Results 17,501-17,520 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (26 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Motor tax is based on the construction and use of a vehicle. In order to qualify for the commercial rate of motor tax, a vehicle must be constructed or adapted for use as a goods vehicle and used solely for the conveyance of goods in the course of trade or business. Licensing authorities have an obligation under Article 3 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing)(Amendment)...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Data (26 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Exchequer funding of over €37 million was provided by my Department to local authorities in 2014 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. Combined with an additional 20% contribution by individual local authorities, there was an overall spend last year of €46.3 million in this area. I am pleased to confirm that the 2015 amount will...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Records (26 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Government decided on 17 April 2012 to establish Irish Water as an independent state owned company within the Bord Gáis Group (now Ervia). This was communicated to Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) by letter, in which in it was indicated that achieving the transition of water services would require a collaborative approach with stakeholders, particularly recognising that Irish Water...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (26 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I understand that the term over-holder is used to describe former members of the Defence Forces and their families who have refused to leave military married quarters within 21 days of retiring or resigning from military service. Where such persons leave military quarters and are in need of housing, it is open to them to apply to their local authority for social housing support and be...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (26 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Funding provided by my Department to local authorities for the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability is available on my Department's website at the following link:,by selecting 'Social and Affordable Housing', 'Housing Adaptation Grants by Area 2008 to date'. Exchequer funding of over €37 million was provided by my Department to local...

An Bille um an gCúigiú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Aois Intofachta chun Oifig an Uachtaráin) 2015: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Age Eligibility for Election to the Office of President) Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Will he support it?

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (25 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: In December 2013, my Department published proposed “draft” revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: -The setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, -A mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Property Tax (25 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Finance (Local Property Tax) Acts require the Minister for Finance to pay an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax (LPT) that was collected, including any interest paid during the year, from the Central Fund into the Local Government Fund from 2014. In 2014, LPT was paid into the Local Government Fund, along with Motor Tax receipts. The total income was used for a variety of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (25 Mar 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: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (25 Mar 2015)

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 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 household may...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Plastic Bag Levy (25 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: The amount s raised by the Plastic Bag Levy are available and contained in the published accounts of the Environment Fund, available on my Department's website at: . The 2014 Accounts have not yet been finalised. The proceeds of the environmental levy on the supply of plastic bags, collected by the Revenue Commissioners, and the environmental levy on the landfilling of waste, collected by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (25 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: There is insufficient information provided by the Deputy to allow my Department to answer the queries raised.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Bodies Data (25 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together. Information in relation to the number of Chairpersons, the members of the Boards and the fees for each Board is set out in the table. Agency/Body Post Number of board members Remuneration Dublin Docklands Development Authority Chairperson 1 Nil - Member 7 €11,970 Housing Finance Agency Chairperson 1...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I encourage those to whom I refer to visit the Lissycasey group scheme in order to discover what will be the reaction of the people who live there. What about the myth that is continually trotted out with regard to double taxation? The State provides transport services, yet people pay for train tickets. The State builds libraries, yet people pay to take books out on loan.

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: The State builds houses, yet people pay subsidised rents. If water is a human right, then surely food and housing are also human rights. However, the Opposition seem to be amenable to people making a contribution towards the costs relating to both. I have not seen any protest at a bus stop in respect of double taxation. Of course, the Opposition believes that nobody should ever be obliged...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: They sell the absolute lie that people can have everything they want for absolutely nothing. The citizens of Ireland know full well that this is not the case. Have those in opposition considered the fact that virtually all social-democratic, left-wing governments throughout Europe have some form of water payment? Even countries such as Cuba have water charges. I am quite sure that...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I welcome the opportunity provided by some of those in the Technical Group to debate again this important issue of the future funding of public water services and the management and operation of our water and sewage networks by Irish Water. The Government has invested considerable time, energy and resources in the water sector reform programme. We have established a single national utility...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I wonder what will happen in Northern Ireland, where a metering programme is being put in place. Our colleagues from Sinn Féin are not here to debate that matter. As part of our review of the water charging system and water sector reform programme, the Government responded to people's concerns about issues of Irish Water's governance and the customer experience. A single unitary...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “supports: — the establishment of Irish Water as a long-term strategic investment project to deliver the necessary water services infrastructure and quality of services required to meet statutory compliance and demographic needs; — the management of our...

Water Charges: Motion [Private Members] (24 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Irish Water will lift the boil water notices on 17,000 homes in the coming months. This is what the Opposition, in many cases, wants to abandon. Irish Water is identifying and fixing leaks and finding where lead is in our water system. It is a major public health issue that the Opposition sees fit to ignore. Irish Water has 385 capital projects under way throughout the country at present....