Results 25,381-25,400 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Other Questions: Local Authority Housing (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: We are trying to ensure the kinds of mistakes made in the past are not repeated. One way in which we can address those mistakes is the promotion of mixed tenure on public land, which is exactly what we are trying to do.
- Other Questions: Local Authority Housing (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: We will house more people faster.
- Other Questions: Local Authority Housing (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: How long has O'Devaney Gardens been sitting there?
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: The Government has been in place only less than a year. We have had a new housing and homelessness strategy in place since last summer, only approximately seven months ago. Since then, we have committed nearly €5.5 billion to providing a very significantly increased number of social houses. We will build approximately 26,000 of the 47,000 that will be coming in. We will provide the...
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: Deputy Boyd Barrett is missing a number of issues. He quoted rapidly increasing rental figures. We responded to it in legislation and with the new rental strategy in December. There was a problem and we are responding to it. He was wrong when he said a record low number of social housing units was delivered last year. That is not right. There was a significant increase on the previous...
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: Last year the target for social housing solutions was 17,000. We provided 18,300. This year the target will be more than 21,000. Many of them are HAP tenancies, but there is nothing wrong with that.
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: They are secure. They are much more secure than the alternative.
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: They are.
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: The landlord cannot pull out any time.
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: Deputy Boyd Barrett seems to think that it is possible to provide housing solutions overnight for everyone on the housing list by building houses for everyone in some kind of fantasy world. That is not the way it works.
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: No. We are now committing to building 26,000 social houses throughout the State with approved housing bodies, AHBs, and with local authorities. We are putting long-term tenancies in place for many other people and we are making a significant number of acquisitions. If we bring voids - vacant properties that are not being used - back into use and if they become used, then that is an...
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: People are voting with their feet with regard to HAP tenancies. I believe an extra 12,000 or 13,000 people came in to HAP tenancies last year-----
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: HAP tenancies are a significant improvement on the alternative-----
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: Can I answer the question?
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: Someone who has not even asked the question is interrupting me.
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: The social housing solutions we need to put in place for individuals and families are across a series of different schemes and support programmes. Some the provision is in the private rental market and HAP tenancies are significantly more secure than previous options such as rent supplement and so on. Ultimately, the core issue is that while we increase our social housing stock, we must put...
- Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: Deputy Boyd Barrett has no answers.
- Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published last December, recognises that the quality of rental accommodation is critical to the success and sustainability of the residential rental sector and its attractiveness as a long-term accommodation option for households. A key commitment in the strategy was to review the regulations governing minimum standards in rented accommodation to bring...
- Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: As I said, we have just put new regulations in place in this area and there are time commitments we have committed to in the rental strategy. We cannot simply ramp up the level of inspections overnight because, as the Deputy said, in some local authorities either the systems or the staff simply are not in place. We are trying to put a realistic timeframe in place whereby we can put systems,...
- Other Questions: Private Rented Accommodation Standards (23 Feb 2017)
Simon Coveney: I do not disagree with that.