Results 26,401-26,420 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (30 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 to 250, inclusive, together. My Department’s new Multi-annual Rural Water Programme 2016-2018 provides enhanced funding certainty for priority investment needs in order to support the implementation of proper planning and sustainable development in rural areas, to meet the requirements of the Drinking Water Directive in relation to rural water...

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

Simon Coveney: Under Section 21 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the Minister may direct each housing authority to prepare a summary (in the form prescribed by the Minister), of the social housing assessments carried out in its administrative area. The undertaking of the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA), formerly referred to as the Housing Needs Assessment, assists in...

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

Simon Coveney: My Department provides funding to Approved Housing Bodies, via the Capital Assistance Scheme, towards the provision of social housing for priority groups including the elderly. Applications to deliver new social housing under the Scheme are made to the local authorities, in the first place.  As with all social housing projects, it is a matter for...

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

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 to 256, inclusive, together. My Department appointed a Senior Counsel on a non-statutory basis to prepare a report in relation to planning matters in Donegal in 2015.  The terms of reference for this scoping review relate to allegations furnished by a complainant to a previous Minister in respect of planning matters in Donegal. The...

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

Simon Coveney: Since 2011, there has been one investigation initiated under section 255 of the Planning and Development Acts and that investigation concluded in 2015. The investigation referred to is the Independent Planning Review of The Performance of Planning Functions having regard to Specific Issues raised in respect of Six Planning Authorities.  This investigation...

Questions on Promised Legislation (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: To be helpful to the House, tomorrow or possibly later on this evening, we will publish the updated quarterly report on the delivery of the Rebuilding Ireland plan. We publish where we are on each of the five pillars from homelessness to social housing to increased housing supply to the rent market to vacant properties every quarter. Within the next two weeks, there will be a specific...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: As you are aware, the State has a significant land bank and given the current acute housing shortage, with the associated problems of access and affordability facing households, it is crucial that much needed housing is delivered from these sites in the shortest possible timeframe and with the maximum social dividend. In order to promote the development of these sites, on...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: The allocation of social housing support is a matter for the relevant housing authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 requires all housing authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together. My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered does not provide detail in respect of the number of permanent employees that ceased working with Galway County Council and accordingly the information requested is not available in my Department. Broad staffing numbers for the local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: My Department is responsible for workforce planning for the local government sector, including monitoring of local government sector employment levels. Staffing numbers for the local authority sector, broken down by individual local authority, are available on the Public Service Numbers Databank which is hosted and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together. There is currently one vacancy for Director of Services in Galway County Council. A competition to fill this vacancy is currently underway, through the Public Appointments Service. There are currently no vacancies at Director of Services level in Galway City Council. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (31 May 2017)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 to 164, inclusive, together. My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered does not provide detail in respect of the number of full time engineers, senior engineers, full time employees and seasonal employees of Galway County Council that are engaged in the road maintenance programme in...

Leaders' Questions (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Thanks, Tom.

Questions on Promised Legislation (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: I will answer that question, if I can. What happened last week should not have happened and we have put measures in place to make sure it will not happen again. We do not need legislation to provide homes for people. There is very significant expenditure by the Government to provide appropriate levels of both temporary emergency accommodation for families and individuals and social housing...

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: No.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: The Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is focused on increasing supply, across all tenures, to achieve total housing output of at least 25,000 homes per year by 2021 and beyond, effectively doubling the output of 12,600 homes recorded in 2015. Under Rebuilding Ireland, the target set out for social housing is to deliver 47,000...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Insurance Data (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Normal policy, as advised in the Public Financial Procedures, is that the State is its own insurer and as such covers its own costs. State indemnity for personal injury and third party property damage was legislated for in the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2000 where the management of personal injury and third party property damage claims against certain State...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Bord na Móna (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: As I indicated to the Deputy in my reply to Question Nos. 278 and 281 of 23 May 2017, under the proposed new consent system for large-scale peat extraction, the Environmental Protection Agency will be required to carry out an environmental impact assessment as part of its examination of applications for licences to commence peat extraction of 30 hectares or more on or...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Policy (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s third-level student population is projected to grow by around 20,000 students (or 15%) to 193,000 students by 2024. The 2015 Report on Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) estimates an existing level of unmet demand of about 25,000 student bed spaces nationally.  Measures to support greater provision of student...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (1 Jun 2017)

Simon Coveney: Official homeless reports are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link: . These reports are based on data provided by housing authorities and produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), the single integrated national data information system on State-funded emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by housing...