Results 23,661-23,680 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing for People with Disabilities Provision (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: All newly constructed social housing complies with Part M of the Building Regulations and accordingly, with very minor exceptions, such housing units provide access for persons with mobility impairment. Accessibility features in this regard include level access and an entry level wc. In individual cases, further adaptions to a social house might be necessary to make a dwelling fully usable...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a key Government priority and the accelerated roll - out of the scheme on a national basis is an important early action for completion in the Government’s Rebuilding IrelandActionPlan for Housing and Homelessness. Local authorities and my Department are working closely together in order to ensure the successful...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: In January 2015, a Ministerial Direction was put in place which required the Dublin Region housing authorities to allocate at least 50% of tenancies under their control to homeless and other vulnerable households, while the authorities in counties Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford were required to allocate at least 30%. The Direction was subsequently renewed on two occasions, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: House Purchase Schemes (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the rent-to-buy scheme operated by Rentplus-UK Ltd. I have no plans to introduce a similar scheme in Ireland, nor am I aware of plans by any development company in the State to initiate such a scheme. The Government recognises the major challenges presented by the shortage of housing at affordable prices, rising rents and the unacceptably high level...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Land Availability (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The active pursuit of progressing housing developments on State lands, including local authority lands, is a major part of the new approach to housing provision under the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The Action Plan contains a number of integrated actions to underpin land supply management, including the development of a national Land Supply Management...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143, to 146, inclusive, together. All local authority areas already have targets in respect of social housing delivery out to 2017 arising from the Social Housing Strategy 2020; those delivery targets have involved a combination of building, purchase and leasing schemes and good progress has been made to date on these, in particular in kick-starting a new...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Land Availability (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Land Availability Study undertaken in 2014 determined the location and quantity of lands that may be regarded as being undeveloped and available for residential development purposes at 31st March 2014. The results of the survey indicated that there were 17,434 hectares of residential zoned lands nationally which is sufficient to support the construction of over 414,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: House Prices (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148, 150 and 151 together. The Government recognises the major challenges presented by the shortage of housing at affordable prices, rising rents and the unacceptably high level of homelessness. That is why, in publishing the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government has set out a practical and readily implementable set of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Mortgage Lending (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Rules in relation to mortgage lending are not a matter for my Department. This is more appropriate to my colleague, the Minister for Finance, and for the Central Bank.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (5 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. In accordance with section 37(2) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services, including...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Rates (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: A reduction in motor tax rates for commercial vehicles with an unladen weight in excess of 4,000 kgs was announced in Budget 2016. The changes applied to vehicle licences taken out with a commencement on or after 1 January 2016. Tax receipts for these vehicles for the period from January to September 2015 were €53.6m, including arrears. The comparable figure for January to September...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness recognises the important source of potential accommodation vacant private properties present. A new Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) has been developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to harness this potential, and bring these vacant houses into social housing use as new...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Official homeless reports are published on my Department's website on a monthly basis and can be accessed using the following link:. These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS). These reports capture details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements that are overseen...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The following criteria formed the basis of the assessment of sustainability for prospective social housing sites being delivered through the Public Private Partnership programme : - Compatibility with the relevant development plan for the area; - Impact on sustainable communities in the area; and - Access to services by future residents ( amenities such as public transport, schools,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together. Amendments were made to the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme in operation for borrowers from private lending institutions in August 2015 and then reflected in the operation of the Local Authority Mortgage to Rent (LAMTR) scheme with effect from March 2016. These amendments were made, in both cases, to enable more properties to qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: An Bord Pleanála (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Since the establishment of An Bord Pleanála in 1977, planning legislation has clearly assigned final responsibility for decisions on planning appeals to the Board and not to inspectors making reports and recommendations to the Board. The Board’s Annual Report for 2015 states that the number of all Inspectors’ recommendations not generally accepted by the Board was 204...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Staff (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: In accordance with the Guidelines and Instructions on Ministerial Appointments for the 32ndDáil, I have appointed two Special Advisers, Mr. Bob Jordan and Ms. Caitriona Fitzpatrick. Their salaries, along with those of all Special Advisers, have been published on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) website at . The appointment and role of Special Advisers are set out...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Services (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 to 142, inclusive, together. Under section 78 of the Local Government Act 2001, the provision and management of library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority. Accordingly, expenditure on library services and book funds by local authorities, the number of library branches in each area and whether they open on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department has worked closely with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and other stakeholders to meet the accommodation and other needs of the bereaved families in the aftermath of the Carrickmines tragedy. Temporary emergency accommodation for the surviving family members has been in place in Ballyogan since shortly after the tragedy. Following discussions with the family around...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (6 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The funding of agencies under my Department’s aegis is subject to financial controls and governance as set out in the Public Financial Procedures, the Public Spending Codeand Circular 13/2014; Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds. All funding unexpended by an agency at the end of the year must be surrendered to my Department. However, in certain...