Results 3,381-3,400 of 20,765 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Regeneration (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: As part of a planned programme of addressing vacant properties supported by my Department in 2014, there were 2,333 units returned to productive use nationally at a cost of €26.1 million. 155 of those units were in County Cork. The programme will be continuing into 2015, through funding made available under Budget 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Climate Change Policy (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with our EU commitments, is well understood by Government, as reflected in the National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development, published in April 2014, and in the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill 2015, published last week. The National Policy Position provides a high-level policy...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: As part of the introduction of a radical and comprehensive new regulatory framework to reform the regulation of the collection of household waste in 2015, I intend to introduce measures to require collectors to have a customer charter in place and to meet certain minimum standards of customer service, such as specified frequencies of collection. I will be setting out in law what the minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy 2020 – Support, Supply and Reform, published in November 2014, sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of households on the housing list. Actions 1 and 4 of the Strategy require the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing across local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seanad Reform (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am currently considering observations made by the Technical Working Group and issues raised in submissions made as part of the public consultation process on the General Scheme of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2014. These are informing the further development of the General Scheme, which has not yet concluded. To date, the Technical Working Group has met on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seanad Elections (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Responsibility for the maintenance and publication of the relevant electoral registers is assigned in law to the universities which form the university constituencies for the election of members of Seanad Éireann. My Department has not carried out any research on the electoral registers of either university constituency. Section 8(1) of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) Act...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: City Status (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: There are no proposals to establish additional city authorities. The Action Programme for Effective Local Government(October 2012) sets out government policy in relation to the reform of a range of local government matters and the Local Government Act 2001, extensively revised and updated by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, now provides a modern legal framework supporting the local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. As Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any case being dealt with by a housing authority. The suite of social housing supports available to assist...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Library Services (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 to 552, inclusive, together. I refer to the reply to Question No. 557 of 20 January 2015 which sets out the position in this matter. Senior management in local authorities and library service managers have been consulted throughout the process. Consultations with unions have taken place from the initial stages of the review and are ongoing. The...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Applications (27 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 169 of 16 July 2014 where I outlined that an application for provisional approval in the case referenced was received by my Department on 9 June 2014 and this provisional approval was granted the following day. In an effort to increase the numbers delivered under the scheme a new protocol between all parties in the process was agreed and came into...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The main aspects of the Irish Water funding model are set out in a detailed fact sheet published on my Department’s website. In 2015 Irish Water expects billed income from domestic customers to total €271 million and that from non-domestic customers to total some €229 million, giving a total billed income from customers of €500 million. The estimated annual cost...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I will not take lectures from Sinn Féin on voodoo economics, especially after the performance the other night.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: We are very happy that the funding model for Irish Water is very thorough and is going to work. The registration levels are improving all the time. As of yesterday, 1.03 million people had registered. The funding model for Irish Water and the expenditure is all set out. The €271 million for domestic income is what is expected and what has been gone through with the CER.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is impossible to assess now, but similar to all other schemes, the property tax and everything else, we expect a very high compliance rate. Income from commercial charges is €229 million, so that is bringing in a total of €500 million. With the €399 million, that is €899 million, as the Deputy is well aware, in relation to the total operating spend on Irish Water.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Water Charges Yield (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Another Deputy has a similar question later on. I am confident this will pass the market corporation test. Comments by the European Commission were leaked over the past several weeks. We are, however, confident the market corporation test will be met. Several Deputies have referred to the water conservation grant as if it would have a negative impact on this. This will be a demand-led...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: The establishment of Irish Water is an integral component of the Government’s water sector reform strategy and will lead to lower costs and improved services in the future, providing much better outcomes for customers and the environment. Irish Water is being funded by a combination of domestic and non-domestic water charges, Government subvention and the raising of debt on capital...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: Irish Water is set up in order to ensure that it can invest into the future - that it can have capital to invest on a scale that was not there before. It is a model that is necessary so that we do not have to argue about whether we are going to invest in schools, health care, or water. We need a separate mechanism to be able to fund this. Deputy Murphy is well aware of issues around water...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: There has been an awful lot of analysis of Irish Water, but the way in which it has been set up as a utility means that it now has huge capacity to borrow and invest into the future. Deputy Murphy knows there will be economies and deferred costs in the future as a result of the investments that have been made. It will be possible to prioritise projects. Irish Water is currently in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Accommodation Provision (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: I thank Deputy Cowen for raising this issue. I also commend the Deputies opposite, many of whom participated in this process in a very non-political and open way. Many people outside the House of various political persuasions acted in a similar vein. I want to publicly thank them for that. On 4 December 2014, as everyone is aware, I hosted a special summit on homelessness to reaffirm the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Accommodation Provision (28 Jan 2015)

Alan Kelly: As the Deputy will be aware, Dublin was prioritised and transport services, night cafés etc. were introduced. A number of other changes are also under way. Nevertheless, I share the Deputy's concerns as we both represent the lower midlands. I understand and appreciate that homelessness is a broad issue that does not only affect urban areas, even if the acute problems arise in the...