Results 24,961-24,980 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under my Department’s Social Housing Capital Investment and Social Housing Current Expenditure Programmes, funding is provided to local authorities to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects and through the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments. Details on the number of properties constructed and purchased by all local authorities,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 41 together. My Department is working closely with the four Dublin local authorities in relation to the Rapid Delivery Programme. At the end of 2016, a total of 350 rapid build homes were advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, with 22 rapid build homes being delivered and occupied in 2016. A further 650 rapid build...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Rents (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. It is a matter for local authorities, when assessing individual households, to consider whether rents payable are in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the root cause of the very challenging housing crisis lies in a chronic under-supply of housing across all tenures. The key objective of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan forHousing and Homelessness, available at , is to increase and accelerate housing delivery, in general. Rebuilding Irelandrepresents a whole-of-Government response to the issues...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Domestic Violence Policy (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: In line with commitments in Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness(Action 1.8) and the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 (Action 2.300), my Department has issued guidance to all housing authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs. The guidance can be accessed...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Alternative Energy Projects (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: There are no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar farms. Proposals for individual solar farm developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in the same manner as other proposed developments. Planning applications are made to the relevant local planning authority with a right of appeal to An Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland:Action Plan for Housing and Homelessnessfully recognises that the period of time that families spend in emergency hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation should be minimised. This is reflected in the commitment that, by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families. Full details and timeframes in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Services (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 33 together. I have no plans to cease the roll-out of the My Open Library service. My Open Library seeks to enhance the library services available and to secure a flexible, responsive and ground-breaking service for as wide a range of users as possible. To this end, the service allows library members the freedom to use the library at times that...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (19 Jan 2017)

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,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The aim of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund is to relieve critical infrastructural blockages to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites and to improve the economic viability of new housing projects in Dublin and in urban areas of high demand for housing. The €200m Fund will be composed of an Exchequer allocation of €150 million,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Services Provision (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The provision of public library services, including the procurement of books, is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority under the Local Government Act 2001. My Department has no direct role in these matters. A national tender for book stock procurement is being progressed by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) on behalf of local authorities....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Assets (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness,which is available at, contains a number of integrated actions to underpin active land supply management for the delivery of housing. Initially, this involves identifying and mapping sites in local authority and public ownership with appropriate lands to be master-planned to deliver increased mixed-tenure housing, including social...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The cost to the Exchequer of subsidies, including tax incentives and tax exemptions, falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. In respect of social housing, to support the implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, I have secured €5.35 billion in exchequer investment to deliver 47,000 social housing units through...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Budgets (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under Actions 2.5 and 5.6 of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness,the Housing Agency is actively and positively engaged with banks and investment companies in relation to its acquisitions programme.  €70m is being provided to the Agency in 2017 to establish a revolving fund to acquire some 1,600 units over the period to 2020 for social housing use. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Rent Controls (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 40 together. The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2016 regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented residential sector and set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: - the setting of a more stringent day- and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, - a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Standards (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: On 13 December 2016, I published the Strategy for the Rental Sector,one of the key measures promised under Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homeless. The strategy sets out a range of measures under the headings of Security, Supply, Standards and Services to address both immediate and long term issues affecting the supply, cost, accessibility and quality of rental...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The official monthly homelessness data reports provided by housing authorities are produced using the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), the single integrated national data information system on State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by housing authorities. They therefore do not capture details of individuals utilising State-funded emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Eligibility (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: House Sales (19 Jan 2017)

Simon Coveney: A lack of additional housing supply coming on stream over the past decade or so in the areas of strongest demand is one of the principal root causes of our current housing crisis. Activity by institutional and professional residential sector investment specialists such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) in purchasing housing and engaging in the building out of part completed schemes...