Results 15,121-15,140 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 123 together. The Social Housing Strategy 2020, published in November 2014, targets the provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households mainly through the Housing Assistance Payment. The Strategy is available on my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Costs (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: An important part of the Social Housing Strategy 2020is its focus on the rented sector and its potential as a stable and secure source, of high-quality housing support for low and middle income households which is affordable to both tenants and the State. This work forms one of the key blocks of Pillar 2 of the Strategy, exploring ways of enhancing the capacity of the rental sector to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Data (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Information on the funding provided to each local authority by my Department under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability is available on my Department’s website at the following link: . The detailed administration of the grants is the responsibility of the local authorities and my Department does not hold information in relation to waiting lists....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Data (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.My Department has no...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Following the announcement I made on social housing targets in April last year, to be delivered by all local authorities via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes and supported by over €1.5 billion in funding allocations, I have since approved substantial new social housing projects in May 2015, July 2015 and January 2016. Between these three major announcements, almost...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Whilst there is a necessary focus at the moment on providing suitable emergency accommodation for homeless families currently in hotels, the Government is fully committed to ending long-term involuntary homelessness by the end of 2016 through the housing-led approach articulated in the Government’s 2013 Homelessness Policy Statement and through the detailed measures set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy 2020 – Support, Supply and Reform, published by the Government in November 2014, included a commitment to undertake summaries of social housing assessments on an annual basis from 2016. Arrangements to carry out the 2016 summary, which will provide updated figures of national housing need later this year, are well advanced. I am aware of the level of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together. My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered does not provide detail in respect of numbers working in the housing departments or homeless sections within each local authority and accordingly the information requested is not available in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 546 of 2 February 2016, which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: For a household to qualify for social housing support, a housing authority must carry out an assessment to establish whether the household is in need of housing and meets certain eligibility criteria, including in respect of income limits. As part of a concerted effort to deal with the issue of mortgage arrears, the Social Housing Assessment Regulations were amended in 2011 to provide that a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (5 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.

Climate Change: Statements (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Fair play to Deputy Daly.

Climate Change: Statements (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: It is great to see such a large crowd here today. I feel like calling a quorum, but I will not. This is probably the most important issue facing us in the world and not one single representative is inside the Chamber. I am sure the Acting Chairman will agree it is incredible and he may wish to speak to people about it. I find it deeply ironic that this House is debating climate change...

Climate Change: Statements (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I also ask those who call themselves of the left to examine their climate change credentials when it comes to their water policy. While many things have been said about water in this House, the fact remains that the greatest energy user in the Irish public sector is our water treatment system. It consumes 490 GW hours of energy each year, which is a lot for those who do not know. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Funding support from my Department has been made available to all local authorities, including Sligo County Council, to support their continued work to return vacant social housing units to productive use. This funding support was confirmed to Sligo County Council at a recent meeting between the Council and my Department. As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question 452 of 20 April 2016,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Data (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 794 of 14 April 2016. The tabular information provided in that reply which gave total spending in the years by local authority, has been updated to present the data on an annualised basis by local authority. Water Services Investment Programme* Water Services Investment Programme* Rural Water Programme Local Authority Wastewater € Water...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: Funding support from my Department has been made available to all local authorities, including Kerry County Council, to support their continued work under the programme to return vacant social housing units to productive use. This funding support was confirmed to Kerry County Council at a recent meeting with my Department. Alongside that funding programme, my Department has also recently...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Services (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 459 of 20 April 2016. My Department issued Circular letter FPS3/2016 on 22 April 2016 advising each local authority of the indicative level of funding proposed to be made available to them through the new National Taking In Charge Initiative (NTICI). The €10m being made available in 2016 is distributed across the following three measures: -...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rent Controls (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015, enacted on 4 December 2015, introduced a number of measures to address rent stability and housing supply. In relation to rent stability, the Act provides, inter alia, that the minimum period between rent reviews for tenancies is being increased from 12 to 24 months and this new provision will apply for a 4 year period. In addition, the minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Stations Provision (4 May 2016)

Alan Kelly: The provision of fire services in local authority areas, including the establishment and maintenance of fire brigades, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of premises, is a statutory function of the individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central...