Results 4,341-4,360 of 20,797 for speaker:Alan Kelly

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

Alan Kelly: Since the publication of the Social Housing Strategy, and indeed beforehand, my Department has engaged with local authorities, with a view to ensuring their capacity and preparedness for delivery of the ambitious targets to 2020. My Department works closely with all local authorities and all have been invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate the delivery of the...

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

Alan Kelly: My Department’s support to local authorities for their programmes of insulation retrofitting applies to local authority owned houses only and is not available in respect of private houses.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Provision (19 May 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 plan...

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

Alan Kelly: The categories of persons who may vote by post at elections and referendums has evolved incrementally in the context of electoral amendment legislation. As outlined in response to Parliamentary Question No. 587 of 12 May 2015, the Government, in responding to the recommendation of the Constitution on the Convention in their fourth report that there should be greater access to postal voting,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under the Approved Housing Body (AHB) Mortgage to Rent Scheme (AHB-mortgage-to-rent) an AHB can acquire ownership of a property with an unsustainable private mortgage, enabling the household to remain in their home as a social housing tenant. To be eligible for the Approved Housing Body (AHB) mortgage-to-rent scheme a household must have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable under...

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

Alan Kelly: My Department has not received an application from Monaghan County Council, or the former Castleblayney Town Council, for funding for the Court House/Market House, Castleblayney, County Monaghan since 2009.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: A new water charging regime was announced by the Government on 19 November 2014. The capped annual charges will be €160 for single adult households and €260 for all other households until the end of 2018. All households will know what their capped bills will be until the end of 2018, which is particularly important for larger households or those with high usage due to medical...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Exemptions (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied complies with the chemical and microbiological parameters set out in the Regulations. Details of monitoring requirements along with the procedures to be followed and the roles of water suppliers, the EPA...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Protection Agency Funding (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a statutory role for the co-ordination of environmental research in Ireland, and receives an annual allocation from the Environment Fund for this purpose. The decision on the budget to be provided is made each year on the basis of balancing the indicative research requirements of the Agency, and the availability of funding.  For example, in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Implementation (19 May 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: Water Charges Administration (19 May 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 can collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act defines the customer as the occupier of the premises in respect of which the water services are provided.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Urban Renewal Schemes (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: A number of initiatives aimed at contributing to the renewal of urban centres have been taken by my Department in recent years, as follows: local authorities were requested to exercise restraint, or where possible, to reduce commercial rates and local charges to assist local businesses in the current economic climate – the vast majority of local authorities have responded positively to...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Legal Costs (19 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: My Department has not incurred any expenditure in appealing decisions taken by the High Court for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (26 May 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 distance of 500 metres between...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Administration (26 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The NPPR Charge is based on self-declaration and therefore the onus is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage Arrears Proposals (26 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 921 to 923, inclusive, together. The Government has committed to take decisive action to address the mortgage arrears challenge; to ensure that a full range of options is available to distressed borrowers; and to keep as many people in their homes as possible. As part of the package of commitments on mortgage arrears announced by Government recently, a...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Remit (26 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: Non-Principal Private Residence Charge Collection (26 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 925, 926 and 928 to 931, inclusive, together. The Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Litter Pollution Legislation (26 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: The Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 provide the statutory framework to combat litter problems. Under the Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering is a matter for the relevant local authority. Section 19 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 makes it an offence to exhibit articles or advertisements on property in or visible from a public place without the prior...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Finances (26 May 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is a matter for each local authority, including Sligo County Council, 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 include adopting the annual budget...