Results 7,441-7,460 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (17 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Under current planning legislation, namely the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the 2000 Act) and the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2017, the processing of planning applications is based primarily on physical documents.  While planning authorities endeavour to upload on-line as soon as possible the principal planning documents that are required to be...

Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Scheme Payments (18 Jan 2018)

Damien English: It is on my bucket list. I welcome the opportunity to address this matter on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed. I hope the Deputy will accept the Minister's apologies for not being able to take it in person. The range of schemes available to farmers, such as the BPS, greening and the ANC scheme are vital supports which help to underpin the...

Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Scheme Payments (18 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I will pass that on to the Minister, Deputy Creed. The Department has processed the 2017 applications concerned, for these farmers, based on the reduced area on the over-claimed parcel and has made payments accordingly. There has been some payout. The applicants have been written to by the Department outlining the current position in regard to their BPS applications and setting out the...

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Risk Management (18 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Connolly for raising the issue. It was actually raised with the OPW so I am taking the debate on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, because he could not make it on short notice. It affects my Department as well. If I had known on time, I could maybe have brought more information to the Deputy to discuss this but I can certainly add to this conversation directly...

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Risk Management (18 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I have no problem getting more information on this for the Deputy and sitting down with her at a later date. She has raised questions that I will put to GCC as well. The national co-ordinating group assesses the fallout from all these events and makes changes accordingly. However, warnings are given on a regular basis and the OPW, Met Éireann and the Department are involved in that....

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Risk Management (18 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I am happy to meet her to discuss this.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2018 Second Stage: Second Stage [Private Members] (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on the Bill. We have discussed the rental sector here a great deal along with housing in general over the last number of years. It is clear that the rental sector must be a more attractive choice for tenants and a safe and viable investment choice for investors. It is the balance we are trying to get right at all times. As Deputy Cowen noted...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Emergency Planning (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: The Principal Response Agencies are designated as such in the framework for major emergency management (2006) which was approved by Government decision. The framework enables An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and local authorities to prepare for and make a co-ordinated response to major emergencies resulting from events such as fires, transport accidents, hazardous...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: The draft National Planning Framework, which is currently being finalised by my Department includes national policy objectives, NPOs, reflecting wider Government objectives in relation to climate change.  These include objectives to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by integrating climate action into the planning system in support of national climate...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Land Availability (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: As part of the active management of the publicly owned housing land bank, all local authorities have been requested to prepare strategic development and management plans for housing lands in their ownership, with particular emphasis on prioritising those sites with the greatest potential to deliver housing at scale, in the short to medium term. The plans received...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Foreshore Licence Applications (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Providence Resources surrendered a licence to allow for an exploratory rig on the Kish Bank on 12 February 2013.  My Department has not received a subsequent application in respect of exploratory works on the Kish Bank.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Foreshore Licence Applications (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: The following is a list of the members and their organisations of the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC) that completed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) screening reports for the Marine Institute (MI) foreshore lease application in respect to the proposed development at Spiddal, Co. Galway (FS006566): 1. Mr Richard Cronin (Chair), Senior Adviser,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I thank the committee for affording me the opportunity to present these three sets of proposed regulations. I also thank the committee for allowing me to bring along colleagues from my Department and from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. We are all here to answer questions, if at all possible, later. In the context of exempted development, each of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: We have been through the vacant housing Bill here and in the Department and also discussed it in the Dáil. It is a worthwhile Bill which is aiding our work, but our approach to it and tackling this issue and an issue raised as Action No. 5.9 of Rebuilding Ireland is two-pronged. First, it deals with the exemptions in respect of what we are putting forward today. We all agreed that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Section 57 as well. We are mainly dealing with section 5 today. Section 57 relates to protected structures. Under both, there is an appeal mechanism to An Bord Pleanála. Either side can bring that appeal or review and the board will give a decision. That mechanism is available. I can get the Senator a note on that if he wants the position clarified. This is an issue with which,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: I can check the position for the Senator. On the exemptions we are discussing, notification will be given to local authorities regarding housing. We can keep track of it and can look at the regulator. I imagine that the regulator has the information on a county by county basis. Planning authorities operate on an individual basis. The Senator said he had other issues which he would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Decisions on infrastructure are generally based on community gain. I am sure there was a planning reason permission could not be granted. The Deputy also referred to co-location. All mobile phone operators have infrastructure and mast sharing arrangements in place. They may have tried to avoid this in the past, but generally they have come to arrangements which are cost-effective and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Yes. Some 25 local authorities already have vacancy officers in place. We urge all of them to emulate this and to bring their vacancy plans to us. Most have done so, but some have not. Again, we want those plans to be submitted. We should have them all by the end of the month.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2018: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (23 Jan 2018)

Damien English: Yesterday, some local authorities provided reasons for not being able to submit their plans.