Results 8,161-8,180 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: St. Teresa’s Gardens, the housing project referred to by the Deputy, is a key regeneration project, the first phase of which will see the delivery of 54 new social housing homes. As the project is currently the subject of a tendering process, it would not be appropriate for me to comment at this time on the likely project costs. I understand this matter was discussed by the committee...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I want to be clear on this. One of the first things we decided to do in the Rebuilding Ireland plan was to change the policy in relation to the process of delivering housing projects, that under previous administrations, Governments, Ministers and parties was taking three, four or five years. We put a process in place, in conjunction with the local authority sector, that is in line with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: Can I finish, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle? The Minister and I wish-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I and the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, would be very happy if all involved could make this happen in 30 weeks. In some cases, it is possible to do it in 30 to 35 weeks. In the private sector, if one asks a developer or builder today, and they look out and pick a new site and ask them how quickly they can be on site, they will say roughly 14 months to go through all the planning etc....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: It is there.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: The Deputy is forcing me into making this point to her. Previous housing Ministers from her own party had processes and positions in place that were gobbledygook, were red tape and took three, four five and six years - ridiculous times. One of the first things we did was to get in there and change the process to get on site. I am not saying it is perfect, I would like to get it even faster...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I would be very happy if the Deputy could tell me where we could shave off more weeks but it is an agreed process, which is in line with the private sector as well which claims to do all of these things really quickly. Our sector can now do it just as quickly. Mr. Brendan Kenny attended the committee yesterday, and he did not blame our Department for delays.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Procurement Contracts (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I want to clarify it. The process is changed and I am quite happy to give the process to Deputy Burton. She can go through it and come back to me with her pen if she has any changes and I will be happy to look at it. We want to get on site more quickly - trust me. All that Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, ever asked of local authorities is that where they can, to be more urgent in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Union Lending (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 24 together. Following engagement with the credit union sector on proposals for credit unions to provide funding for the provision of social housing, the Central Bank undertook a review of the relevant investment framework in 2017. On foot of this review, the revised regulations commenced on 1 March 2018. The revised regulations included the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Union Lending (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I agree with Deputy Burton it is a very good development. It is something the whole House wanted to happen and we tried to ensure it happened. My understanding is that no credit union has invested money yet.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Union Lending (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: That is the question I was asked and I am giving the Deputy the answer. Since 1 March they are allowed to do this and they have spent the year working on the process to do it. One of the credit union bodies, the Credit Union Development Association, is ready, able and available to invest money through approved housing bodies if it wants, and it has been engaged with that sector. That...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Union Lending (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: Again, I think that is unfair criticism from the sector, in that we have engaged with them as much as we possibly can. We cannot design it for them. They are private entities. I want to be very clear on this. Our job is housing. We are not in the business of setting up special purpose vehicles. We have been trying to engage with the process and certainly through our offices, both of us,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Credit Union Lending (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I think my colleague on my right prefers a mocha frappuccino, although they are not very common down in my area. I prefer the mocha to be straightforward. To be clear, we have sat down with them. I would point out that when we took up the brief of housing, as Fine Gael Ministers, one of the first issues was to make sure the money that credit unions have was made available, and while they...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Solar Energy Guidelines (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: As is the case with the large majority of development types, there are currently no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar farms. Proposals for individual solar farm developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in the same manner as other proposed developments, with planning applications made to the relevant local planning...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Solar Energy Guidelines (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: Solar farms have been called for over many years. We can certainly review the terminology if that is what the Deputy wants but it is not the case that thousands of planning applications have been granted or applied for. There is a good deal of speculation about that and, as such, this area is speculation-led. The policy in this area is put in place in conjunction with the two Departments,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Solar Energy Guidelines (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: Under the Act, each planning authority, city or county development plan must set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area concerned. That is what local councils would do. Section 10 of the Act requires a development plan to include, inter alia, objectives for the provision or facilitation of the provision of infrastructure, including energy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Solar Energy Guidelines (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I did not say they do not exist-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 14 and 32 together. My Department launched the national taking-in-charge initiative, NTICI, in April 2016 to trial new approaches and working methods in supporting and accelerating overall national and local action on the process for taking in charge housing estates, including estates with developer-provided water services infrastructure, DPI. Under...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: I will give a brief answer.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (27 Sep 2018)

Damien English: It is fair to say that this was a bad policy and it is not one we will continue. It was introduced under a previous Government. There are more than 900 estates and it affects more than 30,000 homes. We are putting a procedure in place to correct this and we have allocated €31 million for it. It might require more money but what is needed is a process to make it happen. The policy...