Results 18,901-18,920 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together. Under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock is the responsibility of the relevant housing authority. Statistics on local authority housing stock, including units that may be empty, are published annually by the Local Government Management Agency. The most recent statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation o f the pyrite remediation scheme .In accordance with the provisions of the Pyrite Resolution Act 2013, the Board is independent in the performance of its functions and as Minister I have no role in the operational matters pertaining to the implementation of the schemeor to individual...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services Act 2013 provided for the establishment of Irish Water as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group (now Ervia) and assigned the necessary powers to allow Irish Water to undertake the water metering programme. Irish Water has informed my Department that each water meter has a low power radio unit fixed to the top which enables it to be read...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Meters (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: Prior to 1 January 2014 capital funding for public water services was provided from my Department’s Water Services Investment programme (WSIP) and Rural Water Programme (RWP). Funding for operational expenditure has, in the main, come from the Local Government Fund (LGF). The Fund has historically provided local authorities with finance for funding some of their day-to-day activities,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water shall collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act defines a customer as the occupier of the premises in receipt of water services. The ‘Rent-a room’ tax relief is a scheme operated by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides for a new scheme for the purchase of existing local authority houses, which will be open to local authority tenants in receipt of social housing support for a prescribed period of at least one year who have not previously purchased a house under a tenant purchase scheme and who have a minimum prescribed annual income. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Establishment (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides for the transfer of water services functions from local authorities to Irish Water. With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for the provision of public water services. Section 12 of the Act provides for the transfer of property from a local authority to Irish Water. Section 13 of the Act provides that any rights or liabilities...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The provision of social housing services is a matter for each local authority as the housing authority for its area. Each authority has responsibility for identifying their area’s social housing need and responding as required, including in relation to the availability of units for particular categories of need.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill is included on the ‘A’ list of Bills in the Government’s Legislation Programme, as a Bill expected to be published in the period up to beginning of the next Oireachtas session in mid-January 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Marine Resources (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The development of a framework for maritime spatial planning is one of the actions set out in Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland - Implementation of actions identified in the plan is supervised by the Marine Coordination Group, which is chaired by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Marine Coordination Group’s consideration...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Government has decided that there should be a single non-executive Board at Ervia Group level with responsibility for Irish Water and the gas network subsidiary. The size of the Ervia board will be expanded to ensure there will be adequate expertise and experience in respect of water services. Legislation on these matters will be published shortly. The term of appointment for Directors of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Expenditure (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The first phase of the metering programme, covering over 1 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 has recently agreed to an increase in the amount of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Expenditure (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 213 together. The establishment of Irish Water is an integral component of the Government’s water sector reform strategy and involves major organisational change. The establishment of a high performance utility will lead to lower costs and improved services in the future, providing much better outcomes for customers and the environment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: All decisions in relation to Local Government Fund income and expenditure for 2015 will be finalised as part of the Revised Estimates Volume process. It is envisaged that the subvention to Irish Water in 2015 will be some €399m.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Yield (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: Non-domestic users of public water and waste water services are now customers of Irish Water. Local authorities, acting as agents of Irish Water under Service Level Agreements, have continued billing, collections and billing/metering query functions in relation to non-domestic customers. The local authority water tariffs that applied prior to 1 January 2014 still apply to non-domestic...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (27 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: In the case of primary dwellings registered with Irish Water and where a meter is installed, an allowance of 21,000 litres per annum will be provided in respect of each child under the age of 18 ordinarily resident in the dwelling. In the case of unmetered dwellings with children, the capped charge to apply is based on the numbers of adults in the dwelling i.e a single adult dwelling or a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (26 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 to 138, inclusive, 149, 152 and 153 together. On 19 November 2014, the Government decided on the introduction of a number of measures in relation to a revised approach to water charges. This was done to provide clarity and certainty and ensure that water charges are affordable for customers. To implement the changed charging regime, and to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (26 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Government announced a new package of measures last week relating to water charges and financing of Irish Water. As part of the package of measures I announced a changed approach to the treatment of water infrastructure for commercial rates purposes such that Government subvention does not need to be paid to Irish Water to fund this cost, and can instead be redirected to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Litter Pollution (26 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: Under the Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009, my Department’s role is to provide the legislative framework for combating litter pollution, and to motivate and energise anti-litter responses as necessary. It is, in the first instance, a function of local authorities to provide the primary response to littering. The Anti-Litter Awareness Grant Scheme, which is administered by my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Air Quality (26 Nov 2014)

Alan Kelly: The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous fuel (or ‘smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known) was first introduced in Dublin in 1990 in response to severe episodes of winter smog that resulted from the widespread use of smoky coal for residential heating. The ban proved very effective in reducing particulate matter and sulphur dioxide levels in Dublin. As...