Results 2,701-2,720 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Jan 2019)

Damien English: In the spirit of Deputy Fitzmaurice, I will not delay the House too much either. I am not going to go back over everything that was addressed last night by the Minister when he outlined the Bill and his hopes for it. I thank all the Members on behalf of the Minister and the Department for their contributions. We appreciate the support offered for the Bill. Most speakers supported the Bill...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Referral to Select Committee (23 Jan 2019)

Damien English: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government pursuant to Standing Orders 84A(3)(a) and 149(1) of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Urban Renewal Schemes (23 Jan 2019)

Damien English: Without a doubt, the north quays project will provide many opportunities for the city and region. It is a project of major significance. I compliment all involved in getting it this far. Together with the total amount of lifetime URDF grant funding sought, the proposal that came forward this time included four very significant elements of enabling infrastructure which are: relocation of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Urban Renewal Schemes (23 Jan 2019)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter, which is very important. It gives me an opportunity to discuss the north quays project in Waterford and, in particular, Waterford City and County Council's successful bid for funding for the north quays under the urban regeneration and development fund. It is a project with which I am very familiar having met many of the stakeholders involved in it...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The changes made by the Central Bank have allowed for the investment of the resources of credit unions in the SPV. The SPV model is being worked on by the Irish Council of Social Housing and grant-aided by the Department in conjunction with the credit union movement. We had hoped to complete the work in December. The Government cannot-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jan 2019)

Damien English: I apologise. The Government cannot do it; it must be done independently. We expect the work to be completed in the next month or two. It is one SPV available to the credit unions; there is already a mechanism available to them, namely, the Credit Union Development Authority, CUDA, which is available for the purpose of investing in social housing.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Energy Rating Compliance (22 Jan 2019)

Damien English: Under the current building regulations, a typical dwelling is built to an A3 Building Energy Standard (BER). Currently, based on CSO statistics, 98% of all new dwellings are built to an A3 rated BER standard. The Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) performance for new dwellings will be typically equivalent to a BER of A2. The draft regulations and accompanying technical guidance to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jan 2019)

Damien English: As the Deputy will be aware, we have had a couple of meetings with different people to try to organise the working group. The local authority has been involved as well. I hope that in February we will be in a position to announce the details of who will be on the working group and how we can progress it. We will involve all the Members of the House from Tipperary in how we put the group...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Energy Rating Compliance (16 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive sets requirements at an EU level for Member States to improve the energy performance of buildings and to make an important contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Article 9(1) of the Directive requires Member States to ensure that:- - by 31 December 2020, all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings; and -...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regeneration Projects Funding (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: In 2019 nearly €72 million will be spent on existing regeneration programmes. There will be more schemes under the urban regeneration fund to enhance that work and to continue with that even in the years beyond the scope of Rebuilding Ireland because the work we are doing is essential. The 50 projects that will bring forward the 1,000 new houses as well as the retrofit of other...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regeneration Projects Funding (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: I do not have the full details here. Our work in that area is governed by the master plan, which we have been following. More than €360 million has been spent in Limerick over the past six or seven years. We are also absolutely committed to that. Apart from the new homes being delivered, 783 homes have been upgraded. Naturally people are moved. I recently visited a project which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regeneration Projects Funding (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The Department supports a programme of large-scale regeneration projects in Dublin, Cork and Limerick and smaller projects in Tralee, Sligo and Dundalk. In 2018, a total spend of €68 million in funding was provided under this programme. The specific amounts provided to the relevant local authorities were: Cork City Council, €4.4 million; Dublin City Council, €17.8...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Building Control Management System (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The most important thing is to clarify that when Fine Gael came to Government, the first opportunity it got it brought in the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014. It should have been done many years before that but it was done by the Fine Gael Government in conjunction with the Labour Party because we recognised the importance of addressing the unacceptable situation of building...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The best indication I can give is that the next meeting of the working group, which will hopefully be the final meeting, is this month, a few weeks away. We should be in a position to finalise the work after that. It has taken a long time because we have engaged with the Commission on this and that can be lengthy. The working group met four times, most recently in November 2018. The first...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: That message will certainly go back. We have the same message as well. We would like this finished to bring clarity to this issue. We have tried to pre-empt what might happen with our work on the national planning framework. The Deputy will see the slight change we have made in rural planning which is along the same lines. We are all very clear on this. There is often a conversation...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Building Control Management System (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: In general, building defects are matters for resolution between the contracting parties involved: the homeowner, the builder, the developer and-or their respective insurers, structural guarantee or warranty scheme. In the case of multi-unit developments, the legislative position is clear on where responsibilities rest. Under the Building Control Acts, 1990 to 2014, primary responsibility...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Building Control Management System (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The Department is working on the committee’s report and other reports and the task force is working on implementing their recommendations. There is an issue around when a government intervenes. Governments have decided in some cases to intervene to support homeowners in dwellings subject to significant damage such as pyrite, and, in budget 2019, a decision was made to bring forward a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: Under the current 2005 guidelines on sustainable rural housing, planning authorities are required to frame the planning policies in their development plans in a balanced and measured way that ensures the housing needs of rural communities are met while avoiding excessive urban-generated housing and haphazard development, particularly in those areas near cities and towns that are under extreme...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Housing Policy (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: -----and if we feel we have to, we can do that, but I hope we will not have to go down that road.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social and Affordable Housing Funding (15 Jan 2019)

Damien English: The Government is committed to this. It was an action in Rebuilding Ireland, whereby we would work with the Central Bank and Department of Finance to make this an option. Work was completed a year ago, in February 2018. The Central Bank made a recommendation about how credit unions could invest their available funding into the social housing sector. That has been provided for and work...