Results 17,961-17,980 of 21,821 for speaker:Alan Kelly

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 508 to 510, inclusive, together. Enforcement in relation to illegal diesel laundering activities is primarily a matter for the Revenue Commissioners from the point of view of avoiding loss of revenue to the Exchequer. My Department assists local authorities in carrying out their role as competent authorities under waste legislation, which involves taking...

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

Alan Kelly: My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing statisticsthat inform the preparation and evaluation of policy. Data on local authority housing completions in the period since 1999 are included within this range, and are available on my Department’s website at by clicking “L.A housing output (1999+) By each Council” under the Social Housing Supports...

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

Alan Kelly: The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is a matter for the relevant local authority, in this case Dublin City Council, and it is open to local authorities to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources. My Department operates certain funding programmes to support the development and improvement of social housing and a...

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 513 and 514 together. Under the terms of the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, which is administered by the local authorities, grants are available to assist households with specific needs to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out to facilitate the continued independent occupancy of their homes....

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

Alan Kelly: My Department publishes a wide range of housing statistics, including the number and value of local authority mortgages with a breakdown of those in arrears. The statistics are available on my Department’s website at:by clicking “Mortgage Data/Arrears in Local Authorities” under the Housing Loans contents. The breakdown of arrears is only available for loans over 90...

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 519 and 531 together. Policy decisions to replace town authorities with a new model of municipal governance were designed to strengthen local government within counties and to address widely acknowledged and long-standing weaknesses and anomalies in the previous system, including the problems of divided administration between town and county authorities,...

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 520 and 543 together. Under the relevant actions of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis are to be agreed for each year. Action 1 of the Strategy requires the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis...

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

Alan Kelly: MacCabe Durney Barnes Consultants were appointed in February 2014 to carry out an independent planning review on the performance of planning functions in six selected planning authorities (Carlow, Cork, Galway and Meath County Councils and Cork and Dublin City Councils) in accordance with section 255 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. I expect to receive the final report...

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

Alan Kelly: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Alan Kelly) The report Managing the Delivery of Effective Library Servicescontains detailed arrangements for the planning and implementation of new structures in order to establish stronger, more effective and efficient public libraries and deliver better library services to local communities and citizens. This includes...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Funding (10 Mar 2015)

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 accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The purposes...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together. As part of the Government Decision on Irish Water financing taken on 6 May 2014, the Government agreed that the subsidisation of group water schemes be reviewed to ensure equity of treatment with households on public water supplies. This approach to ensuring households in the group water sector receive equivalent support, while...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme, which includes funding for group water schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The selection, prioritisation and approval of individual scheme proposals for advancement and funding under the programme is, therefore, a matter for the local authorities. The National Rural Water Services Committee, which...

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

Alan Kelly: The primary role of my Department in electoral matters is to provide an appropriate policy and legislative framework for a modern and efficient electoral system. Within that framework, local returning officers are responsible for all matters in connection with the actual conduct of elections and referendums. This includes, in accordance with section 94 of the Electoral Act 1992, the...

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

Alan Kelly: Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisation arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible My Department works closely with Dublin City Council in relation to overall staffing requirements and will examine all staffing sanction requests on a case by...

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

Alan Kelly: This year, Exchequer funding of over €40 million will be provided for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. This represents a 10% in crease on the funding available in 2014. The Scheme is generally 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from each local authority. The allocation to Kildare County Council for 2014 was...

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

Alan Kelly: The continued deterioration of Sligo County Council’s financial position is of serious concern to me. While it is a matter for individual local authorities to manage their own day-to-day finances in a prudent and sustainable manner, my Department is in regular consultation with the Council in relation to its financial position, including in relation to the agreement of a long...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 545 and 548 together. My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence,...

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

Alan Kelly: My Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme provides capital funding support, through local authorities, towards the costs of approved housing bodies in providing accommodation for persons with specific categories of housing need, including older people, people with an intellectual, physical or mental health disability, homeless people and returning emigrants. Subject to normal approval...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Eligibility (10 Mar 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 580 of 3 March 2015. In order for a property to be considered under the Mortgage to Rent scheme it must be purchased for less than €220,000 in the Greater Dublin Area and €180,000 in the rest of the country. These limits were determined by a working group which took account of available market data and the current social housing acquisition...

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

Alan Kelly: Under section 255 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has certain investigatory powers in relation to the review of the performance by planning authorities of their functions under the Act. These powers are restricted to the review of the organisation and of the systems and procedures used by planning authorities in...