Results 4,101-4,120 of 20,796 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: To promote sustainable use of water and to enhance water conservation in households, the Department of Social Protection will administer, on behalf of my Department, a €100 water conservation grant for households (principal private dwellings) that complete a valid response to Irish Water’s customer registration process. It is proposed that the grant will be paid in one...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Specific funding of €3.5 million was not set aside for these projects in 2014. However, my Department has worked with Meath County Council recently in undertaking various works in these areas relating to energy efficiency improvements and the remediation of boarded-up social housing units. The options for further improvement works are being examined by the Council and my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water shall collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it in accordance with a water charges plan to be approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Section 22(5) of the Act provides that a water charges...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The only amounts spent on consultants relating to Government homeless strategies for the years in question were in respect of A review of The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland 2008-2013, which was completed in 2012 at a cost of €6,000.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: A review of the then Government’s strategy The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland 2008-2013 was completed in 2012 and it endorsed the fundamentals of the Strategy – a copy is available on my Department’s website at the following link: . The review also informed this Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement, which was published in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Land Aggregation Scheme was introduced in 2010 as part of revised arrangements for the funding of land for social housing purposes. The primary purpose of the Scheme was to assist in the gradual unwinding of loans taken out by housing authorities to purchase land for the social and affordable housing investment programme. Applications to the value of some €163 million in loans...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provided for a range of matters consequent upon the transfer of functions in relation to public water services from local authorities to Irish Water. This includes the mechanisms for the transfer of assets and liabilities from local authorities to Irish Water. In...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. In November 2014 I announced a package of measures to ensure that domestic water charges are certain, affordable and clear. If a customer does not pay their water charges, late payment provisions shall automatically...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Reports (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: MacCabe Durney Barnes Consultants were appointed in February 2014 to carry out an independent planning review on the performance of planning functions in six selected planning authorities (Carlow, Cork, Galway and Meath County Councils and Cork and Dublin City Councils) in accordance with section 255 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended.  The review is expected to cost...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Investigations (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I have considered what next steps need to be taken in respect of certain Donegal County Council planning matters taking account of advice from the Office of the Attorney General. My Department will be shortly appointing a Senior Counsel nominated by the Attorney General to prepare a report in relation to these matters and I expect that the timeframe for this appointment will be finalised shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fuel Laundering (16 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: As I outlined in the reply to Question No. 260 of 5 March 2015, I have written to my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive, Minister Mark Durkan, to highlight again the problems being faced by border counties exposed to the consequences of environmental crime. Minister Durkan shares my abhorrence of the criminality which underpins this problem and the reckless and dangerous practice...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. In accordance with section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Establishment (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: A key component of the strategy to establish Irish Water is that Irish Water will be classified as a Market Corporation under Eurostat rules and as a result, will not, other than in relation to Government support, be included in the calculation of the General Government Balance. The Government remains confident that Irish Water will pass the Market Corporation Test. The Central Statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Introduction (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The overall package of measures on Irish Water financing announced by Government last November is designed to make water charges more affordable for customers.  The charges structure was revised with a view to making it simpler and fairer, providing more clarity and certainty to households.   The overall cost for those who register with Irish Water, net of the €100 water...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, which I published on 26 November 2014. The HAP scheme will bring all social housing supports provided by the State under the aegis of local authorities. The scheme will remove a barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: According to the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), the national federation of non-profit housing associations, its’ associations manage up to 27,000 homes for families and vulnerable groups. Further details are available on the ICSH website:. Under my Department’s two main capital schemes which support the acquisition and development of social housing units by approved...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Funding (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Irish Water has a €300m loan from the National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) at an annual interest rate of 2.5%. There is no security for this loan but the loan is guaranteed by the Minister for Finance, for which a separate guarantee fee is payable. Irish Water has put in place facilities with commercial banks in the amount of €400m. Further facilities of some €200m are...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Scheme Expenditure (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Since the inception of the Rental Accommodation Scheme in 2004, expenditure up to the end of 2014 has totalled €776.7 million. The following table sets out the annual expenditure for the years requested: Year Annual Expenditure 2005 €723,281 2008 €53,025,430 2011 €115,917,365 2013 €130,886,608 Recoupment made to local authorities under the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The latest summary of social housing assessments, which was carried out as of 7 May 2013, showed that there were 89,872 households on local authority waiting lists at that date. Of this figure, 42,109 households, or 47% of the total, were in private rented accommodation and in receipt of rent supplement. The full 2013 results are available on my Department’s website at:. In order to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Regeneration Projects Funding (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: An indicative allocation of €15m recently issued to Dublin City Council in respect of their 2015 Regeneration Work Programme. My Department is currently engaging with the relevant local authorities to agree 2015 Work Programmes and allocations for each of the remaining regeneration projects. It is expected that this pro cess will be concluded shortly.