Results 4,321-4,340 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (7 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this issue in order to bring some clarity to it. My Department’s new multi-annual rural water programme 2016-2018 includes funding of group sewerage schemes, through measure 4(d), where clustering of households on individual septic tanks is not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective. In December 2015, my Department...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (7 Mar 2017)

Damien English: As I said, we will have a fair idea by the end of March how it stands with the extra plants recommendations. They are independent of the Minister and have made recommendations for priority five, which would lead to funding for 2018. If one of the projects before that drops out, or is re-prioritised in the coming months, there is a chance that it could come into 2017. As it stands today,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (7 Mar 2017)

Damien English: Yes.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Remediation Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The full conditions for eligibility under the scheme are set out in the scheme which is available on the Board’s website...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Social and Affordable Housing (2 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me the chance to talk about it. He is absolutely right about the development and construction of sustainable housing at an affordable price to give people options. The Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, the Department and I are working very closely on the different models and ways of doing this because we want to achieve it. I am glad that...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Social and Affordable Housing (2 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The Senator will appreciate that I do not have timeline details with me today but that is something in which we are all interested. We have seen how SDZs can work but we have also seen how they cannot work. I am very familiar with an SDZ in my own constituency which has not delivered, which is a shame. We want this site to be activated quickly. That is the desire of all involved and that...

Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (1 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I share some of the Deputy's concerns. The idea of introducing a single water utility in the form of Irish Water was to drive the necessary investment in the water and wastewater infrastructure that had been lacking for many generations. Thankfully, the previous Fine Gael-Labour Government and the current Government of Fine Gael and Independents supported by Fianna Fáil and others have...

Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (1 Mar 2017)

Damien English: The capital plans have been proposed by Irish Water and we are committed to that investment. It is secure at this stage.

Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (1 Mar 2017)

Damien English: It is secure under this Government. We believe in the value and importance of investing in that. A commitment has been made and we will continue with the plans that have been agreed with Irish Water. There will be a discussion on the future of water and wastewater, but I hope that the House has a reasonable debate and the polluter pays principle takes precedent.

Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (1 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and allowing me to clarify the issues he has outlined. The urban wastewater treatment directive mandates the required standards for the collection and treatment of wastewater from urban areas. The various deadlines for meeting the requirements of the directive passed some time ago, with the latest deadline being 31 December 2005. By that date,...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 34 - Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Revised) (1 Mar 2017)

Damien English: Deputy Casey asked about vacant properties.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 34 - Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Revised) (1 Mar 2017)

Damien English: I thank the Deputy. It follows on from a discussion we had at Question Time in the Dáil during the week. A major focus of the Department and ourselves is on the whole area of vacant properties. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, touched on it but there is certainly a better wind for us in terms of the urgency of getting houses back on track. In many cases, the infrastructure is there...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Resolution Board (28 Feb 2017)

Damien English: The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Board is independent in the performance of its functions, and as Minister, I have no role in the operational matters pertaining to the implementation of the scheme. The Board may be contacted by phone...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Architects Register (28 Feb 2017)

Damien English: My Department has had detailed engagement with the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists ( CIAT ) over the past number of years. In this regard, my Department outlined a number of options in keeping with the Building Control Act 2007 which could be pursued by CIAT with a view to progressing the registration of its Chartered Architectural Technologist members. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Legal Proceedings (28 Feb 2017)

Damien English: My Department is not a party to the case referred to. However, I understand that a request for a preliminary ruling pursuant to Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union was sought from the Court of Justice of the European Union on a number of points of European law, which had been raised in the case concerned, by Ireland’s Supreme Court by order of 19...

Other Questions: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Feb 2017)

Damien English: The Government’s Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness recognises the key contribution that AHBs have to make to the delivery of housing supports in Ireland, building on their track record in terms of both housing provision and management. There are 546 approved housing bodies, AHBs, in Ireland, ranging from small voluntary-led, community-based organisations to...

Other Questions: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Feb 2017)

Damien English: I note also the Deputy's question from earlier. Our key planning personnel and the housing delivery team in the Department are looking at all those sites. They look, site by site, at Dublin, Cork and other towns and cities to see how we can activate these sites. They are bringing the various players together and are identifying so-called pathfinder sites. We are actively asking. The...

Other Questions: Approved Housing Bodies (23 Feb 2017)

Damien English: The key to that is in changing the process of how the Department interacts with the local authorities in bringing forward projects. We have reduced the timing a lot in that regard. Our people are available to have meetings in the offices of the local authorities as often as they want to drive projects on. In all cases they have cut those timelines. Some of the projects that were hanging...

Other Questions: Student Accommodation (23 Feb 2017)

Damien English: Again, student accommodation has not been an overnight success. I wish it were. These projects have been sitting idle and waiting for funding for many years. We are purposely trying to drive up the amount of student accommodation in cities and areas close to universities and on campuses. We are trying to encourage and provide funding for education institutes to drive on-campus...

Other Questions: Homelessness Strategy (23 Feb 2017)

Damien English: They are.