Results 7,701-7,720 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

Damien English: There is an offer on the table.

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

Damien English: The invitation is there to meet.

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

Damien English: On a point of order, that cannot be left unanswered. The reason I am talking to my colleague is that I am not allowed to reply at the end of the debate. I am asking the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, to give my answer at the end. I am not allowed to do that. Those are the rules and, therefore, to make sure that the questions raised by the Deputies are answered, I am briefing the...

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I would be happy to do it.

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

Damien English: It has changed.

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members] (7 Mar 2018)

Damien English: And vice versa.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Litter Pollution Legislation (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I agree that plastic microbeads in rinse-down-the-drain products should be banned and, as my Department is responsible for the protection of the marine environment, I am working to ensure that this happens. My Department proposes to implement a legislative ban on the sale or manufacture of personal care products, detergents and scouring agents containing plastic microbeads and it is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: The financial oversight of Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) is currently conducted through the Voluntary Regulation Code (VRC), Building for the Future: A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing Bodies in Ireland (2013), and the 2015 Financial Reporting Standard. All the larger, Tier 3 AHBs comply with the Code and the financial standard, which is overseen by the Interim...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Approved Housing Bodies (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: As the Deputy is aware, in December 2017 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) made a decision that 14 of the 16 largest Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) examined (i.e. those with 300+ homes in their property portfolios) in the initial phase of the review should be re-classified as falling within the public sector, under the broad local government classification. This decision was sent to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Seaweed Harvesting Licences (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 637 to 639, inclusive, together. Of the 17 applications to harvest seaweed on hands, 13 are from named companies. There are 3 licences in place, details of which, including any monitoring arrangements, can be found at the following links:

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: My Department, as the Competent Authority, is required to undertake an Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening in order to determine whether proposed works require a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) under the EU Habitats Directive.  The AA Screening Report for the Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Test Site (FS006566) can be viewed on my Department's website under the Determination subfolder by...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Impact Statements (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: In order to determine whether proposed works are of a class that would require a mandatory Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, my Department, as the Competent Authority, is required to undertake an EIA Screening. The EIA Screening Report for the Galway Bay Marine and Renewable Energy Test Site (FS006566) can be viewed on my...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Renewable Energy Incentives (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 669 and 670 together. The Second Schedule to the Building Regulations 1997 to 2017 (which are made under the Building Control Act 1990, as amended) set out the minimum legal requirements applicable to the construction of all new buildings, extensions to existing buildings, as well as for material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: The aim of the Building Regulations is to provide for the safety and welfare of people in and about buildings. The Building Regulations apply to the design and construction of a building or to an extension or material alteration of a building. The minimum performance requirements that a building must achieve are set out in the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. These requirements...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Severe Weather Events Response (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: My Department is the Lead Government Department for coordinating the response to severe weather emergencies. On foot of weather forecasts from Met Éireann indicating that an episode of severe cold weather with potential for snowfall was likely to impact the country, my Department’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management decided to convene a National Emergency...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Provision of Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I thank the committee for inviting me here today to speak about the implementation of the Traveller accommodation programmes. It is timely to have this discussion now and it is a worthwhile focus for the committee over the months ahead. I thank the committee for its interest in the area. In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities are responsible...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Provision of Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I thank the Chair for her comments. First, I welcome the positivity of Deputy Ó Broin and his party towards what we are trying to do here with the expert review recommended by the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee, NTACC. The NTACC is the policy group which would make recommendations to me and I work closely with it. Like that, if positive suggestions come...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Provision of Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I will not prejudge what the expert panel will suggest. I and the Department are open minded on this. Whatever it takes to move this forward, we are willing to make the necessary changes if positive suggestions and recommendations come back on which we can get agreement. Ideally, the expert group will bring the report to the NTACC and it will agree with it and make recommendations to us....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Provision of Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: Yes, I believe local authorities must step up and make their decisions. In certain areas there appears to be a lack of commitment to making decisions about responsibilities. In other areas, there are complications, sites get complicated and matters are never dealt with. Local authorities must be focused. From what I have seen, while there is a commitment, the resources and staff must be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Provision of Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (8 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I agree with the Deputy. I have not singled one group over the other. It is a collective. Some local authorities have not delivered for a combination reasons. In some cases that is due to a lack of commitment and focus. I am talking about local authorities as a unit and have not singled out anybody. We need to find ways to deal with the matter. In some cases, there are genuine reasons...