Results 9,021-9,040 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: It is a good idea.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: Correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: The Vice Chairman is right. The Office of the Planning Regulator has just been set up and is no longer one person. There are 20-odd staff and there will be more. In assembling the team, I would argue that he has taken away too many good people from my Department. In any case, the regulator's job is to implement the national planning framework, to bring an independence to planning, and to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: The Vice Chairman and I were involved in local government and generally local authority officials and members will try to agree processes and bring stuff together. One does not bring in a string of Part 8s that are going to fail, because it does not work for anybody and it is a waste of resources. Generally, a lot of work is done before one gets to Part 8 stage but it seems it is not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: We could gather that. I am sure it is there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: That is exactly the point. Deputy Ó Broin mentioned county managers and officials, but there is also a need to have a genuine and realistic conversation about what can be achieved on each site. There are many more people involved in this conversation. As I said, when a site becomes too complicated or challenging because there is disagreement, the conversation is often parked and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: I will provide that as soon as I have it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: We will provide that. I was on the Spring Lane site and met all those involved.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: I do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: That is correct. Spring Lane is one of those sites that proves my point. It became very challenging and instead of being sorted out, the issue has been allowed to drag on for years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: The Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Stanton, and I visited the site where we met many of the residents and the groups working there. We also met council officials and asked everybody to come together to try to find a resolution. I believe the project is getting to the final stage and I hope-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: It has moved on a great deal so hopefully we are very close to getting it over the line.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: If Members are interested, we will be having another session in January in the Custom House.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Report of the Expert Group on Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (5 Dec 2019)

Damien English: The Vice Chairman referred to upkeep and management. I discussed this issue earlier and I reinforce the point that while it is important to have high-quality design and top-class construction in the first place, management and day-to-day maintenance and upkeep are also key to any housing project. Everybody has rights and responsibilities in this regard.

Rent Freeze (Fair Rent) Bill 2019: Second Stage [Private Members] (10 Dec 2019)

Damien English: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and am grateful for the opportunity to say a number of words on this Bill. Before I do, I wish to comment on the voids question that has been mentioned. It is not true to say, as Deputy Quinlivan has done, that we have not tackled voids, which even his own party's spokesperson will recognise. It does not mean that we are not sometimes annoyed that some...

Rent Freeze (Fair Rent) Bill 2019: Second Stage [Private Members] (10 Dec 2019)

Damien English: I am answering the Deputy's question and I presume he will raise this information again. He raised it here a couple of years ago. We checked it out. Money was allocated and Limerick did not spend as quickly as it should have done. It eventually did so. I will check again regarding the houses the Deputy has just mentioned. I suspect that these are another round of new houses that have...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (10 Dec 2019)

Damien English: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service Staff (10 Dec 2019)

Damien English: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations Compliance (10 Dec 2019)

Damien English: Stronger compliance with building standards has been a key priority for Government and has manifested in the Building Control Reform Agenda, which was initiated in 2011, when, a high level working group reviewed the existing building control regulatory framework. The key deficits identified in the regulatory regime were the lack of involvement of construction professionals on site and lack of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Safety Regulations (10 Dec 2019)

Damien English: In July 2015, it was decided that a review be undertaken by an independent fire expert to develop a framework for general application, in the interest of supporting owners and residents living in developments where concerns regarding non-compliance with fire safety requirements arise. It included a case study based on the housing estate that the Deputy refers to. The Framework was published...