Results 23,841-23,860 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: The 2015 water conservation grant was a universal payment to support water conservation in the home and was available to all householders in respect of their principal private residence, who had registered details of their water services with Irish Water before 30 June 2015. This grant is currently suspended in line with the suspension of domestic water charges. As such, the only financial...

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

Simon Coveney: There are two Ministers of State assigned to my Department. Minister of State Damien English T.D. has responsibility for Housing and Urban Renewal while Minister of State Catherine Byrne T.D. has responsibility for elements of the Communities brief. The issue of a formal delegation of functions is under consideration. In the meantime both Ministers of State engage fully with myself and...

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

Simon Coveney: The estimated breakdown and method of delivery for the 4,450 social housing units to be supplied in 2017 via my Department's capital programmes includes 2,350 units to be delivered by local authorities through construction activity (i.e. new build and refurbishment/regeneration), 7 5 units to be acquired by local authorities, with the equivalent figures for approved housing bodies being 550...

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

Simon Coveney: The Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013 came into effect on 1 July 2013. The primary purpose of the Act is to replace the system whereby a vehicle was declared off the road retrospectively with a system under which the vehicle must be declared off the road in advance. The system of making retrospective declarations had become a means of evasion of motor tax estimated to have cost some...

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

Simon Coveney: The decision as to whether to grant planning permission in any particular case is a matter for the relevant planning authority in the first instance and for An Bord Pleanála in the event of an appeal. In making decisions on planning applications, planning authorities and the Board must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to the provisions...

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

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 284 together. The Programme for a Partnership Government sets out the ambitious priority attached to urban regeneration and incorporates a series of specific actions aimed at facilitating the regeneration of our urban centres. In this regard, the Programme incorporates a range of specific actions to help address vacancy and dereliction, for...

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

Simon Coveney: My Department has two programmes which provide support to local authorities for the refurbishment of vacant local authority social housing units that may require a greater level of remediation than the normal level of pre-letting repairs. The Voids programme, which commenced in 2014 provides funding support of up to €30, 000 per unit. The Derelicts programme was introduced in 2016 to...

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

Simon Coveney: I understand that Longford County Council has recently advertised for proposals to deliver social housing. As with all such publicly advertised processes and in line with public procurement arrangements, the Council is now completing its assessment of the proposals received. Following this, I expect the Council will shortly submit the highest evaluated of the proposals, as assessed, for...

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

Simon Coveney: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. Information on payments made to local authorities under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 is available on my Department's website at: .

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

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 286 together. Under the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, it is a condition of eligibility for social housing support that the income of applicant households does not exceed prescribed maximum income thresholds. The 2011 Regulations set the maximum net income limits for each housing authority in different bands according to the area,...

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

Simon Coveney: The agreed Programme for a Partnership Government recognises the potential role that credit unions can play in housing finance and supports the efforts of the Registrar of Credit Unions at the Central Bank to gradually lift current lending restrictions as appropriate, including for housing. The Programme further provides that we will investigate with all stakeholders how credit unions can...

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

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 to 290, inclusive, together. Article 10(4) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2015, dealing with change of use exemptions, provides that development consisting of the use of not more than 4 bedrooms in a house, where each bedroom is used for the accommodation of not more than 4 persons as overnight guest accommodation, shall be exempted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (26 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I understand that the case in question involves the eligibility of the person concerned for social housing support from Sligo County Council. Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions. Decisions on the eligibility of specific persons for social housing support are a matter solely for the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Data (26 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Information is set out in the table in respect of the funding my Department has provided to date in 2016 to local authorities under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, as well as the number of grants concerned. The funding figures represent the 80% provision for these grants that comes from the exchequer; a further 20% is provided from the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (26 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The spreading of sewage sludge is subject to a range of regulatory controls under waste management, water protection, planning and other applicable legislation. Persons seeking to spread sewage sludge are required, inter alia, under waste management legislation to: - ensure that sludge is not used except in accordance with a nutrient management plan in line with the Waste Management (Use of...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (27 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: To be helpful on that, there are a number of Bills coming forward on planning, one of which is already before the House on Second Stage and concerns the establishment of a planning regulator. Another Bill will be brought to Cabinet next week with the purpose of streamlining planning decisions and putting statutory timelines around those decisions for larger planning applications. There will...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (27 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: A great deal is happening in regard to families staying in commercial hotels on a temporary basis as emergency accommodation to improve the conditions under which those families are surviving. One of those is to improve the ease of transportation between schools and that temporary accommodation. I do not have an exact date, but the plan is to get this done within weeks. I will come back to...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (27 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is still a social democrat.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Exemptions (27 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: Provision is already in place in motor tax legislation to allow a vehicle owner to declare his or her vehicle off the road. A declaration of non-use must be made in the last month of an existing motor tax disc and can be made for any period of between 3 months and 1 year. A further declaration can then be made, if the vehicle is still not in use at that stage. There is also provision in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Finances (27 Oct 2016)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 88 together. Sligo County Council approached my Department in 2012 to highlight its deteriorating financial position. While it is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in light of available resources and as part of the annual budgetary process, owing to the particular severity of Sligo's financial situation...