Results 22,701-22,720 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 205 to 208, inclusive, and 219 together. The Commissioner for Valuation is responsible for valuation matters, including the global valuation of property of public utility undertakings und er Part 11 of the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 come under the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality. This legislation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Section 12 of the Water Services Act 2014 states that public water services property is not rateable for the purposes of the Valuation Act 2001. This exemption applies to Irish Water for the provision of water supply and waste water treatment. Government subvention is not paid directly to Irish Water to fund this cost; instead, it is redirected to provide equivalent funding directly to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes, in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. Those Acts determine properties that can, and cannot, be considered for rating purposes. The Commissioner for Valuation has...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Expenditure (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Over the period 1999 to end 2015, my Department provided over €764 million to Ballymun Regeneration Limited and Dublin City Council towards the physical, social and economic regeneration of Ballymun. The funding is broken down annually as follows: Year Amount € Year Amount € 1999 6,732,405 2008 75,000,000 2000 20,346,410 2009 63,577,376 2001 59,409,394...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Anti-Social Behaviour (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: “Anti-social behaviour” is defined in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 as including either or both of the following, (a) the manufacture, production, preparation, importation, exportation, sale, supply, possession for the purposes of sale or supply, or distribution of a controlled drug (within the meaning of the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2007), (b) any...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 enables housing authorities to provide assistance to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the provision of housing. Section 6 (6) of the Act empowers me, as Minister, to grant approved status for this purpose. AHBs are independent, not-for-profit organisations. They provide affordable rented housing for people who cannot afford to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together. Irish Water’s capital investment in the period 2016 and 2017 will be funded by a mix of debt and equity (including capital transfers from Government), with the investment programme for the period after end 2016 being subject to future review by the Commission for Energy Regulation, and Government funding being subject to future...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electoral Reform (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Electoral law provides that a person who is entitled to vote at an election or referendum shall vote in person at a polling station allotted to him or her unless they are included in the postal voters list or in the special voters list for the constituency concerned. While electoral law is subject to on-going review, I have no proposals at present to amend the existing arrangements for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Disposal Charges (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: I engaged actively and intensively with representatives of the waste industry in recent weeks and I have agreed a clear way forward that results in customers paying no more than they’re currently paying for waste over the next 12 months - by means of a price freeze to end-June 2017. The private waste company to which the Deputy refers is a member of a representative body which was...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Section 6(6) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 makes provision to grant approved housing body (AHB) status to housing associations. AHBs consist mainly of voluntary or co-operative organisations limited by guarantee and registered under the Companies Acts; societies registered under the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts; and/or Trusts incorporated under the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: The European Union (Packaging) Regulations 2014 aim to facilitate the achievement of targets for recovery of packaging waste established by EU Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste. They also impose obligations on producers who supply packaging. Repak, as the approved Compliance Scheme for Packaging in Ireland, fulfil these obligations on behalf of its members who represent the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Boundaries Review (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 228 together. The chairpersons of the committees which are reviewing the boundaries at Athlone, Carlow, Drogheda and Waterford have indicated that further work is required in order to complete the reviews, including work arising from the large volume of submissions received on foot of public consultations. My Department has been in communication...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Funding (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department is currently preparing an 'Action Plan for Housing', which will seek to address the challenges in the housing sector in a targeted and meaningful way. It will build on the considerable work already carried out or underway in this area. I can assure the Deputy that the recommendations of the Report of the Special Committee on Housing and Homelessnessare being considered in the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: The table sets out the funding provided by my Department to local authorities for the acquisition of new and previously owned housing and apartments for social housing from 2014 to end May 2016. This includes direct purchases, purchases under Part V arrangements and the delivery of turnkey projects. Some local authorities also fund acquisitions from their own resources such as local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Disposal Charges (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: In an open market , it has always been a matter for the waste collector to set charges at the level they consider to be competitive, in compliance with the requirements of relevant legislation. Excessive pricing by individual companies will offer the opportunity for rival operators to provide their services at a cheaper price. In response to recent concerns regarding reported price...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: The information requested in relation to new loans advanced by each local authority in 2015 is available on my Department’s website at: www.environ.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-pro file-borrowers/local-authority-loan-activityby clicking on the link entitled, "LA loans paid by individual LA 2011-2015". Information on new loans advanced by each local authority in Q1 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: Drafting of the Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill is well advanced and it is my intention to publish the Bill during the Autumn Oireachtas session.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Boundaries Review (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: In 2015 the Cork Local Government Committee was appointed to carry out an objective review of local government arrangements in Cork city and county including the boundary of Cork city and to make recommendations with respect to whether the boundary of the city should be altered or whether Cork City Council and Cork County Council should be unified. The Committee's report, which incorporates...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Vacant Sites Levy (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 to 233, inclusive, together. The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, enacted in July 2015, introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at incentivising the development of vacant, under - utilised sites in urban areas. Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their areas, beginning...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (28 Jun 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme will be rolled out to a further group of local authority administrative areas in Quarter 4 of this year, including Wicklow County Council, subject to the necessary statutory regulations being in place. My Department is currently liaising with Wicklow County Council in relation to staffing and training needs to support the introduction of HAP in this...