Results 6,801-6,820 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Building Control Management System (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The matters referred to are matters for local authorities, who are independent in the use of their statutory powers under the Building Control Acts 1990 - 2014. Regarding the number of inspections carried out, the Local Government Management Agency collected data on inspections carried out up to 2013 and published this information in the Service Indicators in Local...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Bodies (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: An expert panel on concrete blocks was established by my Department in April 2016 to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in Donegal and Mayo. The panel have the following terms of reference:- (i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Building Control Management System (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The purpose of the Building Control Management System (BCMS) is to facilitate building control authorities, building owners, builders and construction professionals in discharging their separate responsibilities under the Building Control Act 1990. The system provides a common platform for clear and consistent administration of building control matters across the local authority sector. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Rental Accommodation Standards (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, as amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. The Regulations specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I am pleased to have this opportunity to update the House on the second quarterly progress report on the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The report we are discussing was published on 7 February last. The Rebuilding Ireland document is over six months old at this stage, having been published in late July 2016. We received valuable input from Oireachtas colleagues during the...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: That is not the case.

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I thank Senators for their comments. Most were positive but some were negative. I will not thank Senators for the negative ones but we have to accept them and take them on the chin. Joking aside, everyone is committed to the process of delivering more housing. We also have to take criticism as well because we cannot get this done as quickly as we want. I am not fully sure what Senator...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: Some councils have significant debts on land and have brought forward proposals to the Department to activate that. We will respond to that. I have met the Carlow housing team on two occasions at the various workshops we run in the Department but did not hear the issues the Senator raised. The Department has had numerous engagements will all local authorities, including Carlow, on all the...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I would be concerned if there is an accusation of misinformation or a lack of information because everyone agrees there probably is too much information. We are certainly not hiding anything. That is not the game we are in. I am happy to sit down with the Senator and a delegation from Carlow County Council at any stage to go through any questions. I do not agree with what the Senator said...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: This is not just a rebuilding strategy and action plan for cities such as Dublin and Cork. It is fair to say the media may concentrate on the emergency situation that is at its worst in Dublin, Cork and perhaps Galway. This is a national plan, however, which affects every county and all cities. We are engaging with everybody of all abilities and disabilities on this issue. It is not a...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: Exactly, and I wish we had the Sinn Féin magic pen but we do not. We must deal with reality and make it happen week by week and bit by bit.

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I have seen Sinn Féin's proposals, but when they are all put on the one page, they do not add up. The money is not there. We can only spend what we are earning and what we have. Again, because of solutions in the housing plan-----

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I will come to that because I will tell the Senator that the reason we were able to allocate an extra €2 billion on top of what the previous Minister of State had secured for housing in the previous budget was because of a jobs recovery. I will not claim credit for all that. The private sector created all the jobs but there are an extra 230,000 jobs, which is more than there were...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: It has worked, which means we now have the resources we need to spend on social housing. I do not know where Senator Gavan is going to get his money from.

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: Exactly. Everyone said we could not do it.

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I am allowed to fight back. The funding for housing is available because of the jobs recovery and that is the way it works. The funding is available for other areas as well but it can only continue to fund them if we have people in jobs. The best way out of poverty for anybody is to have a job if at all possible and that is what we are trying to do. We are helping people to get a job....

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: It is only beginning. The key is that has to be only temporary. We have to get them into permanent homes and that is what we want to do. The HAP scheme allows for that and the Housing First approach is working quite well also. All the services are coming together. The Housing First approach is a great initiative. It worked very well in Finland and we are copying that model.

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I agree, it needs to go national and that is the plan. The commitment was to have 300 in Dublin in the first instance. We are well on target to go beyond that. Again, under the HAP scheme, specifically for homeless people, there have been over 800 housing solutions found and we are trying to work directly with homeless people to find them homes and then put the services around them. Some...