Results 8,861-8,880 of 15,555 for speaker:Eoghan Murphy

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Addressing our housing shortage and homelessness crisis is the Government's number one priority.  The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is focused on  increasing and accelerating housing delivery, across all tenures. The funding earmarked for the social housing element of the Action Plan was increased from €5.35 billion to over €6 billion in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rent Pressure Zones (7 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Housing Agency, in consultation with housing authorities, may make a proposal to the Minister that an area should be considered as a Rent Pressure Zone. Following receipt of such a proposal, the Minister requests the Director of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to conduct an assessment of the area to establish whether or not it meets the criteria for designation and to report to the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (7 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: At last September's Housing Summit, I emphasised the need for all housing authorities to have sufficient capacity in emergency accommodation and to have appropriate facilities in place for every person sleeping rough, on any night of the week. I instructed the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, at that time, to set about ensuring the delivery of 200 additional permanent emergency beds by...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I did.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Deputy. We have been working with stakeholders, housing bodies and NGOs who are our partners in the voluntary sector to end the scourge of homelessness. We do not rely on the private sector. This year we will support more than 21,000 new social housing tenancies. We will well outstrip the targets we have for this year. A portion of that will come from housing assistance...

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Proposals on local government reform have not yet been brought to Cabinet but there is an intention to bring a directly elected mayor to Dublin and possibly Cork. We are working on those proposals at the moment. They will more than likely involve a plebiscite first.

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Today, the Cabinet agreed to transfer the Valuation Office from the Department of Justice and Equality to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. The latter is also responsible for the rates Bill. I am eager to prioritise the passage of both Bills early in the new year-----

Order of Business (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: -----because I am aware of the difficulties small businesses are facing. I have seen this happen - and the impact it can have on small businesses - in my own constituency, so it will be a priority for me in the new year.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Nitrates Action Programme Review (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended, give legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). In accordance with the Nitrates Directive, Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme is due for review this year.  Negotiations with the European Commission with a view to having a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 532 to 534, inclusive, and 548 together. It is a matter for each local authority, including Sligo County Council, to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support provided by all local authorities. HAP addresses many long standing issues raised by landlord groups in relation to the operation of Rent Supplement. The HAP payment is made directly to landlords on the tenant's behalf and all payments are made electronically - the landlord does not have to collect the rent. There are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The first call for proposals under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) was issued to all local authorities in August 2016 and 34 projects received preliminary approval in March 2017. Wexford County Council submitted one project under the call in October 2016, for the construction of the Whitemill/Clonard to Coolcotts inner orbital road in Wexford town....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Public participation is a crucial element of all substantive decision-making processes under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended and a requirement under the UN Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters as well as the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directives in relation to certain types...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Data (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, committed to increasing the target for tenancies by the 'Housing First' teams in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The allocation of social housing support is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. Section 22 of the 2009 Act requires all housing authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Charges Refunds (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: The Water Services Act 2017 (No. 29 of 2017), which was enacted on 17 November 2017, reflects the recommendations of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, which was published in April 2017 and approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Act provides for the discontinuance of domestic water charges for dwellings as set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Valuation Office (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 to 551, inclusive, together. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015. The levying and collection of rates are matters for each...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Repossessions (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: Information in relation to local authority repossessions of properties that were financed using a local authority home loan and which are now either repossessed, voluntarily surrendered or abandoned is available on my Department’s website at the following link, under the heading “Local authority repossessions”; . This data is not broken down by loan type. ...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Housing Provision (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank Senator Burke for raising this matter. Under Rebuilding Ireland, a total of 50,000 social housing homes will be delivered out to 2021 for those individuals and families who need them the most. Cork City Council's housing programme is a key component of the Rebuilding Ireland plan. Only recently, I spent a day in Cork with the city and county councils discussing and exploring how we...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Housing Provision (12 Dec 2017)

Eoghan Murphy: I thank the Senator for continuing to raise this matter with me and my Department. I ask all representatives in both Houses to do so where they have particular issues like this one and where there might be the potential to expedite the process by engaging with me. It is welcome progress for Cork. The numbers might seem small but, for the 134 families and individuals who will move into...