Results 25,501-25,520 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 382 together. My Department receives detailed monthly data from the ESB on the number of connections to the electricity grid; these data have for many years been used as a proxy for house completions as units are normally connected at the point at which the unit is ready for occupation. My Department maintains regular contact with the ESB to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Freedom of Information Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department did not incur any legal fees on Freedom of Information (F OI ) requests in 2014, 2015 or 2016. The following table gives details of the number of FOI requests received in each of the past three years: Year Number of FOI Requests 2016 393 2015 395 2014 180 The processing of FOI requests in my Department forms part of the usual duties of officials and the time spent...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Eligibility (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Under Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, which provides for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, a household in receipt of another form of social housing support, such as accommodation provided under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), will not generally be eligible for HAP. The legislation does allow for the provision of HAP where a housing authority is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: A key part of the successful implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness programme is ensuring that all stakeholders and the wider public are fully aware of the commitments, understand the range of initiatives and actions being rolled out and can access relevant and up-to-date information on progress. In this context, the overall cost to date of the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Government Fund (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I assume that the Question refers to the Local Government Fund (LGF) . In 2016 a total of €33,683,036.43 was provided to Fingal County Council from the Local Government Fund as follows: Local Property Tax allocation €24,314,322.54 Recoupment in respect of lost income from rates on water infrastructure €5,248,541.00 Compensation from changes arising from the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 361 to 369, inclusive, together. There are currently over 18,000 households being supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme in 28 local authority areas. A breakdown of the number of households supported by HAP, including the number of Rent Supplement Transfer, in each local authority area at 31 December 2016 is available on my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme Expenditure (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Finances (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I am aware that local authorities have, historically, received funds as a means of satisfying the requirements of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, an option which is now no longer available to developers. These funds must be used by local authorities for housing purposes; this could include improvement works; once-off works to local authority dwellings, that might include...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Maintenance (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities are currently undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting, with the support of my Department, on the least energy efficient social homes. Funding of some €107 million has been provided from 2013 to end-2016 to improve energy efficiency and comfort levels in over 57,000 local authority homes, benefitting those at risk of fuel poverty and making a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Rates (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation pursuant to the Valuation Act s 2001 to 2015. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. Commercial rates form an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Details on the number of properties constructed, purchased and leased by all local authorities, to include Donegal County Council, for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists are available on my Department’s website at the following link: . Information on quarter four of 2016 is currently being finalised and will be published shortly. Preliminary figures show that in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Data (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The self-assessed charge is set at €200 per annum. It is a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 484 of 2015) sets down the terms and conditions of operation of the scheme. Local authorities were also issued with a detailed guidance document, “Incremental Tenant Purchase Scheme 2016 Existing Local Authority Houses”. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Foreshore Licence Applications (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: The following table details applications for all offshore renewable projects for the period in question: Project Resource Type Date of Receipt Status Arklow-Banks Wicklow Wind 29 June 2001 Lease Granted Codling-1-Banks Wicklow Wind 30 September 2002 Lease Granted Oriel Louth Wind 19 February 2007 Lease Application on hold FST Sceirde Galway Wind 15 May 2008 Lease...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Living Wage (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: Payment of salaries to staff of my Department is made in line with pay scales approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. If a minimum payment of €11.50 an hour were introduced, the additional costs for my Department are estimated to be in the region of € 6,000 (not including Employer’s PRSI). This figure reduces as and when the staff concerned progress...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Costs (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 381 together. The most effective way to reduce and stabilise rents in the long-term, and benefit the entire sector, is to increase supply and accelerate delivery of housing for the private and social rented sectors. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government’s Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, aims to increase and accelerate housing delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: National planning policy strongly supports goals relating to avoiding urban sprawl and securing the efficient use of serviced urban land and increased densities, especially in highly accessible inner city areas, where the full range of employment, retail, educational and recreational facilities are within walking or cycling distance and close to frequent public transport....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 386 together. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, regulates the tenant-landlord relationship in the private rented residential sector. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 387 together. The issue of overcrowded houses is dealt with in Part IV of the Housing Act 1966. Under that Act, a housing authority may request information from the owner or occupier of a house such as will allow that authority to determine if a house can be deemed to be overcrowded, having regard to section 63 of the Act. The housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Credit Unions (28 Feb 2017)

Simon Coveney: In the context of the expressed interest of credit unions in providing finance for the delivery of social housing, the potential scope for credit union involvement in the proposed new Mortgage to Rent pilot projects is being examined. My colleague, Minister of State Damien English met with the Irish league of Credit Unions (ILCU) on 21 February 2017, where this matter was addressed. The...