Results 5,641-5,660 of 20,817 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I thank the Deputy for her range of questions. I will try to get through them, but if I miss one, I will come back to it. I wish to make a general comment on the underspend in the Department. Typically, much of the drawdown takes place near year-end, given the local authority and housing aspect. I ask the Deputy to bear this in mind. For instance, the figure for the housing spend in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Yes, that is my ambition. There has been an underspend in a number of areas, including on the water conservation grant. There are issues with leasing because the rental sector is difficult, but we have increased spending in dealing with the problem of homelessness.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: We are maximising the spend. We have provided funding to literally fill the void. We have used it to turn around more voids which means that we have supplemented one for the other, which is a good and quick way to deal with the matter. The Deputy has spoken about voids on numerous occasions and I am glad to say we have increased their output. There is an extra spend in dealing with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I ask the Deputy to give us a chance because we are only in the first year of the programme. We will engage with those who use the grant to find out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: One cannot judge whether a grant has been successful in its first year of operation. One must analyse what it is being used for and we will do so. I know, anecdotally, from the volume of new technologies and products emerging that it is being used. Perhaps the Ministers of the State might wish to comment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Before we say "boo", I do not know about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is important. The Senator raised the issue of local authorities. I outlined where the Government stands on spending in this area. Much of the drawdown for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government comes towards the year end but this year it is even further ahead on spending than previous years. The Ministers of State, Deputies Paudie Coffey and Ann Phelan, and I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is the anniversary of the social housing strategy and I have confidence in that strategy. We will provide 946 units this year because we have to take into account acquisition and building. In many parts of the country, dare I say in some midlands areas, which Deputy Cowen and I represent, it makes more sense to buy where there are vacant properties and we are not able to supply, than to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is a contribution and not the whole payment. The local authorities have to do that themselves. The Deputy mentioned eight units in his constituency. The Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, is more familiar with this than I because he was there and looked at them. My information is that this was a case of the local authority doing something as a prototype. It was energy efficient...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: If we did not address it, the Deputy would be giving out as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: It is a debate for another day and it goes beyond this Department. In regard to the specific question, obviously assessments and valuations were coming down the road and everyone knew they were coming. The Valuation Office is independent. It was making its assessments for the ESB and utilities. There is a variance across the entire country in that they went up and down. What we committed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I thank the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Will the Deputy source that reference for me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: There were a lot of questions but I will go through them as best I can. Deputies Coppinger and Boyd Barrett referred to a figure given last March of 1,400 units for delivery in 2015. That figure relates to council leasing and voluntary housing and it has not changed. We still expect to deliver more than 946 local authority builds and acquisitions and in excess of 440 voluntary housing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Projected output is as follows: the 946 units under the headings of local authority construction and acquisition will be provided; there will be 440 units under the capital assistance programme; 150 under the heading of regeneration and remedial works; while under the heading of voids, the target is 1,000 units, but we expect to provide in excess of 2,500. I am sure all members will welcome...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I will deal with all of the questions asked and do not want to lose track of any of them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Deputy Roberts Dowds asked an important question about the Shannon water project. Irish Water's capital plan formed part of its business plan for 2014. It allows for a figure of €5.5 billion to advance projects to address long-term needs in the east, the greater Dublin area and the midlands. I wish to make it crystal clear that any such project would be much broader than the greater...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: Yes. They will give them more strength in such cases. A couple of Deputies, particularly Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett, asked about housing needs. I agree that it is an issue. Figures from different sources have been mentioned, but they do not tally. That is why we must ensure that in the future we have one central database, analysis and-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Review of Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Nov 2015)

Alan Kelly: I am sure it is possible.