Results 6,841-6,860 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Homeless Accommodation Provision (4 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I thank Senator Conway for raising this matter. The Senator is right that the Minister gave a commitment on Armagh House and that certainly will be honoured. My Department issued funding approval in principle to Kerry County Council in July 2016 for the development of Armagh House, Killarney, included under the capital assistance scheme. The Department had first granted pre-tender approval...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Homeless Accommodation Provision (4 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I would like to end on a positive note. Is it not great? I thank Senator Conway for his commitment and work in the various counties.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Voluntary Housing Sector (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: For the record, we would all agree with Deputy McGrath, and we think there is great potential to use approved housing bodies and housing associations throughout the country. That is why they have been allocated up to €1 billion of the spend of the €5.5 billion to make this happen. There is great opportunity in Tipperary and in many other counties to tap into and work with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Voluntary Housing Sector (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: -----the importance of the repair and leasing initiative. I really encourage the Deputy to look at that as well.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Voluntary Housing Sector (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I could not see the clock.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Voluntary Housing Sector (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I am reminded by my colleague, Deputy Simon Coveney, that I am not often asked to speak even faster, but I will try to work on it. To be clear, we agree with what Deputy McGrath is asking. We encourage all local authorities to work with approved housing bodies and housing associations throughout the country. There is money set aside for that specifically. We need everyone on board here....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Voluntary Housing Sector (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I can speak with confidence about pipelines because the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and I have been in Tipperary recently opening new treatment plants, thanks to Irish Water and the great work it is doing with the new investment plan it has, thanks to the money it has been allocated. We should compliment it on the work it is doing. On housing, when it comes to Tipperary, it is doing well...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: Under the Government's Rebuilding Ireland action plan, a particular priority attaches to using publicly owned lands for the delivery of housing as quickly as possible. In particular, we need more homes for families and individuals on the social housing waiting list and for those on low to middle incomes. Increasing and accelerating housing delivery to meet demand across the full...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: We are not against that at all. We are in favour of it.

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: The Deputy said there is capacity for 1,500 units. The Minister, the Department and I agree, as would most people, that it would be wrong to put 1,500 social housing on that site. The site is probably best designed for around 1,000 housing units at medium development, which the Deputy would encourage as we have discussed developments in that area before here. The target at this moment is...

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: The local authority will be the best judge of this and will bring forward the right mix. We will work with it on that. That will include a top class layout and affordable houses as well.

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: It is not theory. It is international best practice, and it is best practice that we have been using here for a number of years. It has not been made up over the last couple of months. Our colleagues in Sinn Féin recognise that and have voted accordingly on other sites around Dublin. Most people are genuinely committed to mixed-use tenure across these sites.

Other Questions: Social and Affordable Housing (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: They are genuinely committed to delivering houses quickly and I am not convinced the Deputy is genuinely committed to that cause. We want to reach these targets and we will achieve them. The Deputy is committed to a different agenda and that is up to her, but we are following international best practice.

Other Questions: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: Pillar 5 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is specifically focused on ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure in both the public and private sectors is used to the optimum degree possible. I know the Deputy agrees with this. In this regard, action 5.1 commits to the development of a national...

Other Questions: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I fully agree with the Deputy. Preliminary data from the census indicate there are approximately 200,000 vacant properties when holiday homes are excluded. The figure may be slightly lower but, either way, this area presents an immense opportunity. For this reason, the Minister announced a couple of initiatives to fast-track our approach. We are putting processes in place. We held two...

Other Questions: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: We are all in complete agreement on this matter, which is nice for a change. The opportunities in this area are endless. We have asked local authorities and approved housing bodies to send someone out to every vacant property and tell us who owns it, why it is empty, what is wrong with it and what must be done to bring it into use. The Department will then chase up on every individual...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Reports (6 Apr 2017)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 39 and 46 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (6 Apr 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (6 Apr 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (6 Apr 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...