Results 18,061-18,080 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Other Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: A key component of the strategy to establish Irish Water is that Irish Water will be classified as a market corporation under EUROSTAT rules and, as a result, will not, other than in relation to Government operating subvention, be included in the calculation of the general Government balance. The market corporation test is a requirement that income from customers be greater than 50% of...

Other Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I will not engage in speculation on communications between a journalist and Department of Finance officials. I cannot confirm it one way or the other, although I find it very hard to believe. We are engaging with the CSO in terms of providing all the necessary information. We are very confident that it will pass the test. The figure the Deputy quoted is accurate; I think it is 44.38%. We...

Other Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: What I said was that I could not confirm what journalists are saying. I do not think any one of us in this House ever can. However, I am not aware of any such process - I would be so aware given my Department's role in this - or of any officials going down the route referred to by the Deputy. Journalists speculate. However, I can state categorically that my Department and the Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Accommodation Provision (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: As the Deputy will be aware, Dublin was prioritised and transport services, night cafés etc. were introduced. A number of other changes are also under way. Nevertheless, I share the Deputy's concerns as we both represent the lower midlands. I understand and appreciate that homelessness is a broad issue that does not only affect urban areas, even if the acute problems arise in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Irish Water is set up in order to ensure that it can invest into the future - that it can have capital to invest on a scale that was not there before. It is a model that is necessary so that we do not have to argue about whether we are going to invest in schools, health care, or water. We need a separate mechanism to be able to fund this. Deputy Murphy is well aware of issues around water...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: There has been an awful lot of analysis of Irish Water, but the way in which it has been set up as a utility means that it now has huge capacity to borrow and invest into the future. Deputy Murphy knows there will be economies and deferred costs in the future as a result of the investments that have been made. It will be possible to prioritise projects. Irish Water is currently in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Accommodation Provision (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I thank Deputy Cowen for raising this issue. I also commend the Deputies opposite, many of whom participated in this process in a very non-political and open way. Many people outside the House of various political persuasions acted in a similar vein. I want to publicly thank them for that. On 4 December 2014, as everyone is aware, I hosted a special summit on homelessness to reaffirm the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The establishment of Irish Water is an integral component of the Government’s water sector reform strategy and will lead to lower costs and improved services in the future, providing much better outcomes for customers and the environment. Irish Water is being funded by a combination of domestic and non-domestic water charges, Government subvention and the raising of debt on capital...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The main aspects of the Irish Water funding model are set out in a detailed fact sheet published on my Department’s website. In 2015 Irish Water expects billed income from domestic customers to total €271 million and that from non-domestic customers to total some €229 million, giving a total billed income from customers of €500 million. The estimated annual cost...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I will not take lectures from Sinn Féin on voodoo economics, especially after the performance the other night.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: We are very happy that the funding model for Irish Water is very thorough and is going to work. The registration levels are improving all the time. As of yesterday, 1.03 million people had registered. The funding model for Irish Water and the expenditure is all set out. The €271 million for domestic income is what is expected and what has been gone through with the CER.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is impossible to assess now, but similar to all other schemes, the property tax and everything else, we expect a very high compliance rate. Income from commercial charges is €229 million, so that is bringing in a total of €500 million. With the €399 million, that is €899 million, as the Deputy is well aware, in relation to the total operating spend on Irish Water.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Another Deputy has a similar question later on. I am confident this will pass the market corporation test. Comments by the European Commission were leaked over the past several weeks. We are, however, confident the market corporation test will be met. Several Deputies have referred to the water conservation grant as if it would have a negative impact on this. This will be a demand-led...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (28 Jan 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. A range of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: In 2014 my Department provided funding of in excess of €26 million to support local authorities in their work to return over 2,300 vacant social housing units back to productive use. The three local authorities in Counties Galway and Mayo received funding of almost €1.9 million under this programme and returned 182 properties back to productive use. The funding provided by my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Quality (28 Jan 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 including the delivery of water services capital infrastructure. I have not received any assessment from Irish Water specifically in relation to the presence of asbestos pipes in the water infrastructure. Asbestos cement...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Quality (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied complies with the chemical and microbiological parameters set out in the Regulations. The procedures to be followed and the roles of water suppliers, the EPA and the HSE where there is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics on our website and the total number of local authority units occupied can be found at the following link, under the area titled ‘LA rented units by area 2003+’ within the Social Housing Supports contents: . However, this information does not cover households currently renting directly from an Approved...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Government is acutely aware of the difficulties facing people in accessing housing and is undertaking a range of actions to address the matter. My Department’s Housing Land Availability Survey (HLAS) estimates that there is in excess of 25,000 hectares of undeveloped residentially zoned land nationally, which equates to a capacity for over 500,000 new homes (based on a national...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 4 on today's Order Paper which sets out the position in this matter.