Results 16,081-16,100 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects Status (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department currently supports an ambitious programme of regeneration in Limerick which seeks to address keys aspects of disadvantage in communities through holistic programmes of physical, social and economic regeneration. Good progress has been made through the programme and the Government remains committed to the ‘Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan’. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Central Government funding to local authorities presents a complicated picture, with transfers coming from a wide range of Departments and Offices, not solely from my Department, for a variety of purposes. Some streams of funding are delivered directly from funding departments to local authorities, while others are routed through departmental agencies. The Comptroller and Auditor General...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is deemed to be a social housing support under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. It should be noted that as a long term housing support, an assessment of housing need must be completed in order for a household to qualify for HAP. The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 provide that subject to conditions, a housing authority shall...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1028 to 1030, inclusive, together. The local authority mortgage protection insurance (MPI) scheme is overseen by the Mortgage Protection Committee which is a sub-committee of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and is representative of the CCMA, local authorities, the Housing Finance Agency and my Department. One of the conditions of the scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Flood Risk Assessments (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am aware of the matters raised by the Deputy from a previous Parliamentary Question. However, the matter raised is first and foremost a matter for the relevant local authority, which in this case is Meath County Council. With regard to the issues raised by the Deputy, the information available to me is that the area has been the subject of Flood Risk Assessment as part of the planning...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1033 and 1041 together. Dublin City Council has submitted a proposal for funding from my Department towards the refurbishment of a block of units at Jamestown Court, Inchicore. The proposal is currently under consideration by my Department and a response will issue to the Council in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Revised Estimates for Public Services 2015, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, provide for gross expenditure of €1. 329 billion in respect of my Department in 2015, while the initial allocation provided for in the Abridged Estimates for Public Services 2016 is €1.4 96 billion gross . The 2015 estimates of expenditure are set out in the table...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Lansdowne Road Agreement (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The provisional allocation for my Department as announced in the recent Abridged Estimates Volume (AEV) 2016 amounts to €1.446 billion. The Administration budget for my Department includes an amount of some €32,000 in respect of the Lansdowne Road agreement. The table below sets out the administration allocations in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) 2015 and the AEV for 2016. ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Air Quality (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Air quality monitoring in Ireland is carried out to meet the requirements of EU Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, also known as the CAFE Directive. The instruments at the monitoring stations calculate hourly average values for each pollutant. These values are picked up by the telemetry system at between one minute and thirty five minutes past the hour....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Air Quality (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department occasionally runs public information and awareness campaigns on air quality issues. Implementation of the smoky coal ban, currently in place in towns with 15,000 residents or more, is often the vehicle used in these campaigns. For example, in early 2015 , my Department ran a campaign in local newspapers, providing information on the smoky coal ban rules. Agencies and local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Appointments to State Boards (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Since July 2011, my Department’s website has been used as the primary mechanism for seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced persons, for consideration as members or chairpersons of the boards of State bodies under my Department’s aegis. In line with a Government Decision last Autumn, a Revised Model for Ministerial Appointments to State Boards,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1040 and 1053 together. In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement, which was published in February 2013, outlines the Government's aim to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016 and emphasises a housing-led approach as the primary response to all forms of homelessness. The availability and supply of secure, affordable and adequate housing is essential in ensuring sustainable tenancies and ending...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Funding (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Funding for homeless services from my Department is provided to housing authorities on a regional basis. The regional approach is considered more effective as it brings a more strategic perspective to bear on action to address homelessness, including avoidance of over-concentration of homelessness services in certain centres and promoting appropriate regional availability of services,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Quality (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1044 and 1103 together. The Water Services Act 2007 provides that the owner of a premises is responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the internal water distribution system to ensure that water intended for human consumption meets required quality standards. Responsibility for replacing lead pipes or fittings within the property boundaries, including...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Tax Exemptions (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under Section 10 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, an exemption from liability can arise for properties located in developments prescribed on a list made by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government where the Minister is satisfied that the developments on the list are incomplete to a substantial extent, having regard to the condition of public infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Irish Water has entered into service level agreements (SLA) with each of the 31 authorities for the provision of water services. Staff in local authorities working under these arrangements remain local authority employees. The SLA reflects the transformation agenda required for the water sector and makes provision for annual service plans to be agreed between Irish Water and the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1052, 1075 and 1076 together. Government has approved the delivery of 500 units of modular housing for homeless families across Dublin. It is intended to have the first 150 units delivered as quickly as possible in the Dublin City Council administrative area, with the City Council acting as the contracting authority. The City Council expects the delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020. There are now over 4,500 households in receipt of HAP and 3,200 separate landlords receiving rental payments related to the HAP scheme. The scheme has been rolled out to all categories of households in 15 local authority areas, and will shortly be...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (3 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Informed by an extensive public consultation process and an independent in-depth review of the operation of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, a number of amendments to Part V were included in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 which came into force on 1 September 2015.The principal objectives of the 2015 amendments are to: - maximise the opportunity for the...