Results 23,721-23,740 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department appointed Senior Counsel on a non-statutory basis on 2 September 2015 to prepare a review report in relation to planning matters in Donegal. This follows the Order made by the High Court on 14 June 2013, quashing that part of my Department’s Planning Review Report (2012) relating to Donegal, arising from a settlement between my Department and the party concerned who had...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The routine turnaround of vacant social housing stock is a matter for each local authority and is carried out under their on going maintenance programme. A programme of retrofitting was introduced in 2009 and ran until 2014. This programme included remedial works, energy efficiency measures and works on vacant social housing units. Under this programme improvements were carried out to over...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Assets (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The information requested by the Deputy regarding lands owned by the Cork local authorities is not available to my Department and is a matter for the local authorities themselves. Notwithstanding the above, the active pursuit of progressing housing developments on State lands, including local authority lands in Cork, is a major part of the new approach to housing provision under the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: As indicated in the reply to previous Parliamentary Questions ( Numbers 130, 135 and 136 of 29 September 2016 ), minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, as amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Animal Breeding Regulations (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I refer to the reply to Question Number 640 of 16 September 2016 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Urban Renewal Schemes (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Under the Limerick Hinterland Study, Tipperary County Council submitted a proposal to my Department with estimated costings for a new town park and related facilities at Newport. The overall estimated cost of the development is €650,000, which includes site acquisition costs. My Department approved funding of €325,000 in August 2016, on a matching funds basis, with the balance...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (11 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Households, including individuals that meet the eligibility criteria and have a housing need, may apply to their local authority for social housing support. In assessing any application, the local authority will consider such factors as present accommodation, the condition of that accommodation, etc. Following assessment qualified households are placed on the housing waiting list. The...

Financial Resolutions 2017 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I wish to share time with Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, and Deputy Michael D'Arcy. I am please to have an opportunity to contribute on the budget and to clarify a number of issues. A series of comments have been made by a number of Opposition spokespeople both yesterday and today on the housing measures and it is good to have an opportunity to respond to them. This has been a balanced...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Government has committed €1.2 billion in funding for housing to my Department under Budget 2017, to allow for continued implementation of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, under which 47,000 new social homes will be delivered by 2021.  Future targets and funding will be allocated to all local authorities beyond 2017 based on the results of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Action 5.1 of the Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Irelandundertakes to develop a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by 2017. To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group to inform the Strategy, with senior representatives from my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenancy Protection Scheme (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: As provided for in Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Threshold tenancy protection service, which currently operates in the Dublin region, the mid-East, Cork and Galway, will be extended on a national basis by the end of this year. Also, a national awareness campaign will be rolled out in early-2017 targeted at families and individuals worried about, or at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The numbers of private vehicles (excluding vintage vehicles) taxed at 30 September 2016 and which were first licensed prior to July 2008 are set out as follows. Year of first licensing No. of vehicles taxed at 30 September 2016 2008 57,883 2007 174,926 2006 164,584 2005 152,734 2004 125,723 2003 101,303 2002 83,077 2001 61,156 2000 60,218 1999 and earlier...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Legal Cases (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department sought further clarification on aspects of this complex case from the State’s legal services in June 2016. While no formal reminders have issued the case has been raised during scheduled meetings between officials. The clarifications sought have not yet been received.

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this Bill and providing us with another opportunity to discuss what I believe everyone who has contributed to this debate would accept must be an absolute priority for the Government and all parties in the Oireachtas. As Senators will be aware, the Government has tabled a proposed amendment to the motion, as I did in the Dáil when this issue...

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I have a copy. The Senator can have it. I might go off-script at times; I have a reputation for doing that. As I said, there are acute pressures in the rental market and I outlined some of those. Those stresses are borne out by the latest data from the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB. The PRTB index for the second quarter of this year shows that private rents rose by almost 10%...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (13 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each housing authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy. The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Service (13 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Fire services are provided by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. Under section 10 of the 1981 Act, a fire authority, in this case Meath County Council, is required to make provision for the delivery of fire services in its functional area, including the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of premises. In general, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Inniúlacht sa Ghaeilge sa Státseirbhís (13 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Molaim Ceisteanna Uimh. 77 go 79, cuimsitheach, a fhreagairt le chéile. Tá thart ar 18 ball foirne faoi láthair i mo Roinn atá inniúil ar a chuid nó a cuid oibre a dhéanamh trí mheán na Gaeilge agus is féidir na baill seo a dhíriú chuig réimsí oibre faoi leith ina bhfuil gá le Gaeilge nuair is gá. Leanfaidh...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Services Data (13 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department received 27 applications under the My Open Libraryinitiative following a call for proposals from interested local authorities in June 2016. Approval-in-principle to proceed to procurement and commence works was given to local authorities for 23 projects; four applications (Rathdowney (Laois), Borris (Carlow), Carrick-on-Suir (Tipperary) and Donabate (Fingal) ) were withdrawn....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Projects (13 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: An allocation of €2.3m has been provided for the continued roll-out of the My Open Libraryservice as part of my Department’s Libraries Capital Investment Programme 2016-2021. The programme was officially launched in January 2016 by the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. The programme builds on funding provided by the Department in previous years...