Results 2,841-2,860 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (13 Nov 2018)

Damien English: It is 48%.

Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (13 Nov 2018)

Damien English: That is rubbish.

Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (13 Nov 2018)

Damien English: The Deputy is right - it does not make sense. It is not true.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Construction Industry Register Ireland (13 Nov 2018)

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 800 building and contracting entities are currently included on the register. At the end of May 2017, the Government approved the draft heads of a Bill to place the CIRI on a statutory footing and the Bill was...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Traveller Accommodation (13 Nov 2018)

Damien English: In accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have statutory responsibility for the assessment of the accommodation needs of Travellers and the preparation, adoption and implementation of multi-annual Traveller Accommodation Programmes (TAPs) in their areas. My Department’s role is to ensure that there are adequate structures and supports in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant Data (13 Nov 2018)

Damien English: My Department provides funding to local authorities under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability, in respect of private housing. The schemes are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the local authorities. In 2016, funding in the amount of €3,902,496 was provided to Cork County Council and 723 households...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Traffic Legislation (8 Nov 2018)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Rock for raising this important public safety concern affecting a number of communities in his area and in other parts of the country. He will recall that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, responded to a parliamentary question on the same issue on 19 February last. I pass on the Minister's apologies to the House. He is in the Seanad and could not be...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Road Traffic Legislation (8 Nov 2018)

Damien English: The Department has also reached out to a number of local community groups in the context of positive engagement fostered with local communities. Department officials are also engaging with a number of overseas jurisdictions to inform further the multi-pronged approach required to deal with the serious anti-social and dangerous behaviour associated with the misuse of these vehicles. At the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authority Funding (8 Nov 2018)

Damien English: Under the Disabled Persons Grants Scheme, capital funding is provided to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to the existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants. My Department has recently given funding approval for the construction of extensions to 2 local authority houses in Ballynacarrigy and Castletowngeoghegan, Co. Westmeath. It is now a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (8 Nov 2018)

Damien English: There is no statutory requirement for a clerk of works on building developments. In response to the many building failures of the past, my Department introduced the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, which require greater accountability in relation to compliance with Building Regulations in the form of statutory certification of design and construction by registered construction...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Foreshore Licence Applications (8 Nov 2018)

Damien English: My Department wrote to the person concerned on 24 August 2018 last clarifying the legal standing on appurtenant and profit-à-prendre rights to harvest wild seaweed and the interaction of these rights with the Foreshore Act and specifically applications to harvest wild seaweed. My Department outlined that in order to consider an application to harvest wild seaweed, it...

Water Services: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: I thank Deputies Mattie McGrath, Michael Collins, Grealish, Harty and Lowry, as well as Deputies Danny Healy-Rae and Michael Healy-Rae, for tabling this Private Members' motion. We briefly touched on this at Leaders' Questions a few weeks ago but we did not get a chance for a full discussion so it is nice to come back to debate the facts. There has been a productive and informed debate so...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Regional Development Policy (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for the opportunity to discuss the matter and bring some clarity to it. I welcome the opportunity to provide clarity and address any misunderstanding that may have arisen. We had some discussion of Project Ireland 2040 and the regional plans in the Dáil. We need to have more discussion in this House, in committee and the Dáil to tease out what we are trying to...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Regional Development Policy (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for this debate and I am happy to engage with him over the months ahead to try to get this right. The population targets are based on ESRI data but we believe there is enough headroom and space in the Kildare figures and in the various towns. This is something we can monitor over the coming weeks as we try to bring this process to an end.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Building Regulations (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: 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. The Panel had the following terms of reference: (i) To identify, insofar as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Fire Service (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1195 and 1196 together. I note the statements made in the Seanad debate of 10 March 2015 and also the judgment made by the European Court (Grand Chamber) in Case C-532/03 Commission of the European Communities v Ireland which sought to compel the Health Service Executive (HSE) to put the emergency ambulance service for the greater Dublin area service out...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Proposed Legislation (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: Architectural Technologists are not currently classed as a regulated profession in Ireland. This means that there is no designated competent authority, which has the power to approve or restrict access to the profession in Ireland under national or EU law. In early 2016, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) published Awards Standards for Architectural Technology award. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: National Planning Framework (6 Nov 2018)

Damien English: The National Planning Framework (NPF), published together with the National Development Plan (NDP) as part of Project Ireland 2040 earlier this year, is intended to provide the strategic context for future planning, development and investment over the next two decades. In addition, the NPF represents a long-term strategy for Government Departments, State...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (6 Nov 2018)

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 800 building and contracting entities are currently included on the register. At the end of May 2017, the Government approved the draft heads of a Bill to place the CIRI on a statutory footing and the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Efficiency (25 Oct 2018)

Damien English: The Building Regulations apply to the design and construction of a building and certain works to an existing building. The minimum performance requirements that a building/works must achieve are set out in the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. These requirements are set out in 12 parts classified as Parts A to M. Part L – Conservation of Fuel and...