Results 7,221-7,240 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The establishment and operation of crematoria are subject to controls under planning, environmental protection and air pollution legislation. There are no planning guidelines related specifically to the development of crematoria.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Land Availability (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2156, 2172 and 2190 together. The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at incentivising the development of vacant, under-utilised sites in urban areas.  Under the Act, planning authorities are required to establish a register of vacant sites in their areas, beginning on 1 January 2017,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The purpose of the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) is to capture the total number of households qualified for social housing support across the country whose social housing need is not being met, in order to better understand the level of need for such support.  Under the annual SSHA process, all housing authorities are required to review certain households who are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The National Building Agency Ltd. (NBA) was registered as a company in 1960 and was the subject of the National Building Agency Act in 1963. The Agency was a multi-disciplinary, professional design practice set up to provide a broad range of consultancy services to public authorities in support of varying policies of Government including housing, urban renewal, urban and rural planning as...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Tenant Purchase Scheme (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The new Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme for existing local authority houses came into operation on 1 January 2016.  The Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the Scheme.  To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Eligibility (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each housing authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy. The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Eligibility (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The primary purpose of social housing support is to assist the provision of suitable accommodation for households who have a housing need but do not have sufficient resources to secure accommodation from their own resources. The 2011 Social Housing Assessment Regulations provide that a household is ineligible for social housing support if a household member owns alternative accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is now available to all eligible households throughout the State. There are currently more than 22,000 households in receipt of HAP, including 7,000 households that were previously supported by Rent Supplement. In excess of 17,000 separate agents and landlords are providing accommodation to HAP supported...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Departmental Reports (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2163, 2209 and 2254 together. The 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 Counties Donegal and Mayo.  The panel had the following terms of reference: - (i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Brexit Negotiations (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: On 2nd May, the Government published a comprehensive document on Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This document sets out the approach of the Government to the forthcoming negotiations, following the successful campaign to have key Irish issues recognised in the EU negotiation position. ...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Insurance Data (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Details of the insurance premiums paid by each local authority in respect of public liability insurance are a matter for the local authorities concerned. Local authorities are independent in the execution of their powers and the directly elected members are democratically accountable for all expenditure of the authority. The information requested is not available in my Department.  

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Planning Issues (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2166, 2175 and 2263 together. The Working Group that is reviewing the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing has been established in light of ongoing engagement between the European Commission and my Department on the matter, arising from the European Court of Justice ruling in the Flemish decree case referred to.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Data (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: To date, three social housing capital construction projects have been advanced by local authorities via the single stage approval process for projects of up to 15 houses or with a maximum all-in budget up to €2m. These schemes are for the delivery of 3 social homes in Drogheda, Co. Louth, 8 in Athy, Co. Kildare and 4 at Proudstown Road, Navan, Co. Meath. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Public Sector Pensions Data (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The details requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is as below: Agency Email address An Bord Pleanála...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency.  The 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities. The data gathered do not provide details in respect of the number of permanent positions that remain unfilled in Kildare County Council in each of the years 2012 to 2016 and accordingly the information requested is not available in my Department. Broad staffing numbers for the local authority sector are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Irish Water (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Contracts entered into by Irish Water are a matter for the utility and I have no function in the matter. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The aim of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) is to relieve critical infrastructural blockages in order to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in urban areas with high demand for housing.   A call for proposals was issued to all local authorities in August 2016. It was open to all local authorities to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Disability Act Employment Targets (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The 2005 Disability Act puts in place obligations on all Public Body employers in relation to the employment of people with disabilities.  One of these obligations is a target that at least 3% of the workforce should be persons with disabilities; at the end of 2016 my Department had achieved a rate of 4.6%. While my Department does not hold specific competitions for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff Data (20 Jun 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, it is a matter for each individual Chief Executive to review organisational staffing needs and to recruit and assign staff to specific...