Results 4,321-4,340 of 20,797 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: 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 apply, unless the customer enters into a payment plan. In the case of a One Adult Household (capped at €160), €30 will be added to any bill where outstanding...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Control of Dogs (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My attention has been drawn to an unedited manuscript entitled Human hospitalisations due to dog bites in Ireland (1998-2013): Implications for current breed specific legislationby Páraic Ó Súilleabháin which is stated to have been accepted for publication in the Veterinary Journal. The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 require that dogs of certain breeds, and strains or...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Administration (14 May 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. Under section 3(13) of the Water Services Act 2014, if a dwelling is metered after 1 January 2015 and if a household’s usage for the first metered year is less than the relevant capped charge, the household will be...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electromagnetic Fields Studies (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has commissioned a study to review and report on international developments on the potential health effects of electro-magnetic fields. This study will examine international developments in non-ionising radiation (NIR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF) research, which have taken place since publication in 2007 of a report by the then Department of Communications, Marine and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Climate Change Policy (14 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Any consideration of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015 has to be set in the context of the National Policy Position on climate action and low-carbon development which was published on 23 April 2014. In progressing the Government’s national low-carbon transition agenda, the National Policy Position and the Bill are parallel and complementary pillars. As set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Control of Dogs (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: There is no prohibition on the use of the breeds listed in the Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 for autism assistance, disability support work, or other therapeutic roles. The requirements in the 1998 Regulations for dogs of certain breeds to be securely muzzled in a public place and be led by a sufficiently strong chain or leash, by a person over the age of sixteen years who is capable of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Referendum Campaigns (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The principal change to the Referendum Act 1998 provided for in the Referendum Act 2011 was to repeal the provision requiring a Referendum Commission to set out the arguments for and against a referendum proposal. That change was made following the recommendation of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. Since that change was enacted 11 referendums have been held and a Referendum...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: During 2014, my Department provided € 4.3 million in Exchequer funding to Cork City Council, as the lead authority for the South-West Region, towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under ‘Section 10’ funding arrangements. Housing authorities also contribute to the funding costs for their areas from their own resources. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 459 to 461, inclusive, together. My Department liaises with a range of stakeholders on an ongoing basis in relation to issues of homelessness, including non-governmental service providers such as Focus Ireland and the Simon Communities of Ireland. Such liaison includes written correspondence, direct communication, participation at a variety of fora and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: EU Directives (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: 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 Irish Water can perform its functions under these Acts including the collection of data to develop its customer database. In particular, section 26 of the Water Services Act 2013 provides Irish Water with the power to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 466 to 468, inclusive, together. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Commercial Rates Calculations (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001. The Commissioner of Valuation has sole responsibility for all valuation matters, including the method of valuation. The levying and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 470, 471 and 474 together. General statistics on local authority housing stock, including vacant social housing units, are published annually by the Local Government Management Agency. The most recent statistics are the Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2013 which are available on the following website. The table below shows the number of units returned...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Rented Accommodation Costs and Controls (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Daft.ie Rental Report for Quarter 1 2015, which was published last week, reported that year-on-year inflation in rents continued to ease slightly in the first three months of 2015. It reported that rents nationally were 8.2% higher than in the first quarter of 2014, down from the 10.4% annual increase recorded in mid-2014. While the report recorded a slow-down in rent inflation in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 473 and 483 together. While my Department collates and publishes a wide range o f housing and planning statistics, it does not collect information on the number of planning applications for new nursing homes nor applications for extensions to existing nursing homes.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homelessness Strategy (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 475 and 476 together. The Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement, which was published in February 2013, outlines the Government's aim to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016. The Statement also emphasises a housing-led approach which is about accessing permanent housing as the primary response to homelessness. Such an approach to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 477 to 479, inclusive, together. On 5 May 2015, I announced a major social housing construction investment programme of €312 million, covering all 31 local authorities and with over 1,700 housing units to be built across some 100 separate projects. That announcement followed proposals made by local authorities on their planned delivery of new social...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 480 and 481 together. The Social Housing Strategy 2020, published in November 2014, sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. Under this Strategy a target of 3,000 units has been set for delivery in 2015 under the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Finance Agency (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: In November 2014 the Government approved the Social Housing Strategy 2020 which sets out a strategic framework for meeting the State’s social housing needs to the end of the decade.The Strategy includes acommitment tocommence work on a financial vehicle, to be known as the Strategic Housing Fund, to raise funding for the social housing sector. Work on the development of this new...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Flood Relief Schemes Expenditure (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: On 28 June 2012, severe flooding, as a result of heavy rain, affected the Cork area and caused damage to homes and businesses in a number of areas. While my Department co-ordinates the national level response to several types of severe weather emergencies, including flooding, it has no role in relation to the development, establishment or operation of any flood relief fund for households...