Results 4,221-4,240 of 20,796 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Responsibility for the administration of my Department’s Rural Water Programme, which includes funding for group water schemes, has been devolved to local authorities since 1997. The annual block grant allocations provided by my Department to the local authorities under the programme, in respect of group water schemes, are based, in the first instance, on the requests for funding...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Sector Contracts (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The transfer to Irish Water of all contracts relating to Design Build Operate (DBO) schemes were included in two Ministerial Orders, the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 (Transfer of Other Liabilities) Order 2014, which was signed on 20 February 2014, and the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 (Transfer of Other Liabilities) Order (No. 2) 2014, which was signed on 24 April 2014. A copy of these...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Assets (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides for the transfer, by Ministerial Order, of the property of a water services authority to Irish Water. A number of such Orders have already taken effect this year to transfer all below ground assets, financial assets and almost 240 treatment plants. Considerable work is involved in preparing supporting material for the transfer of over-ground...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Functions (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Fixyourstreet.ie was designed, developed and implemented by the local government sector, with South Dublin County Council as the lead authority. I have no function in relation to the operation of Fixyourstreet.ie and my Department does not routinely maintain data on the incidents reported to the site. However, in the Annual Progress Report on the Public Service Reform Plan 2014 - 2016,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Administration (28 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: Polling Stations (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I refer to the reply to Question No. 791 of 15 April 2015 which sets out the position in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Finances (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 440 and 441 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Cars registered pre-2008 are taxed on the basis of engine capacity. Where there has been a change of engine, l incensing authorities will amend the engine capacity of the vehicle if the number and cubic capacity of the new engine have been certified by a main dealer. Motor tax liability is then adjusted accordingly, where appropriate. In the case of cars registered since 2008, the basis of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (28 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under existing arrangements, motor tax is payable online, by post or in person via motor tax offices in twenty six local authorities. Changes to, or impacting on, the motor tax system in late 2013, such as the ending of the retrospective system of declaring vehicles off the road, an extension of the facility to pay arrears of motor tax online and revised procedures for the issuing of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Ministerial Responsibilities (29 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services Act 2013 provides for the establishment of Irish Water as an independent subsidiary within the Bord Gáis Éireann Group (now renamed Ervia), which conforms to the conditions set out in the Act and is registered under the Companies Acts. The Act provides that Irish Water is required to submit an annual report on the performance of its functions each year to the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Funding (29 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: Local Authority Staff Recruitment (29 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each City and County Manager is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. The qualifications outlined in the advertisement for the post concerned are the declared qualifications as agreed by my Department in consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing (29 Apr 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. There is no provision in this legislation in relation to the release or otherwise of the names of persons who have been allocated support. The release of such information is a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Finances (29 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Section 108 of the Local Government Act 2001 requires that each local authority shall prepare an Annual Financial Statement in accordance with the Local Authority Accounting in Ireland Code of Practice and Accounting Regulationsissued by my Department. Section 108 also requires that as soon as practicable after the preparation of an Annual Financial Statement, such statement, with a report by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Finances (29 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: Section 102(4A) of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended by the Local Government Reform Act 2014), provides the legislative basis for the draft budgetary plan for municipal districts. The Local Government (Financial and Audit Procedures) Regulations 2014 provide a definition of General Municipal Allocation, set out a timeline for the submission of the draft budgetary plan to members of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (30 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has received a capital appraisal from Limerick City and County Council’s Regeneration office for the conversion of the premises at Brannigan’s for use as a community facility. Responses to questions my Department raised with the Council on the project were received recently and are now being examined. My Department will be responding to the Council shortly to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Legislative Programme (30 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015 was published on 19 January 2015 and completed Second Stage in Dáil Éireann on 25 March 2015. Having regard to the debate at Second Stage, I am currently considering options for official amendments to the Bill, which would be subject to the approval of the Government. Once this process is completed, I intend to seek an early...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (30 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provided for the transfer of responsibility for the provision of public water services from the local authorities to Irish Water. The Act provides that Irish Water shall charge each customer for the provision of services provided by it in accordance with a water charges plan to be approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). A new water...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Waste Management (30 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Producer Responsibility Initiative (PRI) review report on Tyres and Waste Tyres published by my Department last year concluded that the current system for dealing with waste tyres is not functioning as intended, with a lack of basic information, poor structure, poor environmental outcomes in the form of large stockpiles of waste tyresand somewhere between 24% - 50% of waste...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (30 Apr 2015)

Alan Kelly: The social housing targets that I recently announced for all local authorities are out to 2017 and include almost 7,500 units that will be capital-funded and 15,400 current-funded units. My announcement also contained provisional funding allocations which are sufficient to deliver the targeted units. The specific project approval and funding allocations to local authorities for new build and...