Results 23,821-23,840 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the overall commitment to Irish Water's capital investment of €5.5 billion to end of 2021, as set out in Irish Water's Business Plan 2014-2021. The investment programme for the period 2017-21 will be subject to review by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), and any Government funding will be subject to future budgetary...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Refugee Resettlement Programme (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: An operational sub-group under the auspices of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) Taskforce, composed of all relevant Departments of State and other bodies such as representatives of local authorities and the Irish Red Cross, is currently being established to support the process of housing the families referred to. This sub-group will be co-chaired by my Department and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Data (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water customer billing and collection levels are a matter for the utility and one in which I have no function. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety Regulations (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Premises consisting of a dwelling house occupied as a single dwelling are exempted from the fire safety duties, and inspection and enforcement provisions, in Part III of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. The Acts do not define a single dwelling and, while single dwellings are self-evident in most cases, consideration of a range of factors may be required on a case by case basis and may...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Enforcement (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Act to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provided for a process for the holding of a plebiscite on the possible introduction of an office of directly elected mayor for a Dublin metropolitan authority. This procedure was based on achievement of political consensus across the four Dublin local authorities, involving the adoption of a resolution by a majority of each Dublin council for the holding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together. No representations of the kind referred to have been received in my Department and I have no proposals in that regard. It is open to a local authority, under Part V of the Local Government Act 1991, to initiate a proposal for the alteration of a boundary.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Government Reform (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The most recent review of local electoral areas was carried out from November 2012 to May 2013 by a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee established under the Local Government Act 1991. Unlike the position for Dáil and European Parliament constituencies, there is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of local electoral areas. There is a commitment in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Budget 2017 saw the Government allocating €1.2 billion to housing programmes, a 50% increase over 2016, which will underpin Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. Of this increased funding, €127 million additional funding has been provided for 2017 in respect of the delivery by local authorities of new social housing via capital...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The initiative to support the purchase and renewal of private houses for social housing use will be available in all local authority areas. I will be making an initial €25 million available for this initiative in 2017 and propose to increase this to as much as €50 million in 2018. I expect this investment to deliver between 400 and 500 renewed houses for social housing use....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: With the demand for additional social housing units delivered at an accelerated pace, initiatives which provide greater efficiency in the delivery of those units are vital. In particular, engaging with banks and investment companies in respect of their vacant/available property portfolios, which normally span a number of local authority jurisdictions, benefits from a national approach. In...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 263, 271 and 278 together. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department's role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in place to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Community Development Initiatives (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Programme for a Partnership Government included a commitment to develop a new Community Development Scheme. An indicative budget of some €2 million has been provided for the new scheme in 2017. The full details of the scheme are being finalised. However, the intention is that it will be targeted at disadvantaged urban and rural areas and will fund capitalprojects that seek to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: My Department provides funding to have necessary repairs or improvement works carried out to the private houses of older people and people with a disability. There is a strong social benefit accruing from this funding in terms of supporting older people and people with a disability to continue to live independently in their own homes and, in some cases, to avoid an outcome where people may...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I have not received a copy of the full review of the Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan, which I understand is still being prepared by Limerick City and County Council. My Department, along with other statutory and community stakeholders involved in Limerick Regeneration, is working with the Council on the completion of the review and I look forward to its publication by the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Alternative Energy Projects (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: There are no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar farms and I have no proposals to bring forward such guidelines at the present time. However, the matter will be kept under review, in consultation with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in the context of the Government's White Paper on Energy Policy, entitled Ireland's...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Animal Breeding Regulations (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The regulation of dog breeding establishments is a matter for local authorities in accordance with the Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010. The local authority must maintain for public inspection a register of dog breeding establishments in its functional area, which must include the name and address of the applicant seeking entry onto the register, the address of the dog breeding...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Provision (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Transport costs can be an additional burden upon families residing in hotel accommodation on an emergency basis. As provided for in Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, arrangements are being put in place to provide access to free public transport for family travel and for school journeys for those homeless families in the Dublin Region that are residing in hotel...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water Charges (25 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water customer engagement and meter readings are matters for the utility and ones in which I have no function. I have been advised by Irish Water that it collects domestic meter readings on a quarterly basis and that...