Results 17,941-17,960 of 21,821 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I just caught the eye of the Senator coming in and thought of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: No. On issues such as that, there would have to be constitutional change. The commission can make recommendations but it has to be completely independent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Of course it must be accountable but it must act in an independent manner. I am open in regard to the question of the relationship between the Minister, the Department and its functions and whether these should be moved. Who the commission liaises with within the structure outlined - that is through the Minister - and how that works needs to be defined also. There are significant options...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I will consider whatever recommendations the committee brings to me and we will draft legislation on that basis.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: To be fair, this is not like any other form of legislation I bring to a committee. This is not about the Government driving something forward or having a defined view. We need a general view and consensus of many of the issues we are discussion in this regard. How we run elections into the future is fundamental to our democracy, so we need to get consensus and general agreement on all of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: The lake is there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I know what the Deputy means.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is just outside Nenagh.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am inside it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am not in Offaly; I am in Tipperary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: No, I am in Tipperary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: No, I am in Tipperary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Ballinskelligs to Dingle.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I hope there will not be any more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: There was a great overlap. There are no right or wrong answers to some of the questions asked. It is matter of coming to a consensus on many of the issues raised, drilling down to gather as much information as possible and making decisions on that basis. There is no such thing as best practice; there is just practice and there are circumstances. One can take the Kilmeaden cheese approach...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Rates (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Income from Motor Tax currently accrues to the Local Government Fund. The Fund historically provided local authorities with finance to fund some of their day-to-day activities, including elements of water services costs, through General Purpose Grant allocations. Following the establishment of Irish Water, the water-related element of General Purpose Grants which previously went to local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Communications (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: As indicated in the reply to Question No. 503 on 27 May 2014, my Department had on - going engagement, both formal and informal, with the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (AMAI) relating to the implementation of the Action Programmefor Effective Local Government, Putting People First, and the drafting of the Local Government Reform Bill 2013, which was enacted as the Local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Social housing is a key priority for the Government, evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for it in Budget 2015. Accordingly, the Social Housing Strategy 2020,published in November 2014, sets ambitious targets for supply and reform of the sector. Given the scale of the challenge in the Dublin area, a key early action of the Strategy was the establishment of a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Dublin Housing Supply and Co-ordination Task Force was established under Action 2 of the Government’s Construction 2020Strategy with an immediate focus on addressing supply-related issues and to work closely with industry and other parties, including those responsible for key infrastructure such as schools, to identity and address any obstacles to viable and appropriate...