriʼs

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN GIS AWARD

The local authority community in Ireland is reaping the rewards of adopting a geographic approach.

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rish local authorities have been recognised internationally for their use of geographic information system (GIS) technology. Last July the community was honoured with a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award at the 2015 Esri International User Conference in San Diego, California. This award acknowledges vision, leadership, hard work, and the innovative use of Esriʼs GIS technology.

Local authorities have in recent years come under increased pressure to reduce spending and to offer improved services to communities. To this end, it was critical that Government – both central and local – make full use of their available resources. The use of GIS is not a new innovation among Irish local authorities; many have already made use of the technology to support the work of various departments. But for several years its use comprised many disconnected parts and workflows, which was time consuming to manage and maintain. The vision was to build a single, connected GIS to meet the needs of all members of staff, across all departments, partners and the general public.

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There has been a significant increase in the number of local authorities using the Esri Platform. In fact, the Local Government Esri User Community in Ireland has grown from only four councils in 2011 to 22 councils now using Esri technology. Adopting this platform approach enables the GIS teams in local authorities to work more efficiently and has paved the way for them to deliver new value-added services for the public. By freeing up their time, GIS professionals within the councils are now able to focus on more strategic issues and forward planning rather than being caught up in day-to-day operations. Furthermore, the renewed focus on GIS technology is enabling local authorities to interact with the citizens they serve in a much more fulfilling way to help solve real problems and open new opportunities. “The SAG Awards identify the organisations and people who are using the power of geography to make our world a better place,” says Esri President Jack Dangermond. “At Esri, we are always deeply inspired by the passion and innovation of our users. They deserve recognition for their invaluable contributions to their communities and the continued evolution of geographic science.”

The Local Authority GI community is passionate about the value they can bring to their organisations and this is helping to push the boundaries of what can be achieved using geography as a platform. Some of the outcomes include developing new public services, mobile field operations, open data, community engagement all leading to significant costs and productivity savings. Data is now more up-to-date and distributed more quickly to everyone who need to use.

According to Dermot OʼKane, Esri Ireland, this is one of the few occasions where Esri have honoured what is essentially a ʻcommunity of practiceʼ. “This is a really important aspect of this SAG award as it demonstrates the power and value of taking a collective and collaborative approach to meeting the requirements of organisations that have similar use cases across their respective enterprises. The Local Government GI Community is leading the way in this regard within the Irish public sector.”

For more information about the 2015 Special Achievement in GIS Award winners visit esri.com/sag

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Preferred Optionʼ for developing a new source of drinking water supply for the Eastern and Midlands Region.

Over 40% of Irelandʼs population lives in this region and work has been on-going for 8 years to identify a new and sustainable water source to enable the region to grow into the future.

Over the past two years Irish Water, through extensive research and two phases of public consultation, has considered the need for a new source of water supply for the Eastern and Midlands Region and has identified four potential technically viable options for that new source. A Preliminary Options Appraisal Report, published today and based on an extensive assessment process applied to the four potential options, has found two of the four options remain as potential viable solutions. They are abstraction of water from the lower Shannon at Parteen Basin in Tipperary or desalination of water from the Irish Sea in Dublin. Of these two, the report identifies abstraction of water at Parteen Basin as Irish Waterʼs emerging preferred option.

Abstraction at Parteen Basin has the least environmental impact of the four options under consideration. It can avail of existing ʻhydro-powerʼ infrastructure which ensures that the proposed water abstraction can be implemented within existing normal operating water levels and with no impact on statutory flow requirements in the Lower Shannon, meaning that there is very limited impact on the lake. Abstraction from hydro-power facilities is common practice worldwide and the Parteen Basin option will use only a small fraction (approximately 2%) of ʻhydro-powerʼ water that would otherwise have been used for power generation and then discharged to sea. Importantly, the proposed new scheme also creates multiple opportunities to supply treated water to communities in the vicinity of Parteen Basin and along a route corridor from Parteen Basin to Dublin. Counties to be supplied include Clare, Tipperary, Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Kildare, Meath and Dublin.

The Preliminary Options Appraisal Report concludes that desalination, as the only other potentially viable option at this stage of the project, is much less suitable than the Parteen Basin option, due primarily to higher costs, being a Dublin-centric solution, and being a less environmentally friendly option with a considerably higher energy requirement, chemical usage and brine discharge.

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The Water Supply Project is now undergoing rigorous environmental assessment to ensure that all possible relevant factors are examined in reaching a final decision on the best option. As part of that process, a 10 week period of public consultation on the ʻPreliminary Options Appraisal Reportʼ is now taking place which concludes on 4 February 2016. Any considerations arising from this third consultation process will be evaluated as part of the determination of the final choice of a new water supply for the Eastern and Midlands Region.

John Tierney, Managing Director of Irish Water explained the importance of this project for Irelandʼs future economic growth. “The existing water supply sources for the Eastern and Midlands Regions do not have the capacity or resilience to meet demand for an additional 330 million litres of water per day which increased population and economic growth will generate by 2050.” “A new source must be identified”, he said. “This project is not simply about finding a solution for Dublinʼs future water supply, it is also about ensuring that the entire country can thrive by facilitating growth in the Eastern and Midlands where 40% of our population lives”, John Tierney explained. “Irish Water is working to deliver the most efficient and cost-effective solution to this challenge which can be implemented with minimal environmental impact. Parteen Basin, the emerging preferred option, can deliver a sustainable water supply with the least environmental impact while benefiting the widest number of domestic and commercial water customers throughout the region”, John Tierney said.

Copies of the Preliminary Options Appraisal Report for the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region can be downloaded from the project website www.watersupplyproject.ie. The site also provides FAQʼs, covering a wide range of project related topics and also details on the previous phases of this project.

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The indoor air pollution problem which many European businesses donʼt know about The awareness regarding poor indoor air quality in European working environments – and its negative impact for example on the well-being, health and productivity of the work force – is generally too low. Many business owners, as well as building owners and building managers, are still not fully aware of these issues, or of the clean air solutions they could and should put in place to combat them.

Poor outdoor air quality In recent years, the problem with poor (and often harmful) outdoor air has constantly been reported on in the media. There have been alarming stories from countries like China and India, where air pollution from traffic and industrial emissions pose a real and tangible threat to people’s health – and productivity.

European IAQ standard EN13779 The European standard for Indoor Air Quality is called EN13779. It specifies the required filter performance in a system to achieve good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) taking into consideration the outdoor air. The outdoor air is categorized in 3 levels, from ODA 1, where the air is pure except for temporary pollution such as pollen, up to ODA 3 with high concentrations of both gases and particles. The particulate matter refers to the total amount of solid or liquid particles in the air. Most outdoor air guidelines still refer to PM10 (particle diameter up to 10 µm).

However, for the purpose of health protection, there is growing acceptance that emphasis should be placed on particles far smaller than 10 µm. The gaseous pollutants refer to concentrations of CO2, CO, NO2, SO2 and VOCs. The table below indicates typical concentration levels in outdoor air, together with a suggestion on how to categorize the quality.

A two part clean air solution How do we clean the outdoor and indoor air to achieve a healthy and productive indoor working environment? To be fully protected, a building often - ideally - needs two solutions, which complement each other.

1. The first is of course the most obvious one: An efficient HVAC system with a clean air solution in the form of high quality air filters – including particle and also if needed molecular filtration. These air filters protect people, processes and equipment, by filtering the polluted outdoor air before it enters the building.

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2. The second solution is to install air purifiers/air cleaners, to complement the existing ventilation system – by taking care of both indoor and outdoor air pollutants. Camfil’s air purifiers/air cleaners offers a 99,95 % HEPA-filtration efficiency as well as molecular filtration capabilities (to help deal with nuisance odors).

3. If your building does not have a HVAC system using standalone air purifiers/air cleaners can help ensure air quality in your building is at its highest.

From 1,000,000,000 particles per m3 to 31,000 Outdoor air contains approximately 100,000,000 particles per m3. Camfil’s market leading F7 filters have a minimum purification efficiency of 56%. Indoor air, which has passed through the ventilation system, but not through an air purifier/air cleaner, contains about 44,000,000 particles per m3. When the air has been filtered through one of Camfil’s standalone air purifiers, for offices and commercial premises, or one of our industrial air cleaners, about 31,000 particles per m3 remains.

Indoor generated particles Poor indoor air quality does not just come from poor outdoor air but also from Indoor Generated particles.These are, for example, emissions from furniture, wall paint, cosmetics, air fresheners,cleansers, carpets, aerosol propellants, plasticizers, building material, pens and markers, waxes and polishes.

Clean air with health benefits Indoor air, filtered through Camfil’s air purifiers and air cleaners, contains less bacteria, dust, viruses and harmful particles. People breathing the clean air, are much less likely to suffer from common “sick building” symptoms, such as headaches, itchy eyes, asthma and respiratory problems. The benefits are happier, healthier and more productive employees, who have fewer sick days and more energy to get things done at work.

Indoor Air Quality testing and analysis Getting the indoor air quality in the facility tested and analysed by an industry expert is key to understanding which harmful particles are present in the air. Camfil Ireland uses two main tests to understand the air quality: 1) Particle counting 2) City Check Particle counting is a method to understand the basics of how clean (or polluted) the air in the facility is. We measure for different size particles (ranging from 0.3µm to >10 µm) to see the particle concentration in the air.

The City Check is a more in-depth analysis. Here we analyse what particles are in the air and how the air quality lives up to the European Indoor Air Quality standards. City Check includes testing for 39 potentially harmful molecules which are regularly found indoors: - 30 VOCs, like benzene, tetrachloroethylene, xylenes, toluene etc - 9 aldehydes, like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde etc.

After analysing and understanding the indoor air quality in a building, it is important to improve it (where possible).

Here we come back to the three steps mentioned earlier: First: ensure you use the optimum air filter configuration in your HVAC system, since this is the lower cost solution (where we also often suggest molecular filters to stop harmful molecules). Second: install air purifiers or air cleaners in your facility to compliment the HVAC system and the third solution is to create an air purifier or air cleaner solution which provides a satisfactory indoor air environment when the building has no HVAC system.

If you feel you have any issues with indoor air quality in your facility please contact Camfil Ireland today to enquire about any of our Indoor air quality testing methods

For More Information Contact Camfil Ireland Phone: 01-8484977 Email: info@camfil.ie

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Ireland's air quality compares favourably with other EU countries relands air quality compares favourably with other EU countries

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• EPA Report Air Quality in Ireland 2014 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality.

• 2014 air quality monitoring shows: o Ireland continues to enjoy good air quality, relative to other EU Member States. o Ireland did not exceed any legal EU limit values in 2014 for ambient air quality at any of the air quality network monitoring stations. o Burning of solid fuel and emissions from vehicle exhausts remain the main threats to air quality in Ireland. o Particulate matter and ozone values were higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline values. o Dioxin levels compare favourably with previous EPA studies and other EU countries.

• Real-time air quality information for Ireland is available on the EPA website.

Irelandʼs air quality currently is good, relative to other EU member states, but maintaining this standard is a growing challenge, according to the EPAʼs latest air quality report. The report, Air Quality In Ireland 2014 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality, shows that air quality in Ireland is generally good across the country, but particulate matter in our air is of growing concern, especially during the winter months when peopleʼs fuel choices can directly impact on air quality and on our health, particularly in our small towns and villages.

In launching the report, Laura Burke, Director General of the EPA, said, “Environmental protection and health protection are inextricably linked. We all expect that the air we breathe is clean but we cannot take this for granted. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Dublinʼs smoky coal ban – a ground-breaking piece of legislation with significant proven benefits for both environment and population health. It is time now to build on these successes and tackle the two key issues impacting on air quality in Ireland – transport emissions in large urban areas and emissions from smoky fuels in our small towns around the country. While the EU has introduced and implemented a range of legal instruments to improve air quality, these standards are still not in line with the tighter WHO air quality guidelines and the EPA is now calling for movement towards the adoption of these stricter guidelines, in particular for particulates and ozone, as the legal standards across Europe and in Ireland.ʼ According to Patrick Kenny, EPA Air Quality Manager: “Ireland met all EU legal standards for air quality in 2014 at EPA monitoring stations but values for particulate matter, and ozone were above the WHO air quality guidelines at some of these stations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were also above the EEA estimated reference level. The choices that we as consumers make about how we heat our homes and travel to work and school can directly impact on our local air quality.

However, people also need to have realistic and affordable options for both public transport and home heating so that the choices they make are not having a negative impact on air quality. Public policy in areas such as transport and energy needs to support and help our citizens make these better choices for the environment.”

The Air Quality in Ireland 2014 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality report is available on the EPA website.

The EPA continually monitors air quality across Ireland and provides the air quality index for health and real-time results on the website at http://www.airquality.epa.ie/. Results are updated hourly on the website, and you can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality in your locality is good, fair or poor.

Further information: Emily Williamson/Annette Cahalane, EPA Media Relations Office: 053-91 70770 (24 hours) and media@epa.ie

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Quality Standard first for Clare County Council lare County Council has become the first local authority in Ireland to achieve certification to the new Excellence Through People standard, launched earlier this year by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

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The Local Authority was presented with its award at a ceremony in Dublin, which saw 37 other organisations from the private, public and SME sectors becoming certified to world-class standards.

The new Excellence Through People standard provides a business improvement model for organisations to "enhance performance and realise strategies through the management and development of their people", according to the NSAI. "This is an independent assessment process with a rigorous evaluation. Clare County Council's Julie O'Neill, NSAI Chairperson presenting the Excellence Through People success in achieving standard to Gerard Dollard, Director of Services, Clare County Council. this award and maintaining the high standards required is very significant considering the challenging period it has endured in recent years, with reduced funding, a public sector hiring embargo across the public sector and a 25% reduction in staff numbers since 2008," said Cllr. James Breen, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council.

"This certification is testimony to the commitment of Council staff in improving the working environment within Clare County Council, as well as their planning, organisation and hard work in providing a quality, year-round service to the people of County Clare," he added.

Commenting on Clare County Council's certification to the standard, Mr. Tom Coughlan, Chief Executive of Clare County Council said: “Achieving this certification speaks volumes and demonstrates Clare County Councilʼs innovative and progressive culture. It shows by working together we can all achieve success and this collaborative effort has now resulted in this prestigious and sought-after Excellence Through People certificate."

The achieving of the award is testament to the commitment of all staff and the partnership approach that is evident within Clare County Council, towards delivering services to the public," said Mr. Coughlan.

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Minister Humphreys launches four year strategy for Local Authority Museums Network The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, has launched the new Local Authority Museums Network Strategy 2016 – 2019 ʻPreserving the Past – Shaping the Futureʼ. The Local Authority Museums Network (LAMN) represents the 12 Local Authority Museums across Ireland, which play a vital role in the social, cultural and economic life of regions across Ireland.

Highlights of this strategy include: • Examining ways to exploit the opportunities presented by technology to promote collections and reach out to new audiences; • Working collectively to play a distinct role in the Decade of Centenaries; • Exploring opportunities for collaboration through the new EU funding programme • Continuing to strengthen and develop partnerships with key stakeholder in order to deliver on the LAMNʼs key mission.

Speaking the Minister Humphreys said: “Local authorities throughout Ireland play a vital and proactive role in promoting and preserving culture and heritage, ensuring the best possible quality of life for their communities. Through their museum services they strengthen local communities by underpinning a sense of identity and pride of place. In this way, these museums contribute to the development of sustainable economic activity in local areas.

“The 12 local authority museums serve a population of over 1.8 million people, attracting over half a million direct visitors each year.

They work with local schools and other groups, and also play a significant role in driving local and regional tourism by supporting the cultural identity and image of Ireland to overseas visitors.

The local museum network has shown great resilience in recent years. Now, through this strategy, the local museum sector is planning ahead for the future with confidence. This strategy will help to cement the local museum network as a vital component of growing local communities.”

Mr John Rattigan, Chairperson of the Local Authority Museums Network said: “The local authority museumsʼ rich collections include some of the most inspiring and unique examples of Irelandʼs archaeological and historic heritage all of which can be experienced in a diversity of ways. The wide and imaginative range of exhibitions and events provided by local authority museums nationwide demonstrates the catalytic impact of how local museums create social cohesion in their communities.“ “As a group of professional organisations, one of the unique strengths of the LAMN is the ability to continually pioneer new and imaginative programmes for engaging with communities of all ages and all backgrounds. Through this ambitious four year strategy we are charting a way forward as we strive to find new ways to deliver on our mission.”

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N ew measures will give significant boost to housing construction – Ministers Kelly & Noonan Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly T.D., and the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, T.D., have announced a number of measures to kick-start new housing construction, enhance supply and at more affordable prices.

A number of actions will be initiated from January of next year which include: - Enhanced supply of more affordable starter homes in key locations through a targeted rebate of development contributions in Dublin and Cork for housing supplied under certain price levels;

The national apartment planning guidelines will improve consistency in the approach to future apartment developments throughout the country will enhance supply and affordability by bringing down costs and also take on board and fast-track the addressing of issues highlighted in a review of the Dublin City Council draft development plan.

- New National Apartment Planning Guidelines to be issued by the Environment Minister to reduce the cost of apartment building in Dublin City by approximately â‚Ź20,000 per unit; - Changes to aspects of the operation of Strategic Development Zones to enable swifter adjustments to meet market requirements; - The Governments Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) to examine funding for housing infrastructure on a case-by-case basis.

These measures will combine with previous announcements including, the introduction of a vacant site levy, new Part V arrangements and 20,000 starter homes for the Greater Dublin area to be funded by NAMA.

The new guidelines will retain minimum internal apartment sizes but allow for a certain amount of smaller studio type apartments in certain managed developments, address the minimum number of units with dual aspect, the maximum number of units per lift and revise car parking provision in city centre and public transport served locations. It is estimated

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these changes could reduce the cost of apartment building by as much as €20,000 per unit in Dublin City making many potential developments much more viable and enabling them to come on stream and enhance supply. This will be further combined with a development contribution rebate for developments completed in Cork and Dublin. Where new housing satisfies certain criteria in relation to value for money, achievement of affordable selling prices and sale and occupation by 2017, they will be eligible for a rebate of development contributions paid, bringing down prices to purchasers.

associated with underground and multi-storey carparks, which recognises the trend towards urban dwellers who wish to avail instead of lower purchase and rental costs and prefer to walk, cycle and use public transport,” “For those who build and sell affordable housing at below levels of €300,000 in Dublin and €250,000 in Cork, subject to certain conditions, they will be eligible for a rebate of payment of local authority development levies on sale of the property but must demonstrate the passing on of savings to purchasers through a project plan,” “We will also further amend legislation to allow for fast-track variations of planning schemes and developments within the Government designated strategic development zones so that developments with more expensive planning schemes from a previous economic cycle can be varied and expedited quickly, added Minister Kelly.”

“Combined these measures should make badly needed new housing development in our urban centres much more economically viable. We have a major problem in Dublin in that very little housing at affordable levels is being developed and is adding further to our housing pressures and action is required now.”

“The revised apartment planning standards will uphold good planning practice and at the same time reduce costs of providing an apartment development by at least €20,000 per unit. While changes of this kind are contemplated in Dublin City Councilʼs development plan, however there is strong evidence emerging that developers were waiting for these to take effect in 2017 before initiating development and we believe itʼs time to fast-track the introduction of the National Guidelines,” said Minister Kelly.

“The changes will in no way affect building standards as these are set down by law. We are proposing changes to technical aspects of planning guidelines.

The size of one-bed apartments will remain quite large by European standards so descriptions of “shoe-box” apartments are wide of the mark. In line with existing safeguards in my Departmentʼs guidelines, the new guidelines will ensure that there a good mix in the size of apartments. Also, these new guidelines will allow for some city centre developments to be built without the very large costs

“The shortfall in housing supply is clearly having a detrimental impact, and without policy intervention the situation could deteriorate further. The measures that have been agreed today will help stimulate new housing supply, by making it economically viable to construct houses in key urban areas. These measures, which cover planning, development levies and other areas, will complement NAMAʼs undertaking to fund the delivery of 20,000 additional residential units by 2020. In terms of the rental market, the measures will promote greater stability for tenants, but are time-bound in order to prevent any negative impact on supply. Taken together, these targeted measures will have a positive impact on the housing market, and I am confident that we will see a significant stream of additional housing units in the near future. This is in all of our interests.” Said Minister Noonan.

“These measures will help normalise the housing market. Housing completions for Dublin are likely to be down on 2014 figures, despite rapidly rising demand for housing. Therefore these measures, combined with the NAMA units, will have a big impact on housing construction, ended Minister Kelly”

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Public Consultation on the Significant Water Management Issues in Ireland (SWMI) – closing on the 18 December, 2015 Mr. Alan Kelly T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, announced the closing date of the 18th December to comment on the Significant Water Management Issues to be addressed in Ireland during the second cycle of River Basin Management Plans.

These Plans will set out the environmental goals to be achieved by the end of 2021 and they outline the actions required to deliver them.

The Minister launched this public consultation in June 2015 and the deadline for receipt of submissions is 18 December 2015.

Copies of the consultation document can be downloaded on the Departmentʼs website at www.environ.ie.

In issuing this reminder, the Minister said, “I want to hear from anyone who has an interest in the protection of our environmental waters in order to ensure that the most important issues are identified and addressed during the next cycle of River Basin Management Plans.

Any suggestions received in response to this

consultation will be taken into account in preparing the draft plans, which will subsequently be issued for public consultation towards the end of 2016.”

Submissions can be made by email to waterq@environ.ie or by sending a written response to Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government at WFD SWMI Consultation, Water Quality Section, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Newtown Road, Wexford.

NEW INCREMENTAL TENANT PURCHASE SCHEME FOR EXISTING LOCAL AUTHORITY HOUSES Mr. Alan Kelly, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government announced that he has signed the statutory instruments required to introduce a new tenant purchase scheme from 1s January 2016 for existing local authority houses. This scheme will replace the 1995 tenant purchase scheme, which closed for new applications in December 2012.

In making the announcement, the Minister emphasised the importance of tenant purchase in providing opportunities for local authority tenants to become homeowners, as a means of promoting sustainable communities, while generating additional funding from sale proceeds

for local authorities to invest in a range of social housing supports. He also emphasised the reduction in housing maintenance costs which local authorities will have to pay in upkeep of properties, and the resources which can be freed up for delivering new housing schemes as a result.

The scheme will operate along the incremental purchase model already in place for certain newly-built local authority houses and for local authority apartments. The discounts are based on tenant, etc., income and will enable tenants to purchase their houses earlier than under previous tenant purchase schemes. The new

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scheme will also promote sustainable communities by encouraging tenant purchasers to stay in their homes for a reasonable period after purchase.

purchaser will be required to pay to the local authority the outstanding incremental charge on the house from any resale profits.

Minister Kelly said: “I know many local authority tenants will be very interested in this scheme which I have delivered. Local authority tenants all over the country now have the opportunity to become homeowners from January 1st.

“This is about giving local authority tenants a better opportunity to own their own home, and building stronger and more stable communities. This really is a win-win for both the tenant and the local authority, as the tenant has the opportunity to own their own home, and the local authorities will have resources freed up which can be directed towards the delivery of new social housing units.”

The new scheme involves a discount for a purchaser of 60%, 50% or 40% off the purchase price of the house and an incremental charge on the house equivalent to the discount. This charge reduces to nil over a period of years in annual increments of 2% of the total value of the house, unless the tenant purchaser resells the house or fails to comply with sale conditions during the charged period. In the event of a resale within the charged period, the tenant

The Minister of State Paudie Coffey concluded by saying “The new tenant purchase scheme underlines the Governmentʼs commitment to implementing the reforms set in the Social Housing Strategy 2020 and is a very positive development for all tenants of local authority houses. I would encourage tenants to consider whether they wish, and can afford, to avail of this opportunity to buy their homes from their local council”

Positive Coverage of Positive Achievements GILTRON LTD Tel/Fax: 00 353 46 9072841 Email: carmel@giltron.ie

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Storm Barney and the rise of E.coli Have you been effected by the recent weather of Storm Barney. Whats sounds like a cute and cuddly name can have a dramatic impact on the rise of E.coli in our water supplies which can be harmful.

This usually happens when rising groundwater levels make contact with the higher soil layers where the bacteria are usually laying in wait. Agricultural run-off can also end up making its way into poorly constructed or protected wells. If you do think that your drinking water may be infected with this nasty bacteria, then you may have to boil it to ensure your health is not at risk.

When boiling at sea level, 1 minute is enough, but if you happen to live on the top of Croagh Patrick, then 2 minutes would be better (fact alert) because water boils at lower temperatures at higher altitude so it needs to boil for longer to destroy the bacteria. When the sun comes back out, get your water tested at The Water Lab to make sure its safe to drink..

Use promo code LAN2015 for 10% off on www.watertesting.ie Outfit – Irelandʼs number 1 dedicated outdoor gym and fitness equipment provider.

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O

Outfit provides a comprehensive service from initial advice and assistance with location choice and design to site preparation, installation, and ongoing care and maintenance of equipment.

Outfit is the first company to offer a full range of wheelchair accessible equipment, adding to our extensive range of over 20 different workout stations and wide combination choice.

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Window Glass Worth Looking Into Modern day double glazing can now offer thermal efficiencies previously only achieved using triple glazing. For example Pilkington Optitherm S1 Plus offers energy efficiency improvements of up to 64% when compared to standard double glazing. This represents a significant improvement in glazing technology .

What makes this even better is that this new double-glazed unit can be retrofitted into existing window frames, meaning there is no need to change window frames, no need to redecorate and it can cost up to 50% less than new windows.

One Irish company, ENERGLAZE, is leading the way in retrofitting and to date has retrofitted 1000ʼs of homes with this new glass. Managing director Peter Campbell says, “The feedback from our customers has been nothing short of breathtaking. Initially people thought this was a gimmick but having gone through the winter months their homes are staying warmer for longer and of course

they are saving on heating bills.” Campbell also states that an average 3 or 4 bed semi could save as much as €400 a year on heating bills simply by upgrading their glass.

ENERGLAZE heat-retaining glass

Heat Loss is invisible unless you happen to have a thermal imaging camera, however the ENERGLAZE technical sales team are equipped with heat loss detection equipment and can clearly demonstrate the heat-retaining properties of new glass versus old.

Standard double glazing

This thermal image shows ʻhot spotsʼ where there is significant heat loss through old, inefficient window glass.

Further information is available on their website www.energlaze.ie or by calling 021 6010095.They also operate on a nationwide basis.

Certainly Worth Looking Into!

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Nationwide Data Collection (NDC) commenced trading in September 2008 and although a relatively new company, our staff are extremely experienced in all aspects of data collection and processing. All our senior staff have a minimum of 15 years survey experience which was gained through employment with other data collection companies or mainstream traffic and transportation consultants.

NDC have also recently acquired Vincent Knight (VK) who are a highly respected traffic data collection consultancy based in London. The acquisition of VK provides additional resources in terms of staff and equipment which are available for use on projects throughout Ireland and the UK.

Despite a sluggish economy, NDC have continued to grow in size and are one of the largest and most reliable providers of traffic data in Ireland and the UK. NDC operate 3 offices in Ireland (Dublin, Athlone and Belfast) plus 4 regional offices in the UK (Scotland, North, Midlands and London).

We also have a sister company Nationwide IT Consultancy (NITC) which provides specialist IT support to numerous clients throughout Ireland and the UK. NITC can assist you with network design, management and security, hardware and software installation plus ongoing support.

If you wish to find out more about the services offered contact

We have recently expanded our Dublin office with a move to larger office premises which offer additional space to enable us to better serve the needs of our clients.

Nationwide Data Collection 9 City Gate, Lower Bridge Street, Dublin 8.

Tel: 01 633 4725 Fax: 01 633 4562 Email: enquiries@nationwidedatacollection.ie Website: www.nationwidedatacollection.ie

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FRONT COVER LAN Dec. 2015 05/12/2015 12:17 Page 3

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FRONT COVER LAN Dec. 2015 05/12/2015 12:18 Page 4