Results 4,121-4,140 of 20,796 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme Administration (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 628, 631 and 634 together. Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides for a new scheme for the tenant purchase of existing local authority houses along incremental purchase lines. The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020includes a commitment to make the Regulations necessary for its introduction in the second quarter of...

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

Alan Kelly: Section 6(6) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 makes provision to grant approved housing body (AHB) status to housing associations. AHBs consist mainly of voluntary or co-operative organisations limited by guarantee and registered under the Companies Acts; societies registered under the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts; and/or Trusts incorporated under the...

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

Alan Kelly: It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget, and are democratically...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Convention on the Constitution recommended that citizens resident outside the State should have the right to vote in Presidential elections. In considering a response to this recommendation the Government decided that it would be necessary to analyse the full range of issue that would arise in any significant extension of the franchise, before any decision could be made on the holding of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Records (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Where a meeting that takes place involves simply a briefing on issues, it may only be necessary to maintain a record of the meeting having taken place, with progress on the various issues being pursued through separate working arrangements. Minutes are kept of meetings of the Management Advisory Committee of my Department and of meetings of that Committee with myself and the Ministers of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Scheme Grants (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: A grant of €2,031.58 per house or 75% of the cost, whichever is the lesser, is available, under my Department’s Rural Water Programme, towards the provision or necessary improvement of an individual water supply in a house. Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The approval of individual grant...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (21 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. The introduction of domestic water charges is an important element of the funding model and is necessary to drive increased investment in water services infrastructure. A new water charging regime was announced by the...

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

Alan Kelly: Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisation arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. Within each local authority, management have engaged in a workforce planning exercise and whilst this has been finalised in a number of local authorities there...

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

Alan Kelly: Exchequer funding of over €37 million was provided by my Department to local authorities in 2014 for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. Combined with an additional 20% contribution by individual local authorities, there was an overall spend last year of €46.3 million in this area. I am pleased to confirm that the 2015 amount will...

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 647, 655, 656 and 657 together. Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the increased provision made for the area in Budget 2015. The Social Housing Strategy 2020 targets the supply of 35,000 additional social housing units at a cost of €3.8 billion over the next 6 years, as well as meeting the housing needs of some 75,000...

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 648 to 654, inclusive, and 658 to 665, inclusive, together. The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020 targets the delivery of over 35,000 new social housing units over the period to 2020. These targets are broken down in the Strategy between those that are current-funded, at 23,400 units, and those that are capital-funded, at 12,173 units. The...

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

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 666 and 667 together. Under the Water Services Acts 2007-2013, Irish Water has statutory powers to request its customers and certain specified persons or bodies to provide it with information so that the utility can perform its functions under these Acts, including the collection of data to develop its customer database. In particular, section 26 of the Water...

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

Alan Kelly: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a new social housing support being introduced by local authorities. HAP will replace Rent Supplement for those with a long-term housing need who qualify for social housing support. The introduction of HAP means that local authorities can now provide housing assistance for households with a long term housing need, including many long term Rent Supplement...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: In December 2013, my Department published proposed “draft” revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: - The setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, - A mandatory minimum setback of 500 metres between a wind...

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

Alan Kelly: The Social Housing Strategy targets the delivery of over 35,000 new social housing units over the period to 2020. Building on this, I recently announced ambitious targets for all local authorities out to 2017 which will have a major impact for those on the housing waiting lists, with a national reduction of 25% targeted over the period through these targets alone. The target I announced in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Public Sector Pensions Data (21 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 673 and 674 together. Information regarding the number of pensions in payment in local authorities for each year from 2008 to 2014 is set out in the table below. The total cost of the pensions in payment in local authorities in 2014 was €239.91 million, giving an average pension of €12,406. Information regarding the number of pensions in payments...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (22 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. Its operating and capital cost plans are reviewed by the Commission for Energy Regulation. I have no concerns about Irish Water becoming insolvent.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (22 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under the existing Part V provisions, developers are required to ensure that up to 20% of land zoned for residential and other uses, shall be reserved for social or affordable housing. However, with the substantial fall off in private construction, very little social housing is currently being provided under Part V. Informed by a recent review of the Part V provisions, which included a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Remit (22 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: With the installation of domestic water meters, it becomes possible to identify domestic properties with leaks.  If Irish Water suspects that there is a leak at a domestic property it will inform the property owner/occupier accordingly. The occupier will also be able to check this as it will usually manifest itself as a high meter read or a continuous flow of water through the meter. If...