Results 7,721-7,740 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

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

Damien English: In terms of making up the shortfall, funding has not been specifically ring-fenced. Money was allocated to some projects two or three years ago. That money is still available if the project moves forward. In a way, the work is ring-fenced.

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

Damien English: I want the moneys spent. I can guarantee that my Department official, Ms Hurley, will spend the money quickly if she gets a gap at all.

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

Damien English: The money is always spent on housing. In the past couple of months we have attempted to buy housing that might suit Traveller-specific accommodation. The money might not have been spent on specific projects but we make the accommodation available in a roundabout manner. I hope the accommodation will still be delivered somewhere down the line. Yes, the money is still available. If a...

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

Damien English: Deputy Barry has raised several issues specific to Cork and more general issues. I am not familiar with the case of the individual caravan in the field but I will certainly get it checked out. There is no reason for anyone to be living in a caravan without a roof. I would be surprised if it were the case and I would be disappointed with the situation. It is something we will look into. I...

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

Damien English: I will not get into petty arguments about politicians' wages and so on. Politicians' wages are linked to Civil Service grades and the cuts were implemented across the board. The reason they are linked is so that it is not our decision. That is how it is and most people agree with that process. Deputy Barry might not but this is not the place to deal with that. I have already said that...

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

Damien English: The key thing is that we are putting the money back in and that we do so as quickly as possible. I have spoken to committees repeatedly on the need to put the business case together to show that it can be spent. When I look for more money for this area, whether within the departmental budget or with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, I have to be able to show that we can spend...

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

Damien English: I know Senator Kelleher's commitment to this. We have had a number of meetings on the subject and I know her commitment is genuine, so I will respond to her in that positive context. I also want the expert panel to be up and running. I have had a couple of meetings with the chair and members of the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee before Christmas and since in an...

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

Damien English: I had intended to deal with that point. Across several counties, quite a high percentage of homeless families are from a Traveller background, which proves Senator Kelleher's point about the difficulty in finding rental accommodation.

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

Damien English: We do not intend to continue to rely on the private sector but have had no choice in that regard. Although money is being put back into public housing and other schemes, it takes time to get that accommodation up and running and we must, therefore, work with and rely on the private sector to a large extent in the early years. However, it is to be hoped that as we invest far more taxpayers'...

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

Damien English: I thank the Senator for his comments. There are a number of reasons for delays in delivering projects. One is the planning process and another is site selection. There needs to be a commitment from all sides to make it happen as well as a conversation with all the various stakeholders about the realistic possibilities on a specific site and what is possible on a particular site. The...

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

Damien English: That is work that is often ongoing. It would probably aid the expert panel that has been set up. We can certainly commit to that.

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

Damien English: Deputy Ó Cuív is absolutely right. There are too many disgraceful cases and this is why we are here. There are some great projects and some have been very successful, but some of the sites I have visited are nothing short of disgraceful, and I agree with the Deputy on this. He went through the history of a particular Galway site, which I have also visited. It is a failure -...

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

Damien English: In saying this, while the site is temporary and people are there without permission now, the accommodation is not acceptable either. In some cases, people possibly cannot wait for a solution for the site without finding new accommodation and putting it on the site, because some of the accommodation is just disgraceful. It is not acceptable and people should not be asked to live in it. I...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Environmental Protection Agency Licences (20 Mar 2018)

Damien English: It is not clear from the question how it is intended to dispose of the materials referred to. If the intention is to dump the materials at sea, then a dumping at sea permit is required. The Foreshore and Dumping at Sea (Amendment) Act 2009 amended the Dumping at Sea Acts 1996 to 2006 so that certain functions relating to dumping at sea transferred from the Minister for Agriculture,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (20 Mar 2018)

Damien English: Fire Services are provided by local authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. In 2014, all local authorities undertook an appraisal of their current fire services arising from the publication of the “Keeping Communities Safe” policy document in 2013. This appraisal involved the local authorities undertaking an Area Risk Categorisation process...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme Implementation (20 Mar 2018)

Damien English: 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, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Funding (20 Mar 2018)

Damien English: My Department published the 2017 Annual Progress Report on Unfinished Housing Developments earlier this month. The report is available at the following link: . As outlined in that Report, the number of unfinished housing developments has reduced by 91% from just under 3,000 developments in 2010 to 256 developments in 2017. In addition, the Report shows...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks (20 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1060 and 1067 together. The Expert Panel on concrete blocks was established by my Department in 2016, to investigate 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 dwellings which appear to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (20 Mar 2018)

Damien English: Responsibility for the provision of emergency medical services, including pre-hospital emergency care, rests with the Health Service Executive (HSE) which operates the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and emergency departments in hospitals in accordance with health sector legislation and national policy. The HSE operates under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health. As...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations Amendments (21 Mar 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 328 and 339 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 material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing...