Results 8,861-8,880 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: A Cheann Comhairle, can I make a point of clarity?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: Can I make a point of clarification?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: To be clear, I said, and I am right to say this, that the largest housing budget ever was debated in the House and passed over two nights. That is what we are doing because we take this issue seriously. It is not right to say I am telling an untruth because I am not, and I would not.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: When I get the Deputy's letter, I will certainly help and deal with the individual issue. In general, however, a housing body or a local authority does not evict tenants for no reason. If someone passes away and there are tenants in the house who were named on the tenancy, that is always dealt with in a fair and approachable way. I would be surprised if the story is as the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: For the third or fourth time in response to different colleagues from County Louth, I wish to be absolutely clear that the funds are available for Louth's local authority and other local authorities to bring forward projects for their lands. We have repeatedly asked every local authority to put projects in place for this year, next year and the following year, so there is a pipeline of...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: Such a measure would not speed up delivery. This year, local authorities will achieve and exceed their targets to deliver more than 10,000 new social houses into the system. This is way beyond the targets set with them over recent years. With regard to the specific requirement discussed during budget negotiations last year, we are still in discussions with the Department of Public...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: The previous scheme was not overly used and was not needed. This will not necessarily speed up delivery. In fact, we have changed the rules in respect of delivery and most local authorities are now achieving the target of 59 weeks.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: I did not say we were not doing it. I am saying it will not achieve what the Deputy claims it will achieve.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: Yes, but the Deputy is the only one asking for it. I do not hear any local authorities asking for it.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Damien English: The Deputy should not claim he is asking on their behalf.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 29 and 31 together. In July this year my Department launched the multi-annual developer-provided water services infrastructure resolution programme. Bids were sought from local authorities around the country for funding under the programme. The development of such a multi-annual funding programme was a key recommendation of the report on the national...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: The pilot scheme informed the framework of how to judge and place various estates in order of priority. That was the reason we had the pilot scheme. The framework was developed and every local authority was involved in that framework. There were workshops on it as well to help to inform them when they placed estates and projects on the priority list. The Deputy specifically referred to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: To be clear, we are not half way through. The funding is allocated in an envelope for a couple of years so it is not the case that we are any way through it. The money must be spent on these estates before 2021. This is about the resolution of previous mistakes and that is where the focus will be. This is developer infrastructure that was not monitored properly and probably was not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: Deputy Heydon managed to name all ten estates that are the subject of applications from Kildare County Council. They will be judged on the criteria. Submissions closed in September and Kildare got in on time with ten. An expert panel is being put together to judge the applications based on the criteria set down in the framework. That was based on the pilot scheme we had in the past. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: Irish Water is involved in the solution in a high percentage of cases because the infrastructure can quite easily be tapped into its network and so forth. It will be in charge of that. In other cases they are rural areas which are a little more difficult, but individual solutions will be found as well. The key part is that we use the pilot scheme and enable the knowledge on this. Irish...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Estates (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: There are four categories to be analysed by the expert panel. I will not prejudge the panel's decision. Criteria are set down and decisions will be made in conjunction with local authorities. Local authorities have done their homework and have worked out, as best as they possibly can, the cost of doing this work. They have considered whether some of the projects are shovel-ready and how...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Traveller Accommodation (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: I am currently considering the report and recommendations of the expert group on Traveller accommodation, which has been published on my Department’s website, with a view to implementing appropriate actions and policies that will improve the delivery of Traveller accommodation nationally. The priority is to ensure that full use is made of the increasing level of funding available for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Traveller Accommodation (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: I wish to clarify that it will not be a big round of consultation at all. To be fair to all of the various stakeholders who will be involved in implementing the actions, I need to get some quick comments from them. This will include the national Traveller accommodation consultative committee, NTACC, which is there to advise me and the rest of us on this. That group has not given me its...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: Funding approval was given to Cavan County Council earlier this year under the voids programme, based on the number of properties submitted by them at that time. In recent weeks, the Council has submitted substantially more properties for inclusion under the programme and funding approval has now issued in response to that second proposal. While my Department is supportive of Cavan...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (5 Nov 2019)

Damien English: Government approved a General Scheme of the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill in July 2019. Further policy work continues on the development of certain aspects of the proposed regime with a view to incorporating these elements once completed. My Department is engaging intensively with counterparts in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment who are...