Results 17,161-17,180 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (19 May 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, which I published on 26 November 2014. The HAP scheme will bring all social housing supports provided by the State under the aegis of local authorities. The scheme will remove a barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water can collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act defines the customer as the occupier of the premises in respect of which the water services are provided.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Renewal Schemes (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: A number of initiatives aimed at contributing to the renewal of urban centres have been taken by my Department in recent years, as follows: local authorities were requested to exercise restraint, or where possible, to reduce commercial rates and local charges to assist local businesses in the current economic climate – the vast majority of local authorities have responded positively to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Legal Costs (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has not incurred any expenditure in appealing decisions taken by the High Court for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Consultancy Contracts Data (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The information requested on expenditure and the number of consultants engaged by my Department is set out in the following table. The information relates to the current configuration of my Department (i.e. Heritage consultancies are excluded and Community consultancies are included from 2011). - 2011 2012 2013 2014 Consultancy Expenditure €1.826m €3.251m...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: In November 2014 I announced a package of measures to ensure that domestic water charges are certain, affordable and clear. If a customer does not pay their water charges, late payment provisions shall automatically apply, unless the customer enters into a payment plan. In the case of a One Adult Household (capped at €160), €30 will be added to any bill where outstanding...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Control of Dogs (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My attention has been drawn to an unedited manuscript entitled Human hospitalisations due to dog bites in Ireland (1998-2013): Implications for current breed specific legislationby Páraic Ó Súilleabháin which is stated to have been accepted for publication in the Veterinary Journal. The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 require that dogs of certain breeds, and strains or...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (14 May 2015)

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. Under section 3(13) of the Water Services Act 2014, if a dwelling is metered after 1 January 2015 and if a household’s usage for the first metered year is less than the relevant capped charge, the household will be...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electromagnetic Fields Studies (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has commissioned a study to review and report on international developments on the potential health effects of electro-magnetic fields. This study will examine international developments in non-ionising radiation (NIR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF) research, which have taken place since publication in 2007 of a report by the then Department of Communications, Marine and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Climate Change Policy (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Any consideration of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015 has to be set in the context of the National Policy Position on climate action and low-carbon development which was published on 23 April 2014. In progressing the Government’s national low-carbon transition agenda, the National Policy Position and the Bill are parallel and complementary pillars. As set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Responsibility for the administration of my Department’s Rural Water Programme , under which funding is provided for group water and group seweragesschemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection, prioritisation and approval of individual group scheme proposals for advancement and funding under the programme , within the overall priorities set by my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Living City Initiative (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am not aware of any grant assistance schemes operated by any Government Department for the renovation of commercial buildings.The operation of tax relief schemes are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance. In this regard, a new tax relief scheme entitled the Living City Initiative was launched by the Minister for Finance last week. This initiative is a targeted pilot tax...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 189 together. I announced a major social housing construction programme on 5 May 2015, with €312 million to be invested nationally, covering all 31 local authorities and with over 1,700 social housing units to be built across more than 100 separate projects. That announcement included projects for Co. Wicklow covering the construction of 50...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I have no plans currently to introduce a system of monthly direct debit payments for motor tax. Any such proposal would require to be underpinned by robust legislation to ensure that there is a system in place to recoup income lost to the taxpayer where there are insufficient funds in personal accounts to meet the payment or where a direct debit or standing order option is cancelled by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to my reply to Question No. 593 of 12 May 2015 which sets out the position in this matter. The information provided to Irish Water under this provision is a matter for the utility. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at or by telephone on 1890 578 578.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: To the end of April 2015, over 6,000 housing units have been delivered under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme, previously referred to as the Social Housing Leasing Initiative , since the same began in 2009. The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme comprises a range of methods for local authorities and approved housing bodies (AHB’s) to deliver units for social...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 to 198, inclusive, together. I recently announced social housing targets for each local authority, including Mayo County Council, out to 2017, along with provisional funding allocations. Full details of this announcement are available on my Department’s website at the following link: . I announced a major social housing construction programme on 5...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (13 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am fully supportive of all technologies which contribute to the conservation of water. Rainwater harvesting has the potential to contribute to reducing the cost of water services for certain uses as well as benefiting the environment. Article 9 of the Water Framework Directive of 2000 requires Member States to take account of the principle of recovery of the costs of water services, in...

Independent Planning Regulator: Motion [Private Members] (12 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes the progress made to date by the Government to support the implementation of the planning-related recommendations of the final report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments, particularly the publication of a general scheme of the Planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tribunals of Inquiry Recommendations (12 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012, the 2012 Act, which became law in July 2012, significantly enhanced the openness and transparency of political funding in Ireland. These were issues that were central to the recommendations made in the Moriarty Tribunal Report which was published in March 2011. The Tribunal recommended that the income of political parties be disclosed...