Results 26,361-26,380 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland is a multi-stranded, action-oriented approach to achieving the Government’s housing objectives, as set down in the Programme for a Partnership Government. At its heart it aims to increase housing supply, across all tenures, to 25,000 homes per year by 2021. The 25,000 target was the ESRI estimate of the housing requirement based on demographic change, household...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 includes funding for group water schemes, through Measure 1(b), where rationalisation / amalgamation of such schemes can ensure a more sustainable supply of water and enhance compliance with the water quality standards of the Drinking Water Regulations 2014. Aghancon and Clareen group water schemes in County...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: In line with a commitment given under the Social Housing Strategy 2020 (published in 2014) the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) is now being carried out on an annual basis from 2016 onwards. The preparation of the SSHA every year will assist in providing a more comprehensive picture of the dynamic numbers applying for social housing supports and of emerging trends. This will...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The social housing construction projects currently underway by Kildare County Council are included in the recently updated Status Report on Social Housing Construction Projects, which is available at the following link: . This includes 17 construction projects delivering 301 new social homes for the county, which are at various stages of advancement including on site, undergoing planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department continues to work closely with housing authorities in the areas most affected by deficits in housing supply to ensure that they are making every effort possible to meet the emergency accommodation needs of households presenting to them. My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Rebuilding Ireland has put in place both the targets and funding resources to accelerate the delivery by 2021 of 47,000 social homes. This work is already well underway and we are increasingly seeing new social housing construction projects move onto site.  I recently published the latest update of the Status Report on Social Housing Construction Projects, which now includes over...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Data (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department publishes a range of datasets relating to housing market activity on the statistics area of its website.  Details of commencement notices received by each of the 31 local authorities are published as a monthly series which can be accessed through the following weblink:  . In respect of completions data, since the 1970’s, my Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Urban Development (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The management of certain issues relating to the stalled Naas town centre development is primarily a matter for Kildare County Council in the first instance, and I have no function in the matter. However, as I have previously outlined,  the securing of a satisfactory conclusion to the development of the site in question - which is of significant strategic importance to the town of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy may know, the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) was traditionally carried out every three years. A commitment was given in the Social Housing Strategy 2020 (published in 2014) to move to producing the SSHA on an annual basis from 2016 onwards. This commitment has been advanced, as it was felt that it was imperative that the SSHA be carried out every year because the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Mortgages (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: There are currently two housing loan finance offerings available from local authorities for first time buyers unable to get adequate loan finance from a building society or bank.  When the loan products, the House Purchase Loan and the Home Choice Loan, were introduced, careful attention was given to the terms and conditions that should be applied to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Details in respect of the substantial pipeline of new social housing construction projects that is now in place are set out in the Status Report on Social Housing Construction Projects, the latest update of which I published last week and which is available at the following link: . Details of all the social housing construction projects being implemented across...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department, in conjunction with local authority planning departments, carried out a national survey of all lands zoned for residential development in statutory local authority development plans and local area plans across Ireland. This exercise, the Residential Land Availability Survey 2014, published in February 2015, determined the location and quantity of lands that may be regarded as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: NAMA Social Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: To end Quarter 1 2017, the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) had identified 6,947 units, associated with the security for loans that NAMA has acquired, that could be made available for social housing. Many of these units were in unfinished housing developments or developments that required significant remediation work. All of the units identified by NAMA, regardless of their condition,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Compiled by the ESRI and based on the RTB’s own register of over 300,000 tenancies, the RTB Rent Index is a valuable source of information and provides standardised average rent data at Local Electoral Area level based on the actual rents being paid for rented properties throughout the State.  The rent index is updated quarterly and shows the percentage change in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 made a number of amendments to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 following the outcome of an independent review, which included a consultation process. The amendments, effective from 1 September 2015, sought to maximise the contribution Part V can make to social housing supply and sustainable mixed-tenure...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (25 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: When making decisions on planning applications or appeals, a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála, as the case may be, is restricted to considering matters relating to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area and the likely effects of the development on the environment and any relevant European site, as set out in the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2016. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Development Contributions (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Development contributions provide critical resources to facilitate the provision of essential public infrastructure and facilities that support the implementation of local authority development plans. My role as Minister with regard to development contributions is to provide the necessary statutory and policy framework within which individual development contribution schemes are adopted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Since May 2016, I have been liaising closely with my colleague Minister Naughten, having regard to his responsibility for renewable energy policy, on the review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines relating to noise, setback distance and shadow flicker, recognising the need to bring the review to a close and provide certainty on the matter to all stakeholders, local authorities, the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Property Tax Administration (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: Local retention of Local Property Tax (LPT) began in 2015 and is now established as an alternative and essential source of funding for the local government sector, which reduces reliance on central funding. The Government decided that 80% of the estimated LPT liability in each local authority area for a given year is retained in that area to fund public services, notwithstanding any local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: With the commencement of the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is considered to be a social housing support and consequently, households in receipt of HAP are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. Acknowledging that households on the waiting list who avail of HAP might have expectations that they would...