Results 18,121-18,140 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: As part of the introduction of a radical and comprehensive new regulatory framework to reform the regulation of the collection of household waste in 2015, I intend to introduce measures to require collectors to have a customer charter in place and to meet certain minimum standards of customer service, such as specified frequencies of collection. I will be setting out in law what the minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy 2020 – Support, Supply and Reform, published in November 2014, sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of households on the housing list. Actions 1 and 4 of the Strategy require the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing across local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seanad Reform (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am currently considering observations made by the Technical Working Group and issues raised in submissions made as part of the public consultation process on the General Scheme of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2014. These are informing the further development of the General Scheme, which has not yet concluded. To date, the Technical Working Group has met on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seanad Elections (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Responsibility for the maintenance and publication of the relevant electoral registers is assigned in law to the universities which form the university constituencies for the election of members of Seanad Éireann. My Department has not carried out any research on the electoral registers of either university constituency. Section 8(1) of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: City Status (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: There are no proposals to establish additional city authorities. The Action Programme for Effective Local Government(October 2012) sets out government policy in relation to the reform of a range of local government matters and the Local Government Act 2001, extensively revised and updated by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, now provides a modern legal framework supporting the local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. As Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any case being dealt with by a housing authority. The suite of social housing supports available to assist...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Library Services (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 to 552, inclusive, together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 557 of 20 January 2015 which sets out the position in this matter. Senior management in local authorities and library service managers have been consulted throughout the process. Consultations with unions have taken place from the initial stages of the review and are ongoing. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Applications (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 169 of 16 July 2014 where I outlined that an application for provisional approval in the case referenced was received by my Department on 9 June 2014 and this provisional approval was granted the following day. In an effort to increase the numbers delivered under the scheme a new protocol between all parties in the process was agreed and came into...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Pollution (22 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 205 together. The Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts carry a general prohibition on the entry of any polluting matter to waters.  Any person causing or permitting polluting matter to enter waters is liable on conviction on indictment, to a fine of up to €15,000,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (22 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 to 210, inclusive, together. The management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock, including the compilation and implementation of planned maintenance programmes and the carrying out of responsive repairs, including addressing damp, and pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Funding (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department recently received and responded to correspondence from Donegal County Council regarding the provision of funding, under Section 10 of the 1988 Housing Act, to the White Oaks Rehabilitation Centre. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Supported by funding from my Department, local authorities are undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting on the least energy efficient social houses over a 3 year period. Funding of €50 million is being provided over the period 2013-2015 for improving the energy performance of older local authority housing stock. This programme will improve energy efficiency and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 212 and 213 together. Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014, which builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020in November 2014, which sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of households...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 216 together. The Social Housing Strategy 2020,available at the link below, builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. The total targeted provision of over...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics, and the total number of units delivered through local authority and voluntary and co-operative provision can be found on my Department’s website at the following link: by clicking “LA Housing output (1999+) by each council” under the Social Housing Supports contents. A breakdown of the leasing...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy 2020outlines that the funding for work by local authorities to return vacant social housing units to productive use in 2015 and onwards will be linked to local authorities putting in place ongoing maintenance programmes to address the issue of vacant properties. Funding made available under Budget 2015 will see 1,000 vacant units being returned to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters Installation (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The National Metering programme is the most ambitious nationwide metering programme of its type ever undertaken, with water meters being installed in all regions across the country at a rate of some 31,000 per month, with an overall target of 1.1 million dwellings to have meters installed by end 2016. Irish Water’s meter installation rate is three times that of comparable programmes in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: EU Regulations (21 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 (GGB). The Market Corporation Test is a requirement that income from customers be greater than 50% of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters Expenditure (21 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The first phase of the metering programme, covering over a million properties is expected by Irish Water to cost €539m excluding VAT. In July 2013, Irish Water and the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission (NPRF) entered into a two year €250m bridging loan facility, which benefits from a State Guarantee.  The NPRF agreed to an increase in the amount of this facility by...