Results 3,201-3,220 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Topical Issue Debate: Water and Sewerage Schemes (17 May 2018)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the upgrading of rural town and village schemes to further housing development. The Deputy highlighted the importance of doing this, particularly in Askeaton in his own native county of Limerick. This is something on which we must focus on if we are going to achieve our housing targets and get construction going again in the parts of the country...

Questions on Promised Legislation (17 May 2018)

Damien English: I do not have the figures for the numbers that presented to Garda stations but I can certainly try to get them for the Deputy. There is no reason for people to spend a night in Garda accommodation. There is no reason for it whatsoever. There are a lot of service providers and €120 million was spent this year directly on homelessness services. People are placed in emergency...

Questions on Promised Legislation (17 May 2018)

Damien English: I certainly will.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Commemorative Medals (17 May 2018)

Damien English: The provision of fire services in local authority areas is a statutory function of the individual fire authorities under the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy and through a range of service development programmes. The issuing of 1916 - 2016 commemorative medals was a commitment in ‘A...

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (16 May 2018)

Damien English: I will make one final point. On local government funding, as I have explained previously, population increases have meant that counties such as Meath are underfunded. They have been underfunded for many years following population explosions. However, the first chance it got, the Government, as finances improved, began to redistribute funding to all local authorities. We are correcting the...

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (16 May 2018)

Damien English: They are there now.

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (16 May 2018)

Damien English: I like it when I have co-operation from the other side.

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (16 May 2018)

Damien English: Thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, for the opportunity to say a few words. I apologise as I did think I was winding up the debate. I was wound up earlier by some of the comments made.

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (16 May 2018)

Damien English: It is one thing the Opposition Members are good at. I will give them that. A couple of points were raised earlier. I heard some of the comments made by the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and by Deputy Jan O'Sullivan in response to what Fianna Fáil is calling for in the motion. Very often we are accused of not addressing the housing shortage early enough and not stepping in, but as...

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (16 May 2018)

Damien English: It is an untrue charge.

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: I want to clarify that Deputy Smith is not the only voice in Inchicore looking for housing projects, and not everyone would agree with the Deputy in this regard. We strongly believe that the best use of publicly owned land is a combination of public housing through social, affordable and private accommodation use. Most people here would agree that the concept is right but the big question...

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: The Deputy keeps saying public housing-----

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: I understand that, but the best use of State-owned lands is accommodation for all. The question that we are asked most is whether we are open to different models of funding. With every site the State owns we have asked the local authority to bring in all the different concepts for that land. They have all brought in their plans for delivery of social, affordable and private accommodation....

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: It is the officials and the councillors who will make the decisions. Some of the councillors are from the Deputies' own background and are part of that conversation also. We will look at every option to get these houses delivered. With regard to credit unions providing funds, the changes were made to allow this. I met the credit unions recently. We want them to be involved in housing...

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: There is no site picked yet-----

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: I thank the Deputies for raising the very important issue of the State land bank and the role it is playing and can play in delivering affordable, social and private housing of all types and sizes, on which we are all in agreement. The issue revolves around who will pay for the private part of a development and who will sell the relevant houses. It is wrong for people to continually say...

Topical Issue Debate: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (16 May 2018)

Damien English: Increasing and accelerating housing delivery, particularly social and affordable housing, are at the heart of the Government's action plan for housing and homelessness, Rebuilding Ireland, which I accept and acknowledge is everyone's motivation. The two sites referred to are key housing authority assets that must be mobilised for the sustainable development of Dublin as a whole. They are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Legislative Programme (16 May 2018)

Damien English: Stronger compliance with building standards and the broader building control reform agenda are critical priorities for the Government, and a commitment has been given 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...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme Implementation (16 May 2018)

Damien English: The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides the statutory framework for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board, and for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme to be implemented by the Board with support from the Housing Agency. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope.  The full conditions for...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: County Development Plans (15 May 2018)

Damien English: The completion timeframe for the review of the Meath County Development Plan is a matter for Meath County Council. My Department is aware that the local authority has paused its review of the development plan, pending the completion of a Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) over the remainder of this year, which will act as a key co-ordinating strategy for the various local...