Results 2,381-2,400 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Expert Panel on Concrete Blocks (4 Jul 2019)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 461 and 462 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. In 2017, the report of the Expert Panel was published and included eight recommendations, which my Department is actively progressing with the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Authority Housing (2 Jul 2019)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising this issue and the issue of housing in general and for keeping the focus on Rebuilding Ireland and the targets set therein. He is right to say that no single scheme will solve this issue. It will be a number of schemes and we have to keep pushing them and adding to them. We must look at the different opportunities presented in different local authorities in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Authority Housing (2 Jul 2019)

Damien English: It is practically ready to go and we have communicated with local authorities over the year. They have their targets and know approximately what they will get and it is important that they plan for that. Some have made their plans and are implementing them, so there is no issue there. It is an issue for us. We need the BER certificates to be sure we are getting the value for taxpayers'...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (2 Jul 2019)

Damien English: The Fire Services Act 1981 provides for the establishment of fire authorities and the organisation of fire services and for fire-fighting, as well as life safety and the protection and rescue of persons and property and related matters. The Act was amended in 2003 by Part III of the Licensing of Indoor Events Act 2003, primarily to clarify the responsibility of 'persons having control' of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Urban Renewal Schemes (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Butler for raising this important matter and for giving me another opportunity to discuss and clarify it. It is a project with which I am very familiar. I am also familiar with the site. It is a project of which we are very supportive and rightly so. It is very important if we are to achieve our ambition in Project Ireland 2040 and the national planning framework. It is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Urban Renewal Schemes (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Butler for raising this issue. The URDF is focused on supporting projects that will assist regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland's five cities and other large towns and enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed use development to deliver within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and towns. I reiterate that we are very supportive of the project. It...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Community Development Projects (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I thank the three Deputies for raising this issue. I sense its importance. Deputies have noted, probably with some frustration, that my answer focused specifically on fire safety but, as the issue that falls within my remit, I was asked to address it. It is a serious issue. I am conscious that other centres and buildings may face the same issues. I must be clear on the ownership and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Emergency Accommodation Provision (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: Deputy Ó Broin seems to have plenty of information but I understand he wants to put it on the record of the House, and there is no problem doing that. If I do not have the full answers to any of the questions he asked, I will get them for him. My understanding is that they are 120 new beds to replace the previous beds and that they will be run by different service providers. I...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Emergency Accommodation Provision (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I do not have the breakdown as to whether they are dorms or single beds. I will get that information for the Deputy. It is possibly a combination of both.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Emergency Accommodation Provision (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I do not have that but, if possible, I will get it for the Deputy. I want to be clear. All Deputies know, because they engage frequently with the NGOs, that we would prefer people not to stay on the streets. There are beds available. We make sure there is extra capacity in the system and that there is a bed available for everybody. During major weather events more people come in but on a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Community Development Projects (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter. As we all know, community centres are a cornerstone of many communities around the country. They provide a vital function, bringing together members of the community for social, educational and informational purposes. We need community centres open and working well in communities because they help tie all communities together,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Emergency Accommodation Provision (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for the opportunity to clarify what is happening. I do not have the numbers referred to by the Deputy but I am happy to discuss the general point. We naturally hope the good work happening during each month is demonstrated in the figures. Although the figures are far too high, quite a number of families are helped at a much earlier...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (27 Jun 2019)

Damien English: The Government has committed to placing the Construction Industry Register Ireland, or CIRI, on a statutory footing. CIRI was established on a voluntary basis in 2014 and over 850 building and contracting entities are currently included on the register. The Government approved the draft heads of a Bill to place the CIRI on a statutory footing and the Bill was referred to the Joint...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (26 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I will try to answer all of the questions asked, but I can send anything I miss to the Deputies in written correspondence. The Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has asked that we look at earlier communications and officials are investigating if that is possible. There is also the question of giving more detailed information in our announcements. We are happy to try to do that, too. The...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (26 Jun 2019)

Damien English: Do not do that to me.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (26 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I thank the Deputies for raising this as it gives me the opportunity to discuss the matter and set out some clarifications on it. The issue has been raised at Leaders' Questions this week so I am conscious there is information out there but I am happy to put more information on the record and tease out some of the issues around it. On Tuesday, 24 June, Dublin City Council and Dún...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jun 2019)

Damien English: The Deputy contacted me yesterday, but I did not have the chance to get back to him. There was a debate on this issue last week during which it was confirmed that the funding was available and that it was only a matter of organising the details. As the Taoiseach announced it a couple of months ago, we want to put the task force together. The names of several people have been suggested and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2019)

Damien English: Supply is part of the issue in this regard. As the third year of Rebuilding Ireland draws to a close, supply is certainly on the up. We should see more than 22,000 houses come into the system this year. Many of these will be in County Louth because many houses are being delivered in the greater Dublin region. That will help. We are also intervening to make houses more affordable...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2019)

Damien English: I will get the Deputy a full update on the ongoing discussions with European counterparts on this. Again, they have set out a proposal over the next couple of years where we will spend the guts of €2 billion on upgrading the infrastructure in affected areas with detailed capital projects on the way in 36 or 38 problem areas. What is happening in Dublin is a precautionary measure. We...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2019)

Damien English: When the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, was launching a report last week, he said it was worthwhile to read through it and examine its recommendations. He gave a commitment to do so. He has said here on many occasions in the past year, including in debates with Deputy Catherine Martin, that the Government is happy to try to work with management companies to find solutions, certainly in...