Results 23,441-23,460 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: On the road tax issue, if we use that purely for roads we will have to find other funding streams for the many other areas it funds. The Department of Finance is very strong on not ring-fencing funding from any given tax for any given purpose unless there is a direct relation between the polluter pays principle or an incentive around conservation. The provision of water services is an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: -----in terms of a major financial problem arising. I take the Senator's point, but I am making the principal point in that regard. What is encouraging is that the LPT issue is settling down. We have gone from having 15 or 16 local authorities reducing it to 11 for this year, and I hope we will have even fewer next year. I hope we will start to see a small number of local authorities...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: For next year, in terms of the reallocation, we have said that of the balancing fund or the redistribution fund, whatever one wants to call it, the decisions we have made will ensure that, effectively, no local authority will get less than they got last year. However, there is still an opportunity for local authorities. Some have made the decision; others will make it in the next few days...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I wish to clarify a point raised by Senator Coffey. I do not want to let it go. We think the €13 million will probably be accommodated through a reduction in the overall amount of money going back to the Exchequer. It is something that must be negotiated with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I would not like to give the impression that local services are being cut...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: That is a very fair question and Senator Boyhan made the point earlier. We are asking councils to sign off on local property tax decisions now - whether they go up or down - but they are not passing their budgets for another couple of months. This happens because the Revenue Commissioners insist on getting earlier decisions around the local property tax. It poses real problems for both the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities are not on their own and there is ongoing conversation between the finance team in my Department and the financial teams within local authorities. They meet almost on a monthly basis and there is a structure for discussion around that. Nothing should be coming as a surprise here. Some local authorities have real financial difficulties, although I will not name them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: If they cannot-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I was a local authority member for a number of years and passed budgets. Therefore, I have a reasonable idea as to how the system works. I acknowledge the funding structures have changed somewhat since then. The legal position is that if a local authority will not or cannot make a vote through a budget, the Minister must put a commission in place to run its finances. I really do not want...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I do not expect that I will. Even through the very difficult years, namely, over the past seven or eight years, that has not happened. My Department will work with everybody, from chief executives and party leaders to councils and financial officials, to try to get the numbers into shape for the passing of a budget. I do not expect we will have to use any other emergency powers or any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Absolutely. That is what the Senator is there for.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government (21 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Senator Coffey asked a question I did not answer. When we decided to do away with the water conservation grant, we needed to make a consequential decision to increase funding for the rural water programme in respect of the capital support programmes that were needed. Effectively, as a result of the decision, the conservation grant was not going to many people in rural areas who would...

Order of Business (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes, there is a straight answer. Today, the Cabinet approved the putting together of that legislation, which will be done as a priority. There is a series of measures, one of which is a fast-track planning process for large developments. There are also facilities around renewal of planning permissions in a fast-tracked manner. There are provisions around statutory time limits on Part 8...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I would have expected more from the Deputy, to be honest.

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: I thank both Deputies for raising this issue because it is one of real concern in Sligo. I met last week with the chief executive of the local authority in Sligo. It was not a political meeting. It was a meeting to go through a letter he had sent to me outlining the challenges the council faces. It is important to say that every local authority has a responsibility to manage its...

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: No it was not under threat. As part of the plan, the Department agreed to give an extra €1 million to Sligo each year over a five-year period. Only nine months later we are now in a situation where we are being told the plan is not workable. I have to stand over a situation where we are trying to bring back an acceptable level of financial management to the local authority in Sligo....

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Did Deputy MacSharry object to the plan at the time?

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Is that why Deputy MacSharry is grandstanding?

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Topical Issue Debate: Local Authority Funding (27 Sep 2016)

Simon Coveney: What we are trying to do is ensure that it does work. We are showing flexibility, which we have been asked to do by the chief executive and his team. That is exactly what we have been trying to do.