Results 4,421-4,440 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: There has been an 11% increase this year.

Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: Use the facts.

Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 1:That Dáil Éireann notes the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016 as introduced by Deputy Pringle and further notes that:- the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, operates a sustainable and responsible investment policy, published in July 2016, and that this policy specifically focuses on climate change; - ISIF has limited exposure to fossil fuels within its...

Other Questions: Pyrite Remediation Programme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: With regard to the funding, based on the figures of recent years, the €22 million allocated for this year's budget should be sufficient to deal with the applications going through the process where properties have sufficient damage to be fixed. Last year, more than 400 properties were completed and 553 properties have been completed in total. The €22 million should cover...

Other Questions: Pyrite Remediation Programme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: I do not have a date for when the new standard will apply. I hope the work will be completed very shortly because it is important to have it. It might change the situation for some people. At least when we have the new standard we can judge where it goes afterwards. The Deputy spoke about common sense. The criteria are very tight and clear with regard to how money will be spent. It...

Other Questions: Pyrite Remediation Programme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: It is not due to a lack of common sense. The criteria are very tight and rightly so because it is taxpayers' money. The priority is to fix the houses with considerable damage which are very badly affected. This is what we are trying to do. More than 1,400 applications have been made, 553 have been fixed and 500 are in play this year. We are trying to deal with those in bad need of...

Other Questions: Pyrite Remediation Programme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: I accept that. This is what I am saying, we must find a way to deal with it. This is why the new standard that will be announced shortly, I hope, might help us to achieve this in some cases. If not, we will have to go even further again. I am committed to trying to find a process to end this limbo. I accept that, but I ask the Deputy not to tell me there is a lack of common sense because...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Resettlement Scheme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: That is exactly what we are doing. We want to give this very serious consideration. The Department has an urban renewal and regeneration working group that has been working with local authority chief executives over the past couple of months to devise new schemes and ideas. In addition, the Department works alongside the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Resettlement Scheme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The action plan for rural development that will be launched next week will facilitate that. Our Department is feeding into that and has already fed into that. We have had numerous meetings at official and ministerial level. The Minister and I, along with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Minister of State for regional economic development,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Resettlement Scheme (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Harty for raising this issue. We agree that it is not just a rural resettlement programme that we need but that the focus should be on the revitalisation and rebuilding of rural areas. That is what we are trying to achieve. The aim is set out both in the programme for Government and in Rebuilding Ireland. We want to facilitate people who want to live in a rural area,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Data (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: We are ahead of time. We started early.

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Referral to Select Committee (19 Jan 2017)

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

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: 3 o’clock I thank Deputies for the contributions they have made since the debate on this Bill commenced on 28 September last. Their comments clearly indicate the importance of the Bill and the measures proposed therein. Many interesting and varying contributions were made over the course of the debate and while I may not agree with all of them, I fully accept that they were made...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payments Data (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) which has been rolled out to local authorities on a phased basis was commenced in the Galway County Council administrative area on 16 November 2015 and in the Galway City Council administrative area on 1 February 2016. As HAP is rolled out nationally and replaces Rent Supplement for households with a long- term housing need, the number of households...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Library Projects (19 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The provision of premises and facilities in the public library service is generally a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority. Accordingly, the development of the proposed library in Ballivor is primarily a matter for Meath County Council. In January 2016, my Department announced a new Libraries Capital Investment Programme for the period 2016-2021 to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Fire Safety (17 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The statutory requirements in relation to Fire Safety Certificates are set out in the Building Control Act 1990, as amended by Part 2 of the Building Control Act 2007, and in regulations made thereunder. A Fire Safety Certificate is generally required before construction work is commenced in the case of a new apartment block, a new building other than a dwelling or an existing building other...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (17 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The (June 2012) recommended a categorisation system as a means of prioritising pyrite remediation works in recognition of the expensive and intrusive nature of pyrite remediation and the unpredictability of pyritic heave. The independent Pyrite Panel was clear in its view that only dwellings with significant damage due to pyritic heave (i.e. red category) should be remediated and that it...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (17 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The cost review that the Deputy refers to is currently being undertaken by the Housing Agency and it is envisaged that it will be completed in the first half of 2017. In parallel, a working group, chaired by my Department, has been established to undertake a detailed analysis of construction costs, in order to benchmark housing delivery input costs in Ireland with a view to identifying...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Pyrite Issues (17 Jan 2017)

Damien English: The development of national standards is the responsibility of the National Standards Authority of Ireland; I have no function in relation to such matters. In late 2015, the National Standards Authority of Ireland commenced a review of I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and Categorisationin the light of practical experience since the...

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2016)

Damien English: There are 12,500.