Results 23,321-23,340 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: On mixed-tenure provision, the reality is that it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis in terms of how we can best use the strategic asset of land banks in different circumstances. Sometimes it will be a straight sale which can raise money to buy other land, as the Deputy said, and sometimes it will be to deliver and finance significant potential numbers of social housing units. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: It is about ensuring that people get homes and that they are not homeless.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: That was the issue the Deputy raised with respect to Deputy Boyd Barrett's question. She might extend me the same courtesy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: We will come back to the other pillars the next time we meet. We want to get every local authority to work on a choice-based letting principle. That will mean that if people say they will take a house, the chances of their seeing that through and not refusing it are much higher.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: With regard some of the points Deputy Boyd Barrett made about HAP, all of our HAP tenancies involve an inspection of the property to make sure it meets certain standards. The whole point of HAP is to try to reduce the vulnerability of some people who may be on rent supplement, whereby the relationship is with the landlord and the local authority rather than between landlord and tenant, to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: -----rent supplement. Everyone who is renting deserves the protection of the State in term of the standards that they should expect from private rental accommodation. That should apply to social tenants in the same way as to private tenants. Obviously there is a risk there, which is the reason we have an inspection system. The figure I got is that there is an inspection always within...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: No. That is what the Deputy is talking about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: We want to make sure the 1,500 units that we are talking about building-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: If one asks the families who have moved into the 22 units in Poppintree about their experience, I think one would get a pretty positive response from the vast majority of them. We are trying to get volume into the system to start to deal with the housing needs of many families in a more proactive way. Rapid build is just part of the solution and it will be a very small part in percentage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (14 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The point here is that we are looking at the broader rental market and we will have new policy initiatives on it before the end of the year. Hopefully, we will be able to get consensus on some of those at least but we will have to wait and see.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 539 and 540 together. 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. The Commissioner for Valuation has sole responsibility for all...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Data (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The self-assessed charge is set at €200 per annum and liability for it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects Funding (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Under the Limerick Hinterland Study commissioned last year to examine the impact of Limerick Regeneration on its hinterland, the three local authorities concerned submitted proposals to my Department to be considered for funding. A total of 16 projects were submitted, including a proposal from Tipperary County Council for a new town park and related facilities at Newport with a funding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Vehicle Registration (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013 provides that a declaration of non-use of a motor vehicle must be made in the month of expiry of a tax disc or previously made declaration of non-use of a vehicle. A renewal notice is issued to the owner at the beginning of the month, prompting renewal of motor tax or a further declaration of non-use. The declaration can be made in a motor tax office...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Vacant Sites Levy (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: 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 on 1 January 2017 and to issue annual notices to owners of vacant...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (16 Sep 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. The Commissioner for Valuation has sole responsibility for all valuation matters. The levying and collection of rates are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Services Data (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Drumcorra Group Sewerage Scheme was included by Leitrim County Council in its bid under Measure 4 (d) of the Rural Water Multi-Annual Programme 2016 – 2018 for funding those sewerage schemes where individual septic tanks are not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective. However, following examination of all local authorities' proposals under this measure by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Contracts (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos 552 to 555, inclusive and No. 582 together My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Contracts Data (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: The national minimum turnover levels for contractors are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (16 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 557, 561, 574, 579, 581, 592, 596 and 606 together. The new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum...