Results 19,481-19,500 of 21,489 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Litter Pollution Legislation (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: I understand that the issue concerned relates to an exercise being undertaken by Roscommon County Council under the Litter Pollution Act 1997 (as amended). Under that Act, the primary management and enforcement response to littering must come from the local authorities. Therefore, it is a matter for each local authority to decide on the most appropriate enforcement actions in their areas,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: The particular financial contribution scheme for older persons concerned was a local authority scheme which facilitated older people to downsize from homes that had become too large for them, thus potentially freeing up these larger homes for use as family units. In the context of implementation of the Social Housing Strategy, now at an advanced stage of preparation, it will be open to local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: The latest summary of social housing assessments carried out as at 7 May 2013 provides data on the number of households on local authority waiting lists at that date across a range of categories broken down by authority, including the composition of qualified households and the length of time on waiting lists. The 2013 results are available on my Department’s website at: The 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Unfinished Housing Developments (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Budget 2014 contained a special provision, in the form of a targeted €10m Special Resolution Fund (SRF), to assist further in addressing the legacy of unfinished housing developments.  The SRF is designed to encourage the resolution of the remaining tranche of unfinished developments identified in the National Housing Development Survey 2013 and, particularly, those developments...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: The 2009 National Implementation Plan for the Homeless Strategyprovides for the development and implementation of a single integrated national data information system on the use of homeless services. The usage of the Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS) by homeless service providers has been established by housing authorities as a criteria for the provision of State funding on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Data on homeless households in emergency accommodation is provided through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS). Households that are qualified for social housing support are recorded by housing authorities through social housing assessments. When assessing the housing need of an applicant household for social housing support, each housing authority records, among other...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Traditionally it has been difficult to quantify the number of homeless persons on an ongoing basis; this is in part a consequence of the volatility within this cohort of housing need. In February 2013, at the time of publication of the Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement,a set of indicators was identified to be used to demonstrate the dynamics of homelessness as it is addressed....

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: 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, independence and peace of mind. The scheme is administered by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Public Sector Staff Data (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in the local authority sector and in the State agencies under my Department’s remit. The most recent quarterly data on the numbers of temporary contract staff collected at the end of June 2014 on a whole time equivalent basis (WTE), was 1,320.91 WTE (local authority sector) and 19.5 WTE ( State agencies). My Department has two...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Public Sector Staff Data (9 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: My Department first collected information in relation to the numbers of staff entitled to contracts of indefinite duration in local authorities in 2008. The table sets out the information on a cumulative and a whole time equivalent basis (wte) and includes the most recent data available for 2014. The number of staff who sought contracts of indefinite duration is not collected by my...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Government has already responded to the recommendation in the Fourth Report of the Convention on the Constitution for the establishment of an Electoral Commission. The preparatory work on this task has commenced in my Department and the Government Legislation Programme provides for the publication of an Electoral Commission Bill in 2015. The Government expects to respond to the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Data Protection (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 to 211, inclusive, and 215 together. Under the Water Services Acts 2007-2013, Irish Water may request its customers and certain specified persons or bodies, including the Minister for Social Protection, to provide it with information so that it can perform its functions under these Acts. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Expenditure (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, every local authority received increased funding for 2014 compared to the 2013 allocations. An allocation to local authorities of €38.4m for 2014 was made for these grants on 16 January 2014. Some changes to the terms and conditions governing these schemes were introduced following a review in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Vehicle Registration (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has established an Inter-Departmental Working Group on issues relating to the Irish haulage industry which includes representation fr om my Department. The Working Group’s discussions are ongoing at present. Any structural change to the basis of taxation for commercial vehicles to gross design vehicle weight, including factoring in the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Commissions of Investigation (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: My Department engaged MacCabe Durney Barnes in February 2014 to commence an independent Planning Review, in accordance with section 255 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This review is expected to be completed this month. No further reviews have been decided upon at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Scheme Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Grants of 75% of the approved costs or €2,031.58, whichever is the lesser, are available under my Department’s Rural Water Programme for the provision or necessary improvement of an individual water supply in a house. Details of the conditions applying to the grants scheme, including the type of works that may qualify, can be obtained from local authorities, to whom...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services Act 2013 provides for the establishment of Irish Water as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group and assigns the necessary powers to allow Irish Water to undertake the water metering programme. The installation programme commenced in August 2013 and will be implemented nationally as quickly as possible. Up to 300,000 households may not be...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Since 1 January 2014 Irish Water is responsible for the public water and wastewater systems and infrastructure. Individual householders have always been, and continue to be, responsible for the water distribution system and sewage drains within the boundary of their own property. In the case of local authority houses, works previously carried out, including repairs to sewage systems, were...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: I assume the Question relates to how Irish Water proposes to bill group water schemes which receive their water from Irish Water as distinct from schemes which have their own sources. Such schemes were previously customers of local authorities for the bulk supply of this water. The group scheme is now a customer of Irish Water for the bulk supply of such water and the Commission for Energy...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (8 Oct 2014)

Alan Kelly: Since 2001, national water pricing policy has required local authorities to recover the costs of providing water services from all non-domestic users of these services, including farms. This policy provided for charges based on actual metered consumption and is consistent with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for...