Results 7,041-7,060 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Building Regulations (31 May 2017)

Damien English: New buildings and extensions or material alterations to existing buildings must comply with the legal minimum performance standards set out in the Building Regulations 1997 - 2017.  In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (31 May 2017)

Damien English: No better man. He is well able to do it. He is a typical Monaghan man. He squeezes as much as he can out of it. I thank Senator Gallagher for raising these issues. I am happy to answer them as best I can. My Department's new multi-annual rural water programme 2016-2018 was developed through a working group of key stakeholders involving local authorities, the water services transition...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Funding (31 May 2017)

Damien English: I forgot to mention that I agree with the Senator, in that we can examine those onerous conditions. I have met many groups that have spent much money trying to organise something. We will consider the matter at the review stage. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, is committed to trying to find more money for this. We are on the same page.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Parking Regulations (31 May 2017)

Damien English: I thank Senator Devine for raising this issue. If it is okay, I will take the debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, who could not make it this morning. I wish to clarify the Minister's role in this matter. The parking of vehicles on public roads is controlled either through the application of prohibitions and restrictions under road...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Parking Regulations (31 May 2017)

Damien English: I look forward to the day when parking takes over from housing as the No. 1 issue. It will come very soon, trust me.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Airports (31 May 2017)

Damien English: Likewise.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Airports (31 May 2017)

Damien English: I thank Senator Gavan for raising this issue. It is always a pleasure to spend time in his company, which I appreciate. We are touching on a familiar subject when it comes to Shannon Airport. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross. As the Cathaoirleach said, while he could not be here, he did offer to take this...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Airports (31 May 2017)

Damien English: I cannot speak about all of the parts of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I can speak from a job creation point of view. In my previous post I spent a lot of time dealing with the educational institutions, at all levels, that are located in the Shannon area and in Limerick. Those institutions contribute to the job creation prospects of the area. They are flexible in terms...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Rural Resettlement Scheme (31 May 2017)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The context of the question that was supplied to me is a little different from what he has asked today. I shall endeavour to answer all of his queries to the best of my ability. Let me be clear, I took that debate in December. I thought I went out of my way on that occasion to praise the work done by Mr. Connolly and Rural Resettlement Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (1 Jun 2017)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together. Policy responsibility in relation to insurance is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance, with the insurance sector being subject to regulation by the Central Bank of Ireland. The company referred to by the Deputy is a private limited company providing structural guarantees for new houses...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: House Prices (1 Jun 2017)

Damien English: Under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government is committed to a broad range of measures to tackle, among other things, some of the costs associated with the provision of housing. This includes undertaking a detailed analysis, in conjunction with the construction sector, to benchmark housing delivery input costs in Ireland, in order...

Local Government (Establishment of Town Councils Commission) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: I am glad to have the opportunity to participate in this debate on an important aspect of local government. I commend and thank Deputy Cassells for bringing forward the Bill. It takes a lot of time to get a Bill together and get one's colleagues and the rest of us to support it. This is a worthwhile discussion. It is one I have had around the country with councillors over the past year in...

Local Government (Establishment of Town Councils Commission) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: It started there but the wider county council is making it happen. That is my point. I have no difficulty saying town councils have many good ideas and some great projects, some are finished, others have been talked about for many years but there were no resources to back them up. It involves bringing everyone together.

Local Government (Establishment of Town Councils Commission) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: The municipal area there takes in the size of the town and is probably one of the best municipal areas.

Local Government (Establishment of Town Councils Commission) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: That supports the argument on both sides here. A reduction in some municipal areas might be a better way to do it. That is worth thrashing out. The scheme involving investment in the order of €12 million will strengthen Navan's case. It will also strengthen economic growth in the town, supporting business, retail and tourism to meet the needs of Navan for present and future...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: The following are the average costs for the range of differently sized social housing units in terms of both construction costs and ‘all-in’ costs. These are based on the analysis of returned data from tendered social housing schemes over an extended period. Due to the very low level of capital investment in social housing construction during many of the years in question it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: In July 2015, the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government directed that a review be undertaken by an independent fire expert to develop a framework for general application, in the interest of supporting owners and residents living in developments where concerns regarding non-compliance with fire safety requirements arise. A steering group was convened to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 622 to 624, inclusive, and 634 and 640 together. My Department has overall responsibility for the statutory regulatory framework governing both Building Control and Fire Services. Inspection and enforcement and the maintenance of relevant registers are a matter for  local authorities who, under the relevant legislation, are designated...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: Fire Services are a local government service and responsibility for statutory fire prevention and building control functions rests with the relevant local authority. In the case of the development in question, the appropriate fire authority is Dublin City Council and direct contact can be made with Dublin Fire Brigade Headquarters at Townsend St, Dublin 2 in relation to fire safety...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety (27 Jun 2017)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 630 and 632 together. Under the Fire Services Acts of 1981 and 2003 local authorities are designated as fire authorities. Section 20 of the 1981 Act provides that the appropriate fire authority may serve a Fire Safety Notice on the owner or occupier of any building which appears to the authority to be a potentially dangerous building. Section 20(2)(a)...